Curtis Brown Creative

Check out our upcoming May courses! 🌸 Discover the writing secrets of #OneDay author David Nicholls on our online course, Writing Fiction with David Nicholls. Learn how to build a compelling proposal for your non-fiction project on Writing Your Non-Fiction Proposal. Or, get the inside track on what a literary agent does with insights from Curtis Brown CEO & top literary agent, Jonny Geller. #WritersOfInstagram #CurtisBrownCreative #CurtisBrown #AmWriting

To celebrate the landmark moment of 300 former students gaining book deals, we’re running a flash fiction competition. HOW TO ENTER 🖊️ Theme: Landmarks 🖊️ Length: Up to 300 words 🖊️ Deadline: Monday 15 June, 11.59pm 🖊️ Where to submit: Via the entry form on our website PRIZES 🏆 Winner: £300 Curtis Brown Creative gift voucher + a yearlong membership to the Writing Studio (worth £240) 🏆 Runners-up: Two writers will receive six months’ access to the Writing Studio (worth £150) Open to unpublished writers 18+, residing in the UK or Ireland. Visit our website for full competition details and T&Cs. #AmWriting #WritingCompetition #WritersOfInstagram

Meet our 300th student to gain a book deal! 📚🎉 @bethiahale studied on our flagship Writing Your Novel course in 2021 and her debut novel #AnyDayNow is out next April with @phoenix_bks ! We are thrilled to reach the milestone of 300 former students gaining commercial publishing deals! Visit our website to find out more about how we’re celebrating. #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #WritersOfInstagram #WritingCourse

Tracy Cook: 'The characters must drive your narrative, not your research' 📜 On the blog today, we caught up with CBC alumna @tracycookwriter to discuss her advice for researching and writing historical fiction, her writing routine and the inspiration behind her debut novel #WingsOverValletta. Q: What advice would you give to aspiring authors trying to write within the historical fiction genre? A: Make sure to pick an idea you are passionate about as you’ll be living with it for one or two years. Thoroughly immerse yourself in your era; look at newspapers, photographs, watch films, listen to music, try recipes – whatever makes it really sing for you. #WingsOverValletta is out next week with @allisonandbusby ! To read the full interview, head to our website (link in bio). #AmWriting #AuthorInterview #HistoricalFiction

It’s time… The 2026 #Discoveries shortlist is here! We are delighted to announce the six talented writers shortlisted for #Discoveries2026, chosen for the quality and promise shown in 10,000 words and a synopsis of their novel-in-progress. Each writer skilfully draws from their intimate personal histories and interests, infused with imagination, telling stories that reach across time, space and topics. Congratulations to: 💙 Mirha Butt, Notes From The Valley of Unclaimed Daughters @buttmirha5 💙 Uduak-Abasi Ekong, Welcome Back, Darling @uduaque_ 💙 Melissa Oliver-Powell, Sea-Mouth @dr_melissa_op 💙 Jo O'Neill, The Peat Cutter's Wife @jooneillwriters 💙 Sithara Ranasinghe, The Spare @sitharawrites 💙 Ruixi Zhang, Confessions of an Alien @zhang_r_x_ Learn more about each of the shortlistees via the link in our bio, and set your reminders for 9am BST on 28 May to discover the 2026 winner and scholar. Discoveries is the @womensprize 's popular and pioneering writer development programme and prize run in partnership with @audible_uk , @curtisbrownbooks , and @curtisbrowncreative . With thanks to this year’s judges, Chair @katemossewriter , @nussaibahyounis , @dorothykoomson_author , Anna Davis and @ciarafinan_litagent .

4 ‘New in’ titles from CBC alumni! 🌟 We popped into our local Waterstones to check out the latest releases from some of our former students! Which one will you be adding to your TBR first? 📚 The Last Starborn Seer by @venetiaconstantine 📚 We Call Them Witches by @indiarosebower 📚 The Barbecue at No. 9 by @jennie.godfrey 📚 Belgrave Road by @mcintheworld #CurtisBrownCreative #CurtisBrown #WritingCommunity #TBR #BookRecs

Rachel Wood: ‘It's genuinely such a joy to write about two people falling in love’ 💘 On the blog today, we caught up with CBC alumna @rachelwouldnt to discuss her advice for creating chemistry between your romantic leads, her romance recommendations and the inspiration behind her debut rom-com #AnnieKnowsEverything. Q: What did you enjoy most about writing Annie's character, and what were the challenges you faced in making her both self-assured and relatable? A: A heroine finding a newfound sense of self is a very familiar journey in a rom-com. It struck me as funny to write a character who has the opposite problem. I think to get on board with Annie, the reader needed to feel like her heart was in the right place, and to have a sense that Annie was going to eventually reckon with the fact that you can be right about something but also handle it in the wrong way. #AnnieKnowsEverything is out now with @zaffrebooks ! To read the full interview, head to our website (link in bio). #AmWriting #AuthorInterview

