The Year of the Novel (TYOTN) is Studio Sonder’s flagship novel-writing programme for Creative Rebels who are serious about writing, finishing, and sharing their novel. It now runs as two application-only, cohort-based years that you can take separately or together:

Year 1: The Messy First Draft

Planning and drafting, from start to finished first draft. 

Year 2: The Edit

Turning that draft into something real, from read-through to line edits.

Both are built around the infrastructure that actually keeps writers moving: accountability partners, bi-monthly check-in calls, weekly co-writing sessions, structured writing sprints, guided masterclasses, and a cohort of seriously committed writers doing the same hard thing alongside you.

The Year of the Novel isn’t a course you buy and forget. It’s a live, fully structured, supported year (or two) of novel writing that expects you to show up and engage with your peers and programme leads.

Either. Year 1 and Year 2 are both sold as standalone programmes, so you can:

• Do Year 1 only, and take your finished draft wherever you like afterwards

• Do Year 2 only, if you already have a complete first draft (from a previous YOTN cohort or from anywhere else)

• Do both, back to back, at a discount, as the Full Year of the Novel bundle

The Year of the Novel is designed for the busy writer: the one with a job, a family, responsibilities, or a novel that’s been living in their head (or their drafts folder) for years.

It’s not for writers with infinite time who can procrastinate at their leisure and take their writing seriously only when it suits them.

The Year of the Novel is for real writers who need real structure to finally bring their novel to life, whether that’s getting the draft down (Year 1) or finally shaping it into something polished (Year 2).

Yes. Year 2 is designed to work for any writer who already has a complete first draft, however messy it is, wherever in your mind it came from.

You’ll apply the same way Year 1 members do, so we can make sure you’re a fit for the cohort, but you'll join the Year 2 cohort if successful.

Because TYOTN only works when every person in the cohort is genuinely ready and genuinely committed.

We’re not filling seats; we’re building a committed writing village. If you want a village, you have to be a villager. That's Studio Sonder's golden mantra.

Your accountability partner/pod, your co-writers, your community. They’re all counting on you to show up the same way you’re counting on them. The application process is a filter.

It’s how we make sure the people around you are as serious as you are.

(If you’re moving from our Year 1 into Year 2, there’s no need to reapply; your seat carries over.)

Most writers don’t finish their novels because they’re missing three things: structure, accountability, and community.

TYOTN is built entirely around those three things.

You’re not going it alone; you have an accountability partner/pod matched to you from day one, a cohort of authors moving through the same stages at the same pace, twice-monthly check-in calls so you never drift too far from the page, and weekly co-writing sessions to keep the words coming.

Year 1 teaches you how to write a novel and makes sure you finish a draft.

Year 2 teaches you how to edit one and ensures you finish polishing it, too.

Yes. Both years are designed for writers with jobs, families, and real-life commitments. Consistency matters more than volume.

If the universe throws an abundance of lemons your way, Demi is on hand to support you throughout.

Year 1: The Messy First Draft (~10 months)

→ Welcome Week (meet your cohort, find your accountability partner, set your intention)

→ Planning, 8–12 weeks (premise, characters, world, story beats)

→ Drafting, 6-8 months (your messy first draft with full accountability support).

Year 2: The Edit (~9 months)

→ Time Away, July–August (read, rest, research — no touching the draft yet, recorded masterclasses drop throughout)

→ The Read Through, September (read the whole draft, take notes, don’t fix anything yet)

→ The Big Picture Edit, October (plot holes, structure, character arcs)

→ The Rewrite, November - March (scene by scene, this is where Draft 2 gets written)

→ Line Edits + What’s Next For You, April–June (line edits, beta readers, choose your path)

→ Finale Week (celebrate, showcase, and discover what happens next).

You’ll also get access to The Author’s Mixer, the shared community across all TYOTN cohorts, and weekly co-writing sessions throughout whichever year(s) you’re in.

Let’s be honest about what you’re actually investing in. Comparable 12-month novel-writing programmes charge £7,000–£10,000+.

Year 1 and Year 2 each include live masterclasses, workshops, twice-monthly check-in calls with Demi, weekly co-writing sessions, an accountability partner, a dedicated cohort, and access to The Author’s Mixer community for the full year. Buying both together saves you even more.

But more than any of that, you’re investing in the novel you’ve been putting off.

The one that exists in your head but hasn’t made it to the page yet, or the one sitting half-shaped in a drafts folder.

If you’re the kind of writer who is serious enough to apply, you already know your novel is worth more than the investment.

