Writing Romance Novels Readers Will Love

Honor Your Vision, Win Over Readers, and Meet the Needs of Publishers

Have you always dreamed of writing a romance novel, but don’t know where to begin? Or are you partway through your manuscript, but somewhere between the witty banter and stolen kisses, you’ve realized your story’s just not shaping up the way you dreamed?

Whether your style is steamy or sweet, snappy or poignant, set in a big city or a small town, there’s room for you in the romance genre.

For this class, Emily Colin will give you the secrets to what draws readers in and keeps them turning pages until your characters’ happily-ever-after.

Emily is a New York Times bestselling author. She knows the process for getting an agent, landing a publishing contract, and selling an enormous number of books. This course gives you full access to her extensive wealth of knowledge and experience. Plus, you'll get extensive personal feedback on your writing, directly from Emily.

During this course, Emily will give you the tools and knowledge that allow you to position your book in the marketplace, keep readers glued to the page, and win over agents and publishers. All while honoring your vision as an author.

These are not the types of things they teach in typical writing classes -- but these are the things every successful writer eventually learns.

Here’s just some of what you’ll learn:

  • How publishers will categorize your book – so you can meet their needs without making major revisions
  • How to identify the right agent for your book (and avoid wasting time with the wrong ones)
  • How to craft a query letter that gets you past the slush pile
  • How to keep readers glued to every page of your book (from the opening pages to the very end)
  • How to write heroes and heroines that your readers will love
  • How to create an engaging plot that hits the right “beats”
  • How to craft secondary characters that bring your story to life
  • How to write romance scenes that drive the plot
  • What you need to know when writing a romance series versus a single-title story
  • Heat levels and how they relate to the genre & subgenre of your book

During this course, Emily will help you polish your book, and give you personal help getting it published. By the end of this course, you’ll be armed with a polished submission packet you can use to win over agents and publishers.

After the course is complete, you’ll be welcome to continue working with Emily during her live office hour sessions, so you can get the support you need as you move through the publishing process. (Free of charge.)

The course starts on January 16th and ends on February 10th. Everything is hosted online, via our digital learning platform.

The course includes weekly lessons you can complete on your own time, live office hours, and detailed feedback on your writing.

You’ll also get a full six months to submit your work for feedback from Emily, so you can work at a pace that is right for you.

Enrollment is strictly limited to just 22 writers. (No exceptions.) If you’re thinking about enrolling, I encourage you to do so right away.

Course Overview

  • Four weeks of in-depth guidance on writing a book that wins over the hearts of readers and meets the needs of publishers

  • Personal feedback from Emily Colin on your manuscript, so you can submit it to publishers with confidence

  • Personal feedback on your query letter and synopsis, so you can win over agents and publishers

  • Full access to our private community of writers, so you can connect with your fellow students, even after the course is complete

  • Access to live office hours with Emily Colin and all of our instructors, even after the course is complete, so you can stay part of our community, and learn from our entire faculty of instructors

Personal Feedback on Your Writing

In addition to the 4 weeks of in-depth training, Emily Colin is generously offering feedback on student writing. She will give you detailed feedback on the first 10 pages of your manuscript, help you polish your query letter, provide feedback on your synopsis, and assist you in finding agents and publishers for your book.


The Course is Limited to 22 Students
Because of the personal feedback Emily is providing, the course is strictly limited to 22 students. Once we reach that number we will close enrollment.

Workshop Schedule

The course starts on Monday, January 16th and ends on February 10th, 2023. The course comes with daily lessons you can study on your own time, and daily interaction with Emily Colin. Everything is provided online, through the digital learning platform hosted by Thinkific.

Note that you will have a full six months from the start of the course to submit your writing for feedback. Also note that you will have access to office hours and the course material even after the course is complete.

  • Daily lessons, available to study any time on our online learning platform, hosted by Thinkific.

  • Personal feedback on every lesson via email, our online discussion platform, or our private Facebook Group.

