A One Day Writing Intensive at Asia House, London
Move your manuscript forward, strengthen your craft, and gain insights from literary agents.
Saturday 9th May 2026
10am-5pm
Join novelist and Founder of The Writing Coach Jacqui Lofthouse for an immersive day dedicated to helping you develop your manuscript, strengthen your craft, and gain momentum with your book.
We are delighted to announce that Literary Agents Florence Rees from A.M. Heath and Katie Kennaway from C&W Agency will join Jacqui for a panel discussion on what the publishing industry is looking for today.
Held in the elegant Library Room at Asia House, this focused event will combine craft teaching, practical writing exercises, and dedicated time to reconnect with your story. Whether you are working on a first draft or refining an existing manuscript, you will leave with greater focus and a clear sense of direction.
You are invited to join us for our luxury ‘Developing your Novel or Memoir’ day in the beautiful Library Room at Asia House in Central London.
⚡ Small group event — places limited
Standard Ticket – £195
VIP ticket – £595
The VIP ticket includes priority seating, a personal introduction to our special guests, a VIP goody bag, plus a review by our team of your agent letter and pitch/synopsis (3 rounds of revisions) plus help choosing 12 agents for you to submit to.
Please note our terms and conditions prior to purchasing.
Throughout the day, Jacqui will guide you through key aspects of developing a compelling novel or memoir, including:
• Crafting a strong and engaging opening
• Maintaining momentum through the middle
• Developing character and narrative depth
• Strengthening structure, pace and tension
• Understanding what literary agents are looking for
Our Literary Agent Guests
Before lunch, Jacqui will host an engaging and informative conversation with two literary agents.
They will offer insight into the current publishing landscape, including what captures their attention, how submissions are assessed, and what makes a manuscript stand out.
In this intimate setting, you will have plenty of opportunity to ask our literary agent guests questions and mention your work to them. We will, of course, if your work is a good fit, subsequently submit to those agents on your behalf.
Florence Rees
Literary Agent at AM Heath
Florence writes:
“The authors I represent include Philip Ellis, Salma El-Wardany, Jaspreet Kaur, Annie Lord, Rachel Thompson and Nussaibah Younis. Their books range from the heartbreaking and profound to the inspirational, funny and wise, with almost everything in between. I’m keen to find non-fiction and fiction writers who speak to a millennial and younger audience, be that a journalist who is looking to expand an idea, a screenwriter who is looking to try their hand at fiction or perhaps an activist with a social media platform. I’m actively looking for writers who are under-represented in the publishing world, through non-traditional channels, as well as my submissions, and I’m always interested in environmental and social issues.
In the end, there’s nothing I love more than escaping my day to day with a story I can’t put down. If you think your book fits with that, then please send it to me. I’d love to read it.”
Katie Kennaway
Literary Agent – C & W
I love books that are funny and make me think.
I read widely across genres but I love, original voice-driven stories with cleverly drawn plots and vivid world building. I’m always drawn to books that are challenging and unsettling, and I like to see flawed and morally ambiguous characters who are still strangely relatable. I’m always keen to read books that aren’t afraid to explore, and find comedy in, the darker side of human nature.
Books that capture the atmosphere and feeling of a particular time and place will always appeal to me.
I love absorbing narrative non-fiction. Books that are surprising and broaden my perspective are exactly the ones I want to read.
A Creative Environment and a Warm Welcome…
Set within the Library Room at Asia House, the day offers a calm and focused space in which to step away from daily life and fully immerse yourself in your writing.
Alongside the teaching and writing sessions, there will be time to pause, reflect, and connect with other writers.
From the moment you arrive, you know you are amongst friends… We’ll be sure to introduce you to your fellow writers and our Client Services Manager Jacqueline Smith will be there on arrival to ensure you feel immediately at home.
Our past participants say they leave not only with progress in their work, but with renewed energy and a deeper commitment to their writing.
Our Facilitator:
Jacqui Lofthouse
Founder of The Writing Coach
Jacqui is a novelist and founder of The Writing Coach. She has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia and is the author of four novels, The Temple of Hymen, Bluethroat Morning, Een Stille Verdwijning and The Modigliani Girl. Her novels have sold over 100,000 copies in the UK, the USA and Europe.
Jacqui has taught creative writing in a broad variety of settings from City University to Feltham Young Offenders Institution. She has coached hundreds of writers, including international prize-winning authors, broadsheet newspaper columnists and academics. At The Writing Coach, her mission is to help writers to be confident and productive, producing their best work and getting it into print.
Booking and Payment
You are invited to join us for our luxury ‘Developing your Novel or Memoir’ day in the beautiful Library Room at Asia House in Central London.
⚡ Small group event — places limited.
Standard Ticket – £195
VIP ticket – £595
The VIP ticket includes priority seating, a personal introduction to our special guests, a VIP goody bag, plus a review by our team of your agent letter and pitch/synopsis (3 rounds of revisions) plus help choosing 12 agents for you to submit to.
Please note our terms and conditions prior to purchasing.
A Practical, Hands-On Day
At The Writing Coach, we believe the most valuable breakthroughs happen when you are working on your own writing – not just hearing about it.
This day is designed to give you that space.
Alongside teaching and discussion, you will take part in guided exercises and focused writing sessions, applying each idea directly to your manuscript as it unfolds.
There will be time to explore, reflect, and develop your work in a calm, supportive setting — away from the usual distractions.
By the end of the day, you will have moved your manuscript forward in a real and tangible way. You’ll have greater clarity about your work, practical ways to strengthen your writing and a clearer sense of direction for next steps.
Light Breakfast and Lunch included
Your ticket includes pastries, teas and coffee on arrival, as well as a lunchtime finger buffet menu including salad and a dessert which will be served in the adjacent studio room. This will be a perfect opportunity to get to know your fellow writers better, as well as to speak with Jacqui personally.
Over lunch, you will also have an opportunity to take a look at the visuals from our morning event. The ideas we cover will be chronicled by visualiser David Lewis. After the event, you will receive the key visuals by email as a aide-memoire of all that you have learned.
David Lewis
Illustrator and Visualiser
David Lewis is a professional cartoonist and live illustrator with nearly thirty years experience in the corporate sector. David’s skills have been used at events ranging from the Shakespeare & Co. Literary Festival in Paris to conferences, workshops, and presentations for multi-national companies in Milan, Abu Dhabi, Detroit, and Stockholm.
His many satisfied clients include Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (for her 80th birthday celebrations), Richard Branson, many sections of the NHS and large corporations ranging from Johnson & Johnson to Nationwide and Google.
His role on Developing your Novel or Memoir day will be to create compelling visuals and cartoons that distill the key messages of the day so you go home with a permanent reminder of the core skills learned.
You can find out about his work here.
We can’t wait to meet you at this very special day with The Writing Coach! Our aim is to enable you to make real progress on your book during the course of the day, so that you go away inspired, excited and ready to return to the page and complete your book!