We’ve priced each year to be accessible to serious writers without underselling what it actually delivers.

Everything in life is an exchange: time, money, energy, effort…

The level of your exchange is directly proportionate to how badly you want to achieve your dream.

So, how badly do you want it?

Yes. Year 1 is £1,747* in full or £623 in 3 instalments (spread over 3 months).

Year 2 is £1,497 in full or 3 instalments of £533 (spread over 3 months).

The Full Year bundle is £2,797 in full or 6 instalments of £499 (spread over 6 months).

All options give you full access to everything in your year(s) from day one.

You’ll also have the option to add 1:1 coaching sessions with Demi to any of the above, should you want or need them, but they’re not required.

Coaching sessions are limited, and you will have the opportunity to add these during the Week 1 orientation.

*You can also pay the equivalent price in USD if required.

That’s up to you and how much you choose to show up*.

We can’t force you to write, but we can give you the tools, support, and accountability to make your writing process a whole lot easier when you do.

The more you engage with your cohort and show up for your story, the more you will get out of the programme.

Most writers on Year 1 leave with a complete first draft. Most writers on Year 2 leave with a properly edited manuscript or deep into another revision pass, along with greater confidence and trust in their writing process.

*We do have the expectation that no writer ghosts the group for more than 14 consecutive days (without reason). Breaks are baked in. Vacations are encouraged. Life/emergencies happen and will always take priority.

However, disappearing into the abyss for weeks/months without communication or because you've given up isn't a vibe we welcome. If you're looking for a run-of-the-mill, pre-recorded "course" that expects nothing from you, then sadly we're not it.

Far from it. Finale Week is built to celebrate what you’ve achieved and point you towards what’s next.

For rebels with bigger dreams- querying agents, traditional publishing, self-publishing, indie routes, and marketing your work- we’re building something just for you.

What Happens Next? is an expert-led bonus term available exclusively to Year 2 graduates at a heavily discounted rate.

Details are revealed in Finale Week.

But not everyone wants to be published; almost all of our Rebels join first and foremost so they can finally do what they’ve always said they’d do: write the damn novel and then make it good.

Applications for the 2026 Cohort open on Monday, 13th July 2026 and close on Monday, 31st August 2026 at Midnight.

The Year 1 Drafting cohort kicks off on Tuesday, 29th September 2026.

The Year 2 Editing cohort kicks off on Tuesday, 8th September 2026.

To apply, hit the button below: tell us about your novel, where you're at, and why you're ready.

📝 CLICK HERE TO APPLY: THE YEAR OF THE NOVEL 2026

We read every application personally. If you are successful, you will hear back from us via email on or after July 27th 2026.

Places will be offered during three selection windows:

Early Bird: Monday 27th July - Friday 31st July

Main Selection: Monday 3rd August - Friday 14th August

Final Call/Remaining Seats: Monday 24th August - Sunday 7th September.

We accept no more than 30 writers per cohort. Sometimes less, depending on the strength of the applications.

Spots are limited by design. We're here to ensure the right people join each cohort.

A group with a handful of committed writers will always be better than a silent room of lurkers.

Spots may also be filled before the application deadline, so if you are certain you want to join, apply at your earliest convenience to increase your chances of securing a place.

If successful, you will need to complete your payment setup within 7 days to secure your spot; otherwise, your place will be lost.

You will be granted immediate access to the Author's Mixer and planning resources so you can get a head start, connect with other writers, and chat with Demi.

No payment or credit card details are collected during the application.

You have a 14-day cooling-off period from your date of purchase, during which you can request a full refund, no questions asked. This is a legal right for UK and EU customers on digital purchases, and one we’d offer regardless.

Once that 14-day window closes, we don’t issue refunds. Cohort seats are limited and application-only on purpose: once you’re in, you’re holding a place that could have gone to someone else, and your accountability partner and cohort are counting on you being there for the whole year.

If you’re not sure yet, use your 14 days to actually test the waters, meet your cohort chat, drop into a co-writing session, before you commit all the way in.

We take the cohort as seriously as we ask you to. If you go quiet to your accountability partner, your cohort, or my check-in outreach for more than 14 consecutive days without a word, you’ll be removed from the programme.

Life happens. Tell us, tell your partner/pod, tell the cohort chat, and we’ll work with you. But two weeks of silence hold a seat that could’ve gone to someone who’d use it, and that’s not fair to the Rebels who are showing up. This is the same standard we already hold current cohorts and the wider community to.

No problem at all!

Fire them our way at hello@studiosondercreative.com, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. If you're a Studio member, drop Demi a DM anytime!