  • When you are ready, Emily will provide feedback on your first 10 manuscript pages, query letter, synopsis, and help you find agents and publishers appropriate for your book.

Praise for Workshops With Emily Colin

5 star rating

Excellent instruction and feedback on assignments

Dianne Beck

Emily Colin's Plot to Publication was a wealth of information on how to build and strengthen a YA novel and how to get it out into the world. Emily has a clear and welcoming instructional style, and she provides extremely detailed and helpful fe...

Read More

Emily Colin's Plot to Publication was a wealth of information on how to build and strengthen a YA novel and how to get it out into the world. Emily has a clear and welcoming instructional style, and she provides extremely detailed and helpful feedback on assignments. This is truly one of the best writing classes I've taken, and I highly recommend it to writers of all levels.

Read Less
5 star rating

Emily Colin’s Class Was Amazing

Pamela Salmon

I learned more about how to write a YA novel from her class than any other class I’ve taken (conferences included.) My writing improved in leaps and bounds. And I loved every minute of it! Emily is the best!!!!

I learned more about how to write a YA novel from her class than any other class I’ve taken (conferences included.) My writing improved in leaps and bounds. And I loved every minute of it! Emily is the best!!!!

Read Less
5 star rating

Thank you

Anuradha Dev

Emily Colin is a hard-working instructor. Instead of skimming through my work, she would dissect it bit by bit and ask me questions that I haven't been asked before. It helped me to look at my story from a different perspective. Since she concentr...

Read More

Emily Colin is a hard-working instructor. Instead of skimming through my work, she would dissect it bit by bit and ask me questions that I haven't been asked before. It helped me to look at my story from a different perspective. Since she concentrated on this being a YA story instead of a romance, she gave me feedback to make my story work for the YA market. I am really glad I took this course.

Read Less
5 star rating

I feel more on track toward my goal of being a traditionally published author

Deborah Richardson

Emily was wonderful about feedback that has really helped me to focus. Attempting to become a published author is serious work. She was great with her guidance. She offered a path where before I was zigzagging, trying to do too much and accomplish...

Read More

Emily was wonderful about feedback that has really helped me to focus. Attempting to become a published author is serious work. She was great with her guidance. She offered a path where before I was zigzagging, trying to do too much and accomplishing little.

Read Less
5 star rating

I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop!

Steven Rose

I know it's a cliche (bad, bad, Steven!), but it was invaluable to have the direct access to and feedback on my writing from from a New York Times bestselling author. I LOVED this workshop. It was also great to receive feedback from the other ...

Read More

I know it's a cliche (bad, bad, Steven!), but it was invaluable to have the direct access to and feedback on my writing from from a New York Times bestselling author. I LOVED this workshop. It was also great to receive feedback from the other students on the assignments I submitted, and the first chapter of my manuscript that I submitted. This workshop has helped my writing, and my hopeful career as a published author immensely. There is so much value in getting help from someone who's been there and done what you're trying to do; getting direct feedback that's based on real, successful experience . . . the kind of success that I want. I learned a long time ago to "be careful whose advice you take, as you may end up with their results." Well, I want Emily Colin's success as a published author of YA fiction. Thank you, Emily!

Read Less
5 star rating

So useful!

Jennifer Mitchell

Emily's course was very well laid out and included a lot of useful information. While some of it was familiar, it was useful to understand her take on it. It also helped confirm previous research I had done on several topics, which was a relief! E...

Read More

Emily's course was very well laid out and included a lot of useful information. While some of it was familiar, it was useful to understand her take on it. It also helped confirm previous research I had done on several topics, which was a relief! Emily's feedback was always helpful, insightful and thought provoking. She really went above and beyond what was promised. Sometimes an 'online' format can end up being detached and mechanical, but not this one!

