Success Stories

“I had finished my book before I sent it to The Literary Consultancy. It was a difficult book to categorize, linking memoir with history, medicine and travel . It covers seven different countries from 1797 through to the 1960s. I was concerned about listing the different chapters with their countries and dates in the right order, which was not chronological. I needn’t have worried. Frankie Bailey understood completely what I was trying to do. She both encouraged me and cautioned me and suggested a stronger ending. I have used The Literary Consultancy before with my novel about the Aztecs. Then I had two different readers – it was a difficult novel to write. Both readers set me onto a better path and the book was eventually published. I would always use The Literary Consultancy before publishing a book – it results in a more professional work.”

After several rewrites, near-misses with publishers, frustration and a sense of just giving up on the whole project, I was guided to TLC’s door and the rest I’m very happy to say is now history! Being paired with my Editor, Gill Farrer-Halls, was the greatest single stroke of good fortune. Her guidance was crystal clear and quite brutally honest at times – exactly what was needed to bring Being with Cows into shape. Without her support bringing structural order to the chaos, the script would have remained in so many fragmented pieces. It is safe to say that without this highly professional level of editorial service, I would not be sat here typing this words today. A huge and everlasting thanks to Gill, Joe and all the team at TLC. 

Being paired with my TLC Mentor was the turning point. Thalia combined practical advice with challenging my processes, and by fully engaging I found the impetus to not only push through to the end, but also to go back and edit, pulling all my strands together and coming out with a novel. A second read by Angela Clarke brought a new and invaluable perspective and I am deeply grateful for the care and attention I have received. I would not have found my way out of the woods without my TLC Mentor showing me the path.

“When I had a draft collection, I was recommended TLC as a next step. It was revelatory to have an independent expert view to assess the merits of individual stories and the collection. The input from my TLC Editor Alan Mahar gave me confidence, clarity and a higher standard to aim for. His comments were not sugar coated. But I worked hard and knew the only thing I could control was the quality of my writing. Ultramarine was published in May 2023.”

“I was about to give up on the MS that became The Ash House. No one was going to read all the pfaff. Then the TLC critique came back. It was from Stephen Carver a writer and Gothic expert who totally ‘got’ what I was trying to do. He identified all the weak spots AND also the strong bits. I can honestly say that without TLC, this book wouldn’t have found a publisher. Thank you!”

“In the summer of 2021, I didn’t know that I had a pamphlet forming. What I knew was that I had quite a few recent poems – some of which, I had followed into profundity. Poets reading my work encouraged me to submit the manuscript to publishers and competitions. So in preparation, I applied for the TLC Free Reads scheme via Writing East Midlands. My TLC Editor Michael Langan’s feedback was very encouraging and provided enough guidance to get me to the next draft of each poem. He saw his comments and questions as a conversation with me and the work. A year later in June 2022, Seren’s Editorial Board unanimously voted to publish my manuscript.”