MA Creative Writing
Pitching, Promoting and Publishing Your Writing
EASM216Z
Learn how to navigate the creative industries as a writer, from pitching projects and working with agents to editing, publishing and live literary events. Develop practical skills to help you share your work confidently and connect with readers, publishers and opportunities.
This course is suited to:
This short course is ideal for aspiring and emerging writers who want to better understand the creative industries and the opportunities available within them. It is particularly relevant for those looking to develop professional skills in pitching projects, working with editors and agents, promoting creative work, and exploring opportunities across the literary sector.
What will I learn?
This online short course explores how writers navigate publishing and the wider creative industries. You'll examine topics including pitching projects and proposals, working with agents and editors, magazine publishing, live literary events, writer residencies, and cross-sector opportunities for creative writing. Drawing on insights from professionals working across publishing and related creative fields, the course introduces the contemporary literary landscape and the opportunities available to writers today.
You'll develop practical skills in promoting your writing, identifying appropriate audiences and platforms, and understanding how different areas of the literary sector connect. The course also encourages curiosity, adaptability and confidence in exploring new ways to share creative work and engage with readers.
By the end of the course, you'll have a broader understanding of the professional contexts in which creative writers operate and how your own writing practice can connect with them.
Learning outcomes
Module Specific:
- Critically articulate, with evidence, the current challenges, opportunities, and debates within the creative industries
- Independently produce or curate creative work to a professional or near-professional standard, demonstrating your engagement with industry contexts and opportunities
- Evaluate in detail the relationship between your own creative practice and the contemporary conditions of the creative industries, situating your work within relevant professional and cultural contexts
Department specific:
- Demonstrate advanced interdisciplinary understanding of how writers, readers, publishers, booksellers and other stakeholders interact within the contemporary publishing and creative industries
- Produce original creative work to a professional or near-professional standard, informed by in-depth knowledge of literary techniques and genre conventions
- Situate your own creative practice within wider literary, cultural and critical contexts, articulating how your work engages with other writers, traditions and movements
Person specific:
- Conduct industry-specific research and identify opportunities for professional development
- Produce a professional-quality portfolio of writing work suitable for diverse career pathways across industries
- Demonstrate an ability to use language to effectively communicate, advocate and promote project work to a range of stakeholders
How is the module assessed?
| Assessments | % | Length/Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Reflective writing | 25 | 2500 words |
| Written assignment | 75 | 4000 words |
For this course, you should expect to engage in structured learning activities for 10-15 hours per week on average, plus additional time spent on self-directed learning (such as further reading or preparing for assessments).
The taught course can be completed in 12 weeks, with the final submission in week 11. Marking and feedback are provided after this, in line with University policy.
Module staff
Dr Ali Lewis
Programme Director, MA Creative Writing (Online)
Dr Lewis is a former associate editor, and current trustee, of Poetry London . He also ran the Poetry School's portfolio of competitions, live events, and publishing opportunities. He has worked in education roles for the Poetry Society and as a freelancer, and written for both comedians and composers.
Entry Requirements
While there are no specific academic entry requirements, this course is delivered at Masters level so you’d usually have at least 2:2 undergraduate degree (or equivalent) OR relevant work experience related to the area of study.
Should you not have the relevant background described the University of Exeter cannot be held responsible for any failure to attain an award from this course.
English language requirements
International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course.
The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B2.
- 12 weeks
- 10-15 hours per week on average
- 30 Masters level credits
This short course is delivered as a master's-level module from the University of Exeter's online MA Creative Writing. The academic module title is The Industry: Pitching, Promoting and Publishing.