Faber Academy
Faber Academy is the creative writing education division of Faber and Faber Limited, founded in 2008 and headquartered in London. It runs 100+ writing courses, manuscript assessments, and mentoring programmes per year, serving 2,000+ aspiring writers via in-person and online delivery.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Faber Academy does
Faber Academy is the creative writing education division of Faber and Faber Limited, the independent UK publishing house founded in 1929. Established in 2008 and headquartered at The Bindery, 51 Hatton Garden in London, with additional regional teaching in Newcastle and Durham, the Academy runs over 100 structured writing courses per year and serves more than 2,000 aspiring writers annually through in-person delivery and a bespoke online classroom platform for global, self-paced participation.
The product portfolio is anchored by a six-month flagship "Writing a Novel" course (designed by Director of Fiction Richard Skinner and available in London, Newcastle, and online), surrounded by tiered creative writing programmes ranging from £20 evening tasters and £595 five-day intensives to £795–£850 twelve-week courses and £3,000–£4,500 flagship options. Adjacent service lines include manuscript assessment (prose and poetry editorial reports from £225–£500 with optional express turnaround), one-to-one mentoring programmes in six-week, twelve-week, and nine-month tiers (£695–£3,250), a free scholarship programme targeting writers from marginalised backgrounds, gift cards, and a free Reading Room content hub (author interviews, writing exercises, reading lists, competitions).
Commercially, Faber Academy operates a direct-to-consumer model with one-time fees per programme (no subscription/recurring contract structure disclosed at the programme level), supported by application-based selective enrolment for advanced courses and open enrolment for foundation courses. Distribution is via the company website (WooCommerce/WordPress), email newsletter, Reading Room blog, social channels, the Faber Members programme, and events including Industry Days that connect students to UK literary agents and Faber editors. The academy differentiates on the Faber brand (parent house's roster includes 13 Nobel laureates and 6 Booker Prize winners), credentials of tutors as published authors and editors, peer-driven alumni community persistence, and unique publishing-industry access; the data sources describe no AI/ML features, no public API, no patents, no external funding rounds, and no disclosed revenue.
Faber Academy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Faber Academy
- Legal name
- Faber and Faber Limited
- Website
- https://faberacademy.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Faber Academy is the creative writing education division of Faber and Faber Limited, founded in 2008 and headquartered in London. It runs 100+ writing courses, manuscript assessments, and mentoring programmes per year, serving 2,000+ aspiring writers via in-person and online delivery.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Faber Academy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Creative Writing Education
- NAICS
- Fine Arts Schools (61161), Book Publishers (51313), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (711510)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Creative Writing & Storytelling (Fiction, Poetry, Memoir) (EDAAAGAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Fiction Writing Workshops (Short Story, Novel) (EDAMAMAA), Writing Craft & Technique Workshops (Voice, Structure, Character, Style) (EDAMAMAH), Children’s & YA Writing Workshops (EDAMAMAF), Genre Writing Workshops (Sci‑Fi, Fantasy, Romance, Mystery, Horror) (EDAMAMAG), Manuscript Development Services (Coaching, Developmental Editing) (MPAJAJAF), Publishing & Submission Prep Workshops (Query Letters, Agents, Journals) (EDAMAMAI)
Keywords
Where Faber Academy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Faber Academy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Creative Writing Courses: Revenue from structured courses ranging from 1-day workshops to 6-month comprehensive programmes. Courses are priced by format and duration, with in-person London courses at higher price points than online options.
- Manuscript Assessment Services: Professional editorial feedback services on manuscripts at various stages. Prose assessments range from work-in-progress reviews to comprehensive full reports. Poetry assessments cover magazine submissions, pamphlets, and full collections. Standard 4-week turnaround with 7-day express option.
- Mentoring Programmes: One-on-one mentorship with established authors for personalised writing guidance. Three programme tiers: six-week intensive, twelve-week, and nine-month extended programmes. Features video conference conversations and written feedback on work.
- Scholarship Programme: Free places awarded annually to writers who cannot afford to attend. Funded by the academy to support diverse voices and accessibility.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Writing a Novel (London) - Six-month flagship course |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Writing a Novel (Online/Newcastle) - Six-month flagship course |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Submission Review - Prose |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Full Report - Prose |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | How's My Driving - Prose work-in-progress |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Magazine Submission Review - Poetry |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Pamphlet Review - Poetry |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Collection Review - Poetry |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Six-week Mentorship |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Twelve-week Mentorship |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Nine-month Mentorship |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | One-day workshops and masterclasses |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Five-day intensive courses |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Twelve-week courses |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Scholarship places |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Faber Academy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Faber Academy is the creative writing education division of Faber and Faber Limited, offering structured creative writing courses from one-day workshops to six-month programmes, manuscript assessment services, and one-on-one author mentoring. Courses are available in-person in London and Newcastle as well as globally online, serving aspiring writers from beginners to those preparing for publication across fiction, non-fiction, poetry, crime, children's & YA, short story, and drama genres.