Attention romance writers! Spend an evening with us discussing what it takes to write standout romance, deliver unexpected twists, and build an empathetic connection with your reader. We can’t wait for our next live online event: In Conversation with Mike Gayle. During this 60-minute Q&A, @mikegaylethenovelist will discuss the inspiration behind his latest novel On We Go, his prolific career and his unique approach to writing relationships with warmth and humour. The event will offer invaluable insights into Mike’s nearly three-decade career as an author of brilliantly written, bestselling commercial fiction. On We Go is a warm, funny and tender story about what it truly means to be a family. When Cal loses his beloved wife Nikki, and his teenage step-daughter Zoe moves out to live with her father, his whole world falls apart. But life works in mysterious ways. And when a prestigious university wants to pay tribute to Nikki with a posthumous award in Zurich, Cal sees an opportunity to both honour his wife, and mend things with Zoe. The plan is a European inter-railing trip to Zurich – but what Cal hasn't anticipated is Zoe lying to her father about it, and inviting her other relatives to join too. What starts off as a very awkward family reunion – punctuated with some sightseeing – quickly takes a turn as tempers fray, secrets are revealed, and the pent-up grief they're all still carrying is unleashed. There's nothing quite like family. Except maybe a family on holiday . . . (Out 4 Jun @hodderbooks ) Plus, all ticket-holders will be invited to submit a question for Mike ahead of time. 🗓️ Tues 2 Jun, 7-8pm (UK time) 🎟️ Get your £12 ticket now (link in bio) 📖 Members of the Writing Studio join for free #AmWriting #MikeGayle #OnWeGo #AuthorEvent

Ep 9 - Literary Agent Wishlists: Helena Maybery ✍️ Are you writing an unconventional love story that turns the genre on its head, or a twisty-turny psychological thriller that keeps readers guessing? Then Helena Maybery might be the agent for you! #CurtisBrownCreative #CurtisBrown #LiteraryAgent #AmQuerying #AgentWants @sheilacrowley @curtisbrownbooks

Michelle Misra: 'Gaining an author’s trust is paramount' 📖 On the blog today, we spoke to freelance editor and mentor on our Complete Your Manuscript programme, Michelle Misra, about her background in children's publishing, her favourite fictional characters and what she enjoys about working with aspiring authors. Q: Do you have any advice for writers who are at the beginning of their writing journey? A: Don’t give up if you fall at the first hurdle. Sometimes books don’t get published because it isn’t the right time or place for them, not because they aren’t good. Michelle is a mentor on our Complete Your Manuscript – One-to-One Programme and is also available to provide full manuscript reports, submission reports and mentoring through our editorial services. To find out more about Michelle, read the full interview on our website (link in bio). #AmWriting #AmQuerying #EditorInterview

Meet the writers of tomorrow✍️ We’re thrilled to introduce you to the 16 talented writers longlisted for #Discoveries2026! Each impressed our judges with up to 10,000 words of their novel-in-progress, bringing a unique voice and original idea to the page. Congratulations to: 💙 Mirha Butt for Notes From The Valley of Unclaimed Daughters 💙 Jo Carroll for This is What Happens When You Wear Purple 💙 Mary E Clapp for A Blush of Red 💙 Rebecca Cook for Dishonour 💙 Uduak-Abasi Ekong for Welcome Back, Darling 💙 Aisling Flynn for Vital Organs 💙 Cleo Heywood for Magpie State 💙 Jayaa Kaur for Growing Pains 💙 S.J. Ladds for Butch 💙 Marija Maher-Diffenthal for Undone 💙 Liz K. Linh Nguyễn for Phụng 💙 Jo O'Neill for The Peat Cutter's Wife 💙 Melissa Oliver-Powell for Sea-Mouth 💙 Sithara Ranasinghe for The Spare 💙 Halina Watts for Meat 💙 Ruixi Zhang for Confessions of an Alien Learn more about each longlistee and their work via the link in our bio. Thanks to the 2026 judging panel chaired by @katemossewriter : @nussaibahyounis , @dorothykoomson_author , Anna Davis, and @ciarafinan_litagent and our 2026 partners @audible_uk , @curtisbrowncreative and @curtisbrownbooks .

Curious about our flagship Writing Your Novel courses? Here are three things our students learnt during the process! ✍️ #CurtisBrownCreative #CurtisBrown #WritingSchool #AuthorsOfInstagram #WritingCommunity