Cornerstones: Top editors are open for submissions!
Could yours be the next bestseller? Work with one of our top editors or take our EYN course to find out...
Dear authors,
We hope you are well and enjoying the start of February – we are loving seeing the days grow longer here at Cornerstones HQ! We’re writing to you today with exciting news, a reminder about our Edit Your Novel course, and editor updates.
There’s one week left until our course, Edit Your Novel the Professional Way, kicks off – and we have a couple of spaces left! This 18-week, online course is perfect for authors who have a full draft are looking to finalise and submit their manuscript. The course covers all sorts of techniques, writing prompts, feedback sessions, and is run by the wonderful Kathryn Price, who co-wrote On Editing with Helen. By the end, you’ll emerge a pro in self-editing, with a concrete submission package and a list of agents who are open to receiving queries!
As we gear up for London Book Fair in March, Helen and Monica are booking in meetings with agents and submitting novels that have made it through the Scouting Programme. Both Helen and Monica are looking to line up new manuscripts to work on, so if you think yours would be a fit, contact the office and let us know!
Helen’s wishlist includes women's, crime, psychological thrillers, historical, dark YA, true crime, transformational memoirs, and warm, funny middle grade. Monica’s favourite genres are historical, literary, reading group and non-fiction. She’s looking for off-beat characters, twisty plots and stories that explore identity.
We have recently onboarded two excellent new editors, Katie and Clare. Katie has previous experience at major publishing houses such as Orion, Penguin, and HarperCollins, and most recently as the Senior Commissioning Editor at HQ. She loves working on commercial fiction, historical, women’s, and romance – do get in touch if you would like to work with her on your novel!
Clare is a middle grade author who has written novels such as The Unexpected Tale of Bastien Bonlivre (2021, Usborne) and The Wanderdays: Journey to Fantome Island (2024, Usborne). She has worked in publishing for over eight years and created the W&A Working-Class Writers’ Prize in 2018 where she reads and offers feedback on every submission. She loves all middle grade genres; particularly adventure, mystery, historical, and horror!
If you would like to work with either of these fantastic editors, do get in touch with the office and we’ll talk you through next steps.
As always, let us know what you’re working on and if you’d like any professional feedback! We’re always here to pair you up with the best editor for your manuscript, and we look forward to hearing from you.
Very best,
The Cornerstones Team