Professional Writing Academy
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersLeeds, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
Professional Writing Academy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Professional Writing Academy
- Legal name
- Professional Writing Academy Ltd.
- Website
- https://profwritingacademy.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Professional Writing Academy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Creative Writing Education
- NAICS
- Fine Arts Schools (611610), Educational Services (611)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Online & Hybrid Creative Writing Workshops (EDAMAMAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Fiction Writing Workshops (Short Story, Novel) (EDAMAMAA), Writing Retreats & Intensive Bootcamps (EDAMAMAK), Writing Craft & Technique Workshops (Voice, Structure, Character, Style) (EDAMAMAH), Genre Writing Workshops (Sci‑Fi, Fantasy, Romance, Mystery, Horror) (EDAMAMAG)
Keywords
Where Professional Writing Academy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Leeds
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Professional Writing Academy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
Revenue model
- Online Creative Writing Courses: Primary revenue stream from paid online courses ranging from short workshops to intensive 6-month programs. Courses are priced as one-time purchases with optional payment plans.
- Feedback Reports: One-time professional assessment of short story or novel opening up to 3,000 words.
- Submission Package Review: Expert review of first 10,000 words, synopsis, and query letter with manuscript mark-up and follow-up Zoom call.
- Manuscript Review: Full manuscript review service pairing writers with genre experts for detailed written reports and follow-up consultation.
- Writer Mentoring: Ongoing one-to-one support with matched mentors providing regular written feedback and Zoom calls for manuscript development.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Creativity for Writers course |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Write Your Novel in Five Acts (25-week intensive course) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Feedback Report (up to 3,000 words) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Submission Package Review |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Manuscript Review (up to 70,000 words) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Writer Mentoring per session |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Professional Writing Academy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Professional Writing Academy delivers online creative writing education through a proprietary digital campus, offering structured courses in fiction, non-fiction, screenwriting, and therapeutic/wellbeing writing. Courses are taught by published authors and industry professionals in small tutor groups, supplemented by add-on professional services such as manuscript reviews, submission package reviews, one-to-one writer mentoring, and feedback reports.
Product overview
Professional Writing Academy is an online creative writing education platform offering world-class courses since 2009. The core offering consists of department-based courses spanning Fiction, Non-fiction, Writing for Wellbeing, and Film/TV/Games categories. Key flagship courses include Writing a Novel, Write Your Novel in Five Acts (with John Yorke), Fiction Foundations, Creativity for Writers, Introduction to Therapeutic and Reflective Writing, and Edit Your Novel the Professional Way. The platform is built on a proprietary digital campus designed specifically for writing education. Add-on professional services include Submission Package Review (£375), Manuscript Review (from £665), Writer Mentoring (from £495/session), and Feedback Reports (£195) providing one-to-one expert evaluation. Additional offerings include live online workshops, events, an alumni community, and access to industry partners including John Yorke Story, Cornerstones, Faber Academy, and HarperCollins.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Fiction Courses Creative writing courses focused on fiction writing, including novels, short stories, and genre fiction, delivered online in small tutor groups.
- Non-fiction Courses Creative writing courses covering non-fiction writing forms including memoir, journalism, and personal essays, taught by published authors.
- Writing for Wellbeing Courses Therapeutic and reflective writing courses exploring the mental health benefits of creative writing, including CPD-accredited courses for professionals.
- Film, TV & Games Courses Screenwriting and games writing courses covering film, television, and video game narrative creation.
- Writing a Novel Course Comprehensive online course for writing a novel with feedback from published authors and industry professionals.
- Write Your Novel in Five Acts Intermediate-level six-month novel-writing course led by John Yorke teaching five-act story structure, with live masterclasses and peer feedback.
- Introduction to Therapeutic and Reflective Writing Online course exploring therapeutic writing practices, with students from nearly 30 countries participating in small groups of no more than 12.
- Running Writing Workshops CPD course for professionals learning to facilitate writing groups for wellbeing purposes.
- Edit Your Novel the Professional Way 18-week course taking novels from draft to agent-ready submission with professional editing techniques.
- Fiction Foundations Entry-level course for beginner writers covering the fundamentals of creative fiction writing.
- Creativity for Writers Course developing creative skills and learning new ways to generate fresh ideas, led by Francesco Dimitri.
- Submission Package Review Expert review service of first 10,000 words, synopsis, and query letter with manuscript markup, notes, and 30-minute Zoom call.
- Manuscript Review Full manuscript review service pairing writers with genre experts who read complete manuscripts and provide detailed feedback plus follow-up Zoom call, starting from £665 + VAT for up to 70,000 words.
- Writer Mentoring One-to-one ongoing support service matching writers with mentors in their genre, providing regular feedback notes and Zoom calls, starting from £495 per session.
- Feedback Report Professional assessment service for short pieces of writing up to 3,000 words, covering ideas, style, and craft aspects, priced at £195.
