Novel Workshop 2025

Novel Workshop 2025

Returning for the fourth year, The Masters Review’s Novel Workshop is here to help writers looking for direct, actionable feedback on the opening of their novel in progress. Whether you’re just getting started on your manuscript or are polishing up the fifteenth draft, this program is the perfect opportunity to get your novel on the path toward publication.

Our workshop will pair you with an experienced small press editor who will offer detailed, personalized feedback on the first fifty pages of your novel. Along with your feedback, you’ll receive self-guided learning materials on fiction and novel writing curated by The Masters Review team, an opportunity to join a writing group with fellow participants, and a free entry to an upcoming TMR contest. This asynchronous, remote workshop is an excellent way for writers to reinvest in their novel writing. Enrollment is open until May 1, 2025.

Writers are invited to submit the first fifty pages of their novels. In their cover letters, writers should also plan to include a brief synopsis of the novel, any challenges they may be facing, and any specific feedback they are seeking.

After registration, writers will receive their assigned editor, along with instructional materials compiled by The Masters Review. Manuscripts will be processed in the order they are received. All participants will receive feedback no later than August 31, 2025.

Registration is $497.

Participants will receive:

• three to five pages of editorial feedback with specific suggestions and developmental analysis that will help elevate their manuscript;
• a PDF of a self-guided learning curriculum on fiction and novel writing, featuring workbooks uniquely built by our team around such foundational texts as Naming the World edited by Bret Anthony Johnston, The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass, Writing Fiction by Janet Burroway, and Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody;
• an opportunity to join a curated writing group with other participants; 
• a free submission to one of our upcoming contests;
• and an archived copy of The Masters Review anthology.

Guidelines:

• For this workshop, we are accepting works of fiction only, the first fifty pages or fewer of your novel in progress. 
• All submissions must be double-spaced with one-inch page margins and use Times New Roman or Garamond. Please do not include front matter (i.e., title page, table of contents, dedication, etc.). 
• All genres and styles of fiction are welcome. Please do not submit poetry or memoir manuscripts. 
• Please submit a single manuscript per submission. 
• Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis. 
• If necessary, you can register before the deadline to hold a spot and submit a manuscript later. If you submit your manuscript after reserving your spot, you will need to request to open your submission by emailing us at contact [at] mastersreview [dot] com. We'll grant you access, and then you can upload your piece. All manuscripts must be submitted by the deadline, May 1st.
• All participants will receive feedback no later than August 31, 2025.

Guest Editors

Colleen Alles is an award-winning writer living in West Michigan. The author of three novels (Skinny Vanilla Crisis, Atmosphere Books; Master of Arts, Scantic Press; and The Hound of Thornfield High, Conquest Publishing) and two poetry collections, Colleen works as a developmental editor. She is also a co-editor for fiction at Barren Magazine. Colleen is a graduate of Michigan State University (BA) and Wayne State University (MLIS). When she isn’t reading or writing, Colleen enjoys distance running and spending time with her family, including a well-loved beagle, Charlie. You can find her online on Instagram @ColleenAlles_author, and on Twitter (X) at @ColleenAlles.

Yvonne C. Garrett holds an MFA-Fiction (The New School), an MLIS (Palmer), two MAs (NYU), and a PhD with a dissertation focused on women in Punk. Former senior fiction editor at Black Lawrence Press, she’s been published in a wide array of journals and magazines.

Laura Hart is an associate editor for Bellevue Literary Press, a nonprofit publisher at the intersection of the arts and sciences. She earned a BA from Auburn University and an MFA from Columbia University. Her passion lies in cultivating and empowering diverse stories so that the publishing world better represents our modern society. She previously worked at Writers House and Columbia Journal.