Curtis Brown Creative Reviews 

153
•
TrustScore 4.5 out of 5

4.3

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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Looking at 44 reviews, reviewers overwhelmingly had a great experience with this company. Customers consistently praise the engaging course materials, helpful writing prompts, and invaluable tutorials that significantly boost their writing confidence and skills. Reviewers frequently highlight the well-structured format, motivational daily tasks, and practical insights into the professional publishing world. However, some reviewers were not happy with the student interaction platform, noting that online forum threads can easily get lost and result in sparse feedback. Some people also noted that comments coming exclusively from fellow students were not always very useful, making the peer interaction feel somewhat limited.

What people talk about most

User experience

Reviewers highlight positive aspects of user experience, frequently praising the engaging online content,... See more

Product

Consumers express great satisfaction with the product, highlighting courses that are well thought out, rich... See more

Value for money

Customers expressed general satisfaction regarding the value for money, finding the courses reasonably priced... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The Writing Your Novel - 3 months course was brilliant. The teaching, workshops and one to one tutorials were varied and invaluable. The forum with other course members and our tutor was lively, usefu... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Writing Your Synopsis Masterclass by Curtis Brown Creative -- don't hesitate to take this class. It's two hours of quality, practical, clear, and useful knowledge and ideas. I wrote a great synopsis t... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Excellent materials, activities and feedback. Felt fully equipped to identify what I need to to do as well as supported with the resources to help be achieve my aims. Thank you.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I did the 3 month course writing for children with Catherine Johnson. I was surprised to get on it, but I was accepted straight away. I learnt a lot from Catherine, and it was on very busy course. We... See more


Company details

  1. Arts Organization

Written by the company

Study with the writing school founded by the major literary & talent agency. We've been helping writers tell their stories since 2011. CBC is one of the UK’s most successful writing academies, running courses online and in London. Since CBC was founded in 2011 by Anna Davis (still its Managing Director), over 300 students have become commercially published authors, including Julia Armfield (Our Wives Under the Sea), Bonnie Garmus (Lessons in Chemistry), Emilia Hart (Weyward), Alex Hay (The Housekeepers), Jennie Godfrey (The List of Suspicious Things), Lucy Rose (The Lamb) and Nussaibah Younis (Fundamentally). Our lessons are practical and positive. We'll help you write the story you want tell, find your trusted readers and get advice from leading authors, top literary agents and experienced publishers. We run courses for budding novelists, children's authors, short story writers, screenwriters and non-fiction writers. We also run the Breakthrough Writers’ Programme, a major initiative offering free mentoring, courses and scholarships to under-represented writers.


Contact info

4.3

Excellent

TrustScore 4.5 out of 5

153 reviews

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4.3

All reviews

(153)

40 reviews in the last 12 months

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic Course!

I've just completed the six week Writing a Psychological Thriller course, and cannot recommend it highly enough. Very reasonably priced, fantastic and well structured content by Erin Kelly, thought provoking weekly tasks, and a brilliant environment to write in - the support, encouragement and feedback from my fellow students was wonderful. I also found the CBC team to be prompt and helpful if I needed anything.

23 April 2021
Unprompted review
Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Decline in good opinion …

I recently left a glowing comment for Curtis Brown regarding the historical fiction course they run. Part of the fee involved a 500 word report on concluding submission, this was supposed to have been received by 14 April, to date inspite of a number of voicemails and emails I have received nothing, not terribly impressed.

19 April 2021
Unprompted review
Curtis Brown Creative logo

Reply from Curtis Brown Creative

Hi Kim,

We are sorry to