Product overview
Faber Academy operates as a creative writing education platform offering a portfolio of interconnected products and services. The core offering is its flagship 'Writing a Novel' six-month course, complemented by a broad range of creative writing courses (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, crime, children's & YA, short stories, drama) at various levels from introductory workshops to advanced programmes. Additional services include Manuscript Assessment (professional editorial feedback services for prose and poetry), Mentoring Programmes (one-on-one author mentorship), Scholarship Programme (free places for underrepresented writers), and the Reading Room (free resource hub with writing exercises, interviews, and competitions). The ecosystem is designed to support writers at every stage from beginners to those seeking publication.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Writing a Novel (Flagship Course) Faber Academy's flagship six-month comprehensive creative writing course available in London (£4500), Newcastle (£3000), and online (£3000). Designed to help writers complete their novel from first line to final draft with expert tutors, peer workshop feedback, and industry insight into publishing. Entry is by application requiring submission of work samples.
- Creative Writing Courses (Portfolio)
Quantifiable outcome
- 150+ graduates have gone on to publication from Writing a Novel course alone
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Faber Academy
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Faber Academy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Faber Academy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Grantham Book ServicesminorListed in the privacy policy as a business partner involved in the performance of contracts with customers. Faber Academy discloses sharing information with business partners for performance of contracts.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Faber Academy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- MasterClass: Premium streaming platform offering video courses from celebrity instructors including writers (e.g., James Patterson, Margaret Atwood). Overlaps with Faber Academy's creative writing category but operates as a broad subscription-led content platform rather than a specialised writing school.
- FutureLearn Creative Writing Courses: Massive open online course (MOOC) platform aggregating university and publisher creative writing content. Overlaps with Faber Academy's beginner and intermediate writing segments at much lower price points and broader scale, but with weaker brand and no parent-publisher advantage.
Direct peers
- Curtis Brown Creative: UK-based creative writing school run by leading literary agency Curtis Brown. Directly comparable to Faber Academy: offers novel-writing and short-course programmes, taught by published authors and agents, and shares the same London-centric premium positioning and agent-access value proposition.
- The Novelry: Online novel-writing school founded by award-winning authors with live workshops, editor feedback, and structured courses. Directly comparable to Faber Academy's flagship novel course but operates purely online and is led by published authors without a parent-publisher brand.
- Gotham Writers Workshop: Established US-based creative writing school offering in-person and online courses across fiction, non-fiction, memoir, screenwriting, and poetry. Comparable to Faber Academy on broad course portfolio and multi-tier pricing model, though US-anchored.
- Jericho Writers: Online writing school offering editing services, courses, and editorial reports for aspiring novelists. Comparable to Faber Academy on manuscript assessment and self-paced novel-writing courses, though typically priced lower and with a digital-native model rather than in-person delivery.
Emerging players
- Penguin WriteNow: Penguin Random House UK mentoring and writing development programme targeting underrepresented voices. Comparable to Faber Academy's scholarship programme and mentoring tier in spirit, though structured as a publisher-led talent pipeline rather than a commercial course portfolio.
- Writers & Artists (Bloomsbury): Bloomsbury's writer-development platform offering courses, webinars, and the Writers' & Artists' Yearbook. Comparable to Faber Academy's combination of manuscript assessment and short courses, with a similar publisher-backed heritage.
- City, University of London — Creative Writing MA: London-based academic creative writing programme offering MA-level instruction in fiction and poetry. Comparable to Faber Academy's advanced/serious-writer segment, though delivered as a formal university degree rather than short-form courses.
Others
- Reedsy: Online marketplace connecting authors with editors, designers, and marketers, plus free educational resources. Adjacent rather than directly competing — comparable to Faber Academy's editorial feedback and publishing-pathway value proposition, though delivered as a marketplace rather than taught courses.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Faber Academy social profiles
Digital presenceFaber Academy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Faber Academy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Faber Academy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Faber 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 Faber Academy
What does Faber Academy do?
Faber Academy is the creative writing education division of Faber and Faber Limited, offering structured creative writing courses from one-day workshops to six-month programmes, manuscript assessment services, and one-on-one author mentoring. Courses are available in-person in London and Newcastle as well as globally online, serving aspiring writers from beginners to those preparing for publication across fiction, non-fiction, poetry, crime, children's & YA, short story, and drama genres.
Is Faber Academy a public or private company?
Faber Academy is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Faber Academy founded?
Faber Academy was founded in 2008. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Faber Academy based?
Faber Academy is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Faber Academy make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Creative Writing Courses are the primary driver. The others are manuscript Assessment Services, mentoring Programmes and scholarship Programme.
Who are Faber Academy's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are MasterClass and FutureLearn Creative Writing Courses. Direct peers are Curtis Brown Creative, The Novelry, Gotham Writers Workshop and Jericho Writers. Emerging players are Penguin WriteNow, Writers & Artists (Bloomsbury) and City, University of London — Creative Writing MA. Reedsy is listed as an others.
Does Faber Academy have an API?
No public API is recorded for Faber Academy.
What industry is Faber Academy in?
Faber Academy's product category is Creative Writing Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAAGAI, Creative Writing & Storytelling (Fiction, Poetry, Memoir), with a secondary code of EDAMAMAA, Fiction Writing Workshops (Short Story, Novel). Its NAICS code is 61161 and its SIC code is 8200.