Read Less
5 star rating

Plot to Publication YA with Emily Colin

Lucy Wilson

An excellent course, well put together with lots of insight, extra information and thought from Emily Colin. I really enjoyed doing the daily lessons and the homework exercises, which helped me to think about aspects of writing and structure that ...

Read More

An excellent course, well put together with lots of insight, extra information and thought from Emily Colin. I really enjoyed doing the daily lessons and the homework exercises, which helped me to think about aspects of writing and structure that I had not considered before. The price of the course was well worth it for the content. Emily gave us personal feedback on submitted pieces of work and was very encouraging of ideas and thought processes, which I really appreciated. Asking us to consider how our own favourite writers (in published YA novels) tackle certain barriers such as plotting, stakes, etc, was a useful tool to apply to our own work. Overall, a fantastic course for anyone serious about writing, even if they don't plan to write or publish YA.

Read Less

Enroll Now

Enrollment is strictly limited to 22 participants.
Early bird tuition is available until December 16th, 2022

About Emily Colin


Emily Colin writes love stories with supernatural twists for adults and teens. Her debut novel, THE MEMORY THIEF, was a New York Times bestseller and a Target Emerging Authors Pick; she followed it up with THE DREAM KEEPER’S DAUGHTER. DISSENT, the 2022 romance anthology to which she contributed a short story, was a #1 Amazon category bestseller in eight countries. 

She co-edited and contributed to the young adult anthologies WICKED SOUTH: SECRETS AND LIES and UNBOUND: STORIES OF TRANSFORMATION, LOVE, AND MONSTERS, which was a SUSPENSE MAGAZINE “Best of” 2021 pick as well as a 2021 Foreword INDIES Award finalist. 

Emily is also the author of the young adult dystopian-fantasy Seven Sins series. SWORD OF THE SEVEN SINS, the first book, was a Foreword INDIES Award finalist, won the YA fiction award of the North Carolina Indie Author Project, and was shortlisted for the 2021 Manly Wade Wellman Award for North Carolina Science Fiction and Fantasy. The second novel of the series, SIEGE OF THE SEVEN SINS, is a 2021 silver IPPY Award winner and Foreword INDIES finalist. 

A former Pitch Wars mentor and KissPitch mentor, Emily is a writing instructor, freelance editor, and book coach. She lives in Wilmington, North Carolina. You can find her at www.emilycolin.com and on Instagram at @emily_colin.


FAQ

  • What is the course schedule?

    The course starts on January 16th and ends on February 10th, 2023. During each week of the course, we will release five lessons you can do on your own time. During each week, you will also be able to submit one piece for feedback from the instructor. Please note, you will have a full six months to complete the course and submit your work for feedback.

  • What happens after the course is complete?

    After the official course dates, Emily will continue to work with you during her live office hour sessions. You'll also be welcome to attend live office hour sessions with all of our instructors at no additional cost. Please note, you'll also have a full six months to complete the course and submit your work for feedback -- so you can work at the pace that is right for you.

  • What if I'm writing a young adult novel, or a new adult novel?

    While ‘women’s fiction’ necessarily features an adult protagonist, the world of romance includes young adult (YA) and new adult (NA) protagonists as well. The young adult market generally features protagonists ages 14-18, while the protagonists of new adult novels are typically ages 18-22. The dividing line between YA and NA is often the protagonist’s graduation from high school and enrollment in college or decision to move on to a career. If you write YA or NA romance, much of this class will still be applicable for you.

  • How does this course compare to Emily Colin's romance writing course?

    This course is similar to Emily's romance course -- but it has been significantly expanded and adapted. After teaching the romance course several times, Emily learned that many authors write work that starts out as romance or women's fiction, but is best suited to the other genre. This course takes that into account by giving authors the tools and knowledge they need to choose the right genre for their book.

  • Why is enrollment limited?

    This course includes extensive feedback and personal support from Emily. Enrollment is strictly limited so that each participant can get the time and attention they need. Please note, once the course is full, we will immediately close enrollment.