Quantifiable outcome
- Alumni have achieved major publishing deals and literary awards including Waterstones Book of the Year, Sunday Times bestseller status
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Professional Writing Academy
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Professional Writing Academy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration7 records
Feature1 record
Professional Writing Academy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- BookoutureminorPartner organization providing publishing expertise and industry connections for aspiring writers.
- BBC StudiosminorPartner organization providing industry connections and publishing expertise.
- BBCminorPartner organization in the media and publishing industry.
- Channel 4minorPartner organization providing industry connections for screenwriters.
- GrantaminorLiterary magazine partner offering writing workshops and scholarship opportunities.
- New Writing NorthminorPartner organization supporting Northern writers with awards and opportunities.
- CornerstonesminorLiterary consultancy partner providing editorial services and connections. Also a marketing partner sending newsletters about Professional Writing Academy courses.
- Faber AcademycoreJoint course offerings (Work in Progress course) with one of the UK's most prestigious literary publishers.
- John Yorke StorycoreFlagship partnership with John Yorke's company for narrative and story structure courses. John Yorke is UK leading narrative expert and course director. Joint branding on Write Your Novel in Five Acts course.
- Jericho WritersminorMarketing partner included in newsletter distribution about Professional Writing Academy courses.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Professional Writing Academy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Novelry: Online novel-writing school founded by award-winning author Joanne Harris, with tutor-led courses, mentoring, and an alumni community — highly comparable in product, audience, and self-serve model to PWA.
- Gotham Writers Workshop: Long-running US-based online creative writing school with courses across fiction, nonfiction, screenwriting, and tutoring — direct functional peer in online creative writing instruction with similar tutor-group model.
- Curtis Brown Creative: Writing school run by major UK literary agency Curtis Brown, offering novel, short story, and creative writing courses with agency connections — directly comparable UK-based premium course competitor.
- Faber Academy: UK-based creative writing school run by publisher Faber. Directly comparable as a premium writing-course provider; also an actual partner of PWA on the Work in Progress course, making it both competitor and collaborator.
- Writing Workshops (as you like them): UK-based online and in-person creative writing course provider with published-author tutors, mentoring, and editorial services — overlapping PWA's fiction, non-fiction, and editorial review offerings.
- Jericho Writers: UK-based editorial and writing-courses service for aspiring authors, offering critique, mentoring, and courses — directly overlapping PWA's Manuscript Review, Mentoring, and creative-writing course offerings.
Emerging players
- School of Life: London-based education company offering courses on writing, creativity, and personal development with published-author faculty (Francesco Dimitri, PWA tutor, is former faculty). Adjacent in audience and methodology.
Broad incumbents
- MasterClass: Global subscription-based platform offering pre-recorded video courses from celebrity authors and storytellers. A broader incumbent in online writing education with much larger scale, though lacking PWA's small-group tutor feedback and live community.
- FutureLearn: UK-headquartered MOOC platform offering university-partnered creative writing courses to a global audience. Broad incumbent with overlapping subject matter but very different delivery model (university-academic rather than published-author-led).
Others
- Cornerstones Literary Consultancy: UK-based editorial and manuscript-development service for aspiring authors, with published-author editors. An active PWA partner (newsletter cross-promotion, course collaboration) and an adjacent service provider in the same author-development ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Professional Writing Academy social profiles
Digital presenceProfessional Writing Academy compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Professional Writing Academy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Professional Writing Academy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Professional Writing Academy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Professional Writing Academy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Professional Writing Academy
What does Professional Writing Academy do?
Professional Writing Academy delivers online creative writing education through a proprietary digital campus, offering structured courses in fiction, non-fiction, screenwriting, and therapeutic/wellbeing writing. Courses are taught by published authors and industry professionals in small tutor groups, supplemented by add-on professional services such as manuscript reviews, submission package reviews, one-to-one writer mentoring, and feedback reports.
Is Professional Writing Academy a public or private company?
Professional Writing Academy is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Professional Writing Academy founded?
Professional Writing Academy was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Professional Writing Academy based?
Professional Writing Academy is headquartered in Leeds, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Professional Writing Academy make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Online Creative Writing Courses are the primary driver. The others are feedback Reports, submission Package Review, manuscript Review and writer Mentoring.
Who are Professional Writing Academy's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Novelry, Gotham Writers Workshop, Curtis Brown Creative, Faber Academy, Writing Workshops (as you like them) and Jericho Writers. School of Life is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are MasterClass and FutureLearn. Cornerstones Literary Consultancy is listed as an others.
Does Professional Writing Academy have an API?
No public API is recorded for Professional Writing Academy.
What industry is Professional Writing Academy in?
Professional Writing Academy's product category is Creative Writing Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMAMAL, Online & Hybrid Creative Writing Workshops, with a secondary code of EDAMAMAA, Fiction Writing Workshops (Short Story, Novel). Its NAICS code is 611610 and its SIC code is 8200.