Our Programmes

Preparing Your Novel for Submission

3rd November 2025 - 7th November 2025

Facilitator: Ally Wilkes and Cat Camacho

In this course you will prepare your novel for submission to publishers, agents or the wider reading public, guided by award-nominated novelist Ally Wilkes and Cat Camacho, an editor with over 10 years’ industry experience. It doesn’t matter if you have a whole novel drafted or you are yet to write your opening pages: this course offers ample opportunity in free-writing sessions to work on what’s most relevant to you. You will also learn specific techniques to make your novel stand out and be the best it can be, including in-depth guidance how to draft an exciting and attention-grabbing synopsis and the perfect pitch letter, along with exclusive publishing industry insight from an experienced publishing professional. You will benefit from seeing exactly how an editor works with a live editing session, as well as exclusive one-to-one sessions with the course tutors, and targeted writing exercises on which you will receive feedback from your fellow course writers.

Event time: 3rd November 2025 10:00am - 7th November 2025 4:00pm

Interested in spreading the cost of this course? Select Clearpay at checkout.

Not seeing Clearpay? Email info@hawkwoodcollege.co.uk for your payment options.

What Is Included

For the majority of our courses, both residential and non-residential rates are available. Residential options are fully inclusive with all meals provided. Non-residential options include suppers, lunches and all refreshments and exclude B&B. Some of our short day courses, events and talks do not include meals and refreshments. For more details about this course, please see the Practical Information section below.

Additional Activities

Mindful walking through our woodland trails
Meditate in our Woodland Sanctuary
Go on a hike and explore the Cotswolds AONB
Discover surrounding charming market towns

At a Glance

Targeted masterclasses on:

The final readthrough: what to look out for

Pitch letters and submissions

Crafting your synopsis

Submissions and acquisitions: an overview

Live editing workshop

One-to-one tutorials with industry experts geared specifically towards your individual needs and goals
Group sessions in a friendly, supportive environment
Free writing: ample opportunity to work on your novel
Guest speaker sharing their routes to publication

What You Will Gain

Attendees will have ample opportunity to polish their novel or work on whichever area of their manuscript they choose in free-writing sessions
Workshop participants will gain skills and craft knowledge at the daily masterclasses offered by professional writers
One-to-one feedback from our expert tutors on how best to position and pitch your novel as well as guidance on how to continue this process after the course
Group feedback will enable participants to develop their critical skills as well as offering insights into one another’s work
Industry understanding: an insider lifts the lid on the publishing industry

Booking Options

Residential (single)Residential single rate

£950.00

Interested in spreading the cost of this course? Select Clearpay at checkout.

Not seeing Clearpay? Email info@hawkwoodcollege.co.uk for your payment options.

Preparing Your Novel for Submission Tutors

Ally Wilkes

Cat Camacho

More about Preparing Your Novel for Submission

Are you interested in learning how best to present your novel, whether to agents, publishers or the wider reading public? We offer a course that will give you everything you need to prepare for submissions, in a supportive, warm residential setting. This is perfect for writers at any stage of their writing journey, whether you’re just getting started or want to level up your skills and make your work more appealing to readers and publishers. In particular, you don’t have to have completed a draft to find this course useful.

Hawkwood, a beautiful manor house set amongst gorgeous woodland, is the perfect place to immerse yourself in the creative process. It offers a serene escape for writers looking for time, inspiration, and the support of tutors and your fellow course writers.

Each day will start with an in-depth masterclass, covering a specific aspect of preparing for submission. For example, you will explore how to create the perfect pitch letter and synopsis to sell your book as effectively as possible and learn about what to look for on that all-important final readthrough, while receiving a unique perspective into the publishing industry from seasoned professionals and guest speakers. You will also be able to see an experienced editor working in real-time with writing extracts – maybe even yours!

The course features one-to-one feedback from your tutors on how to prepare for submission. On this course, your tutorials work for you. You are free to choose the structure of your one-to-one sessions, whether these are in the form of a short, daily progress update, a longer examination of your work as a whole, including goal setting and next steps, or whatever works best for you!

This course builds in ample free-writing opportunities, where you can exercise your creativity and be inspired by this unique setting to make your novel the best it can be. You will also learn the art of giving and receiving feedback amongst your fellow course writers. Even better – this retreat is fully catered, allowing you more time to focus on your book.

Practical Information

Is this course for me?
This course is open to any experience level, from published writers to people who have yet to produce their first novel. Whether you have a complete novel draft or are yet to write your opening pages, all of Ally and Cat's courses will provide plenty of free-writing sessions, allowing you to focus on the part of your manuscript that matters most to you.

Attendees need to come to the course with an idea for a novel, big or small, that they would like to explore.

All attendees should bring along a mood board: this can be an A3 sheet of paper or similar containing pictures and quotations relating to the world of your novel. A music playlist is also encouraged. This will be for a show-and-tell to your tutors and fellow course participants on Day 1. [We can provide an example of a mood board if useful].

Attendees need to complete the pre-course questionnaire which Hawkwood will send out, to give the tutors the best understanding of your writing goals.

Your tutors are happy to pre-read material before the course of up to 700 words.

About Hawkwood

Hawkwood is a stunning Grade Il listed 19th Century country house, surrounded by 42 acres of sustainably managed woodland, farmland, and gardens. Set in the heart of the Cotswolds - an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - it is a sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of modern life. With a diverse selection of nearly 150 courses, there's plenty to choose from, including courses in transformative leadership, future thinking, inner life, music and the arts.

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13th January 2025 - 17th January 2025

In this course you will create the first chapter of your book, guided by award-nominated novelist Ally Wilkes and Cat Camacho, an editor with over 10 years’ industry experience. You will learn specific writing techniques to craft the perfect opening, including in-depth guidance on plotting, point of view, and voice amongst others. You will benefit from exclusive one-to-one sessions with the course tutors, along with targeted writing exercises on which you will receive feedback from your fellow course writers. Our mid-week guest speaker is novelist, Emilia Hart.

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