Now Novel

Online Writing Education and Creative Writing Resourcesnownovel.com

Now Novel is a free online writing blog and community that publishes educational articles and author interviews to help aspiring fiction writers plan, write, edit, and publish novels, while driving traffic to parent Reedsy's commercial writing tools and services.

Company typePrivate
Founded2012
HeadquartersCape Town, South Africa
Headcount1–10
GTM typeB2C
OfferingDigital Commerce or Content

What Now Novel does

Now Novel is an online writing blog and community resource that helps aspiring and intermediate fiction writers develop, edit, and publish novels. Founded in 2012 and originally based in Cape Town, South Africa, the platform is operated under the legal entity Reedsy Ltd. in the United Kingdom as a content brand within the broader Reedsy ecosystem. The product is a web-based editorial site publishing 2–4 articles per month across 15+ categories — including writing motivation, character development, techniques, publishing guidance, editing, worldbuilding, genre guides, author interviews, and book marketing — supplemented by embedded YouTube author interviews and an email newsletter.

The underlying technology is a conventional category-structured content management system with no native mobile app, no public API, and no documented AI or machine learning features. Its core function is top-of-funnel content marketing that captures organic search traffic through comparison articles (e.g., 'Best Writing Apps for Authors (2026) — 26 Tools Compared') and routes readers into Reedsy's commercial product suite.

Now Novel is operated by co-founders Bridget McNulty and Brendan McNulty within a 1–10 person team and is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds. The site itself is free and does not sell products directly; monetization is indirect, with value accruing to the parent Reedsy ecosystem through Reedsy Marketplace (editing, design, marketing, ghostwriting, translation), Reedsy Studio (writing app), Reedsy Learning (writing courses and events), Reedsy Discovery (book reviews), and Reedsy Prompts (writing prompts and contests). Reedsy cites an audience of over 1 million authors that Now Novel content contributes to reaching, positioning the site as a content and referral engine rather than a standalone commercial product.

Now Novel firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Now Novel
Legal name: Reedsy Ltd.
Website: https://nownovel.com
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2012
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 1–10 employees
Short description: Now Novel is a free online writing blog and community that publishes educational articles and author interviews to help aspiring fiction writers plan, write, edit, and publish novels, while driving traffic to parent Reedsy's commercial writing tools and services.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Now Novel industry classification

Industry

Product category: Online Writing Education and Creative Writing Resources
NAICS: Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)
SIC: Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
akta.pro primary industry: Fiction Writing Workshops (Short Story, Novel) (EDAMAMAA)
akta.pro secondary industries: Publishing & Submission Prep Workshops (Query Letters, Agents, Journals) (EDAMAMAI), Self-Publishing Platforms (KDP-style Marketplaces & Portals) (MPAJAJAA)

Keywords

Novel writing guidance
Fiction writing resources
Author education platform
Book publishing advice
Creative writing blog

Where Now Novel is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Cape Town
HQ country: South Africa
HQ region: Africa

Markets served

Now Novel business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Digital Commerce or Content
Cost components: Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

Content marketing and referral: Now Novel generates value through content marketing that drives traffic and conversions to Reedsy's commercial products and services. The blog articles promote Reedsy Studio (writing app), Reedsy Marketplace (hiring freelancers for editing, design, marketing), and Reedsy Learning (writing courses). Revenue is indirect, flowing to Reedsy's commercial operations rather than Now Novel directly.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Now Novel product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Now Novel operates a free online writing blog and resource website that publishes educational articles and guides covering every stage of novel writing, including character development, plotting, editing, worldbuilding, genre-specific writing, and book publishing. The site functions as a content marketing platform within the Reedsy ecosystem, driving traffic and referrals to Reedsy's commercial products and services such as Reedsy Studio (writing app), Reedsy Marketplace (professional editors and designers), and Reedsy Learning (writing courses).

Product overview

Now Novel is a writing blog and resource platform (owned by Reedsy) that provides educational content for novelists. The primary offering is a blog with categorized articles covering writing motivation, character development, writing techniques, book publishing, editing, worldbuilding, grammar, and book marketing. It functions as a content and community resource rather than a standalone software product. The platform is closely integrated with Reedsy's ecosystem of writing tools and services, directing users to Reedsy Studio for writing software and Reedsy Marketplace for professional services (editing, design, marketing).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Now Novel Blog & Writing Resources A free online writing blog and educational resource platform providing categorized articles covering novel writing motivation, character development, writing techniques, book publishing guidance, editing and proofreading advice, worldbuilding, genre-specific writing guides, author interviews, grammar, and book marketing. The platform is aimed at aspiring and intermediate fiction writers seeking to develop their craft from initial idea through publication.

Companies that use Now Novel

Customer profile

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Now Novel technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Now Novel partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

ReedsycoreOthersNow Novel is crafted and hosted by Reedsy, serving as an educational content brand within the Reedsy ecosystem. Reedsy is a marketplace connecting authors with professional freelancers for editing, design, marketing, ghostwriting, and translation services. Reedsy also offers Reedsy Studio (writing app), Reedsy Learning (writing courses), and Reedsy Discovery (book reviews). Now Novel functions as a content marketing platform providing free writing guidance while driving traffic and conversions to Reedsy's commercial services.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Now Novel competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Jericho Writers: A UK-based writing community and educational platform offering courses, editorial services, and content aimed at fiction writers across the full journey from idea to publication. Directly comparable to Now Novel in target audience, content-led GTM, and editorial focus on craft and publishing.
The Write Practice: A writing blog and community featuring craft articles, writing prompts, and author interviews, monetized through courses and books. Highly comparable to Now Novel as a content-first platform serving aspiring and intermediate fiction writers.
Helping Writers Become Authors: A long-running craft-focused blog covering story structure, character, and plotting for novelists, monetized through courses and books. Comparable to Now Novel in editorial scope, decade-plus content archive, and writer-craft audience.
Jane Friedman: An authoritative publishing-industry blog and education resource for writers, covering craft, publishing options, and author business topics. Comparable to Now Novel in serving aspiring-to-professional writers with content-led, SEO-driven educational resources.
Self-Publishing Formula: A blog, podcast, and course platform focused specifically on self-publishing guidance for indie authors. Closely comparable to Now Novel's publishing-strategy editorial scope and writer-entrepreneur target persona.

Broad incumbents

MasterClass: A premium subscription education platform offering video courses taught by experts, including writing courses taught by published authors. Adjacent to Now Novel in serving aspiring writers seeking structured learning, but at a much higher price point and broader category scope.
Coursera Creative Writing Specializations: A broad MOOC platform offering creative writing courses and specializations from universities. Comparable to Now Novel's educational mission for aspiring writers, but operating at massive scale across many disciplines rather than specializing in novel writing.
Writer's Digest: An established writing media brand spanning magazine, blog, conferences, and competitions serving aspiring and professional writers. Broader and more diversified than Now Novel but overlaps on craft content, publishing guidance, and writer community.

Others

Reedsy: The parent ecosystem of Now Novel, operating a marketplace for publishing professionals, a writing app, courses, and book reviews. Listed as ecosystem context rather than a pure peer; Now Novel functions as a content-marketing brand inside this portfolio.

Emerging players

Writers.com: An online creative writing school offering structured courses in fiction and nonfiction, including novel writing tracks. Comparable to Now Novel's audience of aspiring novelists seeking structured writing guidance, monetized via paid courses.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Now Novel financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Now Novel leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Now Novel funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Now Novel M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Now Novel

What does Now Novel do?

Is Now Novel a public or private company?

Now Novel is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.

When was Now Novel founded?

Now Novel was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.

Where is Now Novel based?

Now Novel is headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa, in the Africa region.

How does Now Novel make money?

One revenue line is on record: content marketing and referral.

Who are Now Novel's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Jericho Writers, The Write Practice, Helping Writers Become Authors, Jane Friedman and Self-Publishing Formula. Broad incumbents are MasterClass, Coursera Creative Writing Specializations and Writer's Digest. Reedsy is listed as an others. Writers.com is listed as an emerging player.

Does Now Novel have an API?

No public API is recorded for Now Novel.

What industry is Now Novel in?

Now Novel's product category is Online Writing Education and Creative Writing Resources. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMAMAA, Fiction Writing Workshops (Short Story, Novel), with a secondary code of EDAMAMAI, Publishing & Submission Prep Workshops (Query Letters, Agents, Journals). Its NAICS code is 5131 and its SIC code is 2741.