Apprenticeships
One-year professional development programmes
Apprenticeships in Fiction has a firmly established reputation for turning out professional novelists. The original boot camp for writers – the scheme has an unprecedented success rate with over eight publications and many writers now working with literary agents.
Introduction
Apprenticeships provide a template for all our services and are based on established professional practice. We offer two options:
1. Advanced. Apprenticeships. For writers who have completed a full draft.
2. Preliminary. Writers Toolkit. Apprenticeship for new writers starting out. (Who have completed their first fifty pages/15,000 words and would like to proceed to full draft under professional guidance.)
Background
Set up in 2005, Apprenticeships in Fiction was the first mentoring scheme for writers in the UK and the only one solely dedicated to fiction. The scheme is aimed at aspiring novelists who have already made a considerable commitment to the development of their practice and would benefit from a year of transitional support.
Our unique six-stage developmental programme is designed to prepare writers for publication. Over the course of the year, we will be grappling with the key elements of successful fiction (plot, premise and character development), taking a rigorous approach to technical issues such as structure and point of view, as well as tackling what constitutes the perfect submission package.
Apprenticeships in Fiction aims to encourage diversity, excellence and originality.
The programme
Apprenticeships in Fiction is a structured, supervised year-long individual development programme. Apprentices benefit from engaging directly with an experienced writer who will guide them through the process of writing a first novel, from first draft to completion.
It includes:
- Individual attention from a writer working in the same genre.
- Four one-to-one sessions via Zoom, FaceTime or phone.
- Four progressive written appraisals at key stages.
- A detailed guide to writing the perfect submission package.
At the end of the year, apprentices ‘graduate’ with an objective overview of their own work and a clear grasp of the requirements of the publishing industry.
Fees
Payment Fee: £2,500.00 (inclusive)
Apprenticeships In Fiction is a non-profit making scheme designed to support writers, both as apprentices and mentors.
The Skull in the Wood
Sandra Greaves
‘Working my mentor, Catherine, was a revelation – her judgment was spot-on and she put a huge amount of thought into how to tackle problem areas in my book. And when you’ve rewritten your synopsis for the umpteenth time, it slowly dawns on you what agents are really after! AiF aims to prepare you for publication rather than simply explore your writing skills – great news for aspiring novelists.”
Sandra’s novel won the SCBWI Undiscovered Voices Award 2012, was published by Chicken House in 2013 and shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Award 2014.
Hunting Shadows
Sheila Bugler – (Brandon 2013)
Read Sheila Bugler On Being an Apprentice
(Originally published in Words with Jam 2010)
Ten good reasons for choosing the scheme
• We focus exclusively on the particular demands of writing a novel. We are the only programme in the UK solely dedicated to this form.
• We deal with the complete manuscript. (Other programmes and MA’s read and/or workshop short sections of 5000 words. We read and appraise the complete manuscript twice with a further two partial readings of sections of up to 160,000 words.)
• The duration of the programme is a full year. (An academic year is nine months.)
• We offer unprecedented value for money. Our year long programme provides twice as much input as any other scheme or programme. (More than 78 hours individual attention in the form of reading/assessment and one-to-one’s.)
• We offer a writer-oriented approach. Our programme has been devised for novelists – by novelists who fully understand every stage of the creative process.
• We are the market leader in mentoring for writers. We have invested over ten years experience in the development of our unique six-stage programme.
• We only use experienced mentors. In addition to expertise in teaching and consultancy, our mentors have a proven commitment to nurturing new talent.
• All our mentors are distinguished mid-career novelists.
• We will only offer you a placement if we genuinely feel that you will benefit.
• We make a personal commitment to all the apprentices we work with.
Success Stories
Lament for a Siege Town. Clare Hawkins. (Red Lion Books 2015)
The Skull in the Wood. Sandra Greaves. (Chicken House 2013)
Hunting Shadows. Sheila Bugler. (Brandon 2013)
The Sun Hasn’t Fallen From the Sky. Alison Gangel. (Bloomsbury 2011)
Stretching It. Mandy Sutter. (Indigo Dreams 2013)
The Sacrificial Man. Ruth Dugdall. (Legend Press 2012)
The Tyranny of the Blood. Jo Reed. (Wild Wolf Press 2011)
Inside Out. Andrew Theophilou. (Legend Press 2007)
Apprenticeship Feedback
Apprenticeships in Fiction
Email Apprenticeships with any initial queries.
Please note: Apprenticeships are aimed at writers who are aiming for publication and have completed a full or almost full draft of their manuscript.
Like a Chat?
Writers Surgery is an excellent introduction to working with us. (We offer £100.00 discount on Apprenticeships booked within three months of your Writers Surgery appointment.) Find out more.
For a more informal chat (Zoom or phone) email us with a short note about you and your work, what you would like to achieve and some indication of your availability and we will contact you with a time slot.
We look forward to hearing from you!
How to apply
We assess applicants via an honest and detailed assessment of your opening pages. The appraisal report will cover the key elements of successful fiction, your suitability for an apprenticeship and possible mentor options.
Fee: £250.00
Email Apprenticeships with the following:
A cover email including title, genre, total word count, stage of completion along with the following (word doc or docx) attachments:
- Manuscript extract. (Up to 30 pages/10,000 words. Numbered. Double spaced.)
- Synopsis (One page)
- A one page statement including the following information:
(i) A personal profile, inc. background & writing experience. This may include information about how long you have been working on your novel, stage reached, courses attended, and how you feel you may benefit from the scheme.
(ii) We will send an invoice with payment details.
We will confirm receipt.
What happens next?
We will consider your application within three weeks.
If we do not feel the Apprenticeship is right for you at this stage, we will provide feedback and a possible next step. Writers Toolkit may be an option.
If successful, we will formally offer you a place and discuss mentor options with you.
Fees
Fees are payable by direct bank transfer. We will send details when we offer you a place.
Confirmation
Send us a formal acceptance via email along with confirmation of fee payment.
We will acknowledge receipt, confirm your mentor, send a programme timetable and agree on a start date with you.
Your mentor will then contact you.