Mastering Fiction Editing: A Comprehensive 3-Part Course with Niamh Mulvey Book Your Place Now
April 1st–3rd 2025
Virtual Session
This three-day course will provide you with an overview of fiction editing, commercial and literary, including how to assess a piece of writing, developing strategies on character development, plot and structure, and tips on how to communicate sensitively and effectively with authors. It will also introduce you to some of the commercial realities of working within a modern publishing house.
This course is for editors interested in working in fiction. It is suitable for those aspiring to work as fiction editors, as well as those with experience.
Please note that this is NOT a creative writing course so will be unsuited to authors wishing for information on how best to edit their own work.
Day 1: Overview of Fiction Types
- Introduction – what is storytelling for?
- What makes the novel different from other forms of storytelling?
- Commercial fiction – page-turners and pot-boilers
- Literary fiction – what does it all mean
- Children’s fiction – age ranges, conventions and formats
Day 2: Editing Techniques and Strategies
- Voice in writing – and why we shouldn’t talk about voice
- The importance of point of view – who owns the story?
- Plotting – understanding what happens and why
- The illusion of control in the editing process
- Crafting snappy dialogue
- Celebrating the joy, pleasure, and fun of storytelling – the heart of it all
Day 3: The Editorial Process and Industry Insights
- An introduction to editorial processes, including software, note-taking, and time-management tips
- How to support authors throughout the publishing journey with transparency and honesty in an opaque industry
- Publication and beyond – what publishing looks like today, what will it look like tomorrow, how to help your authors navigate it all
Who Should Take This Course?
- Editorial staff and freelancers already working on/interested in working on fiction
- Those looking to work in an editorial role in the publishing industry
About Niamh Mulvey
Niamh Mulvey is a writer and freelance editor. She spent ten years working in-house in the UK publishing industry, in children’s fiction and adult literary fiction. She now works with individual writers as a freelance editor and writing coach. Niamh’s short story collection, Hearts and Bones, was published by Picador in 2022 and nominated for the John McGahern Prize. Her novel, The Amendments, was published in 2024 and nominated for an An Post Irish Book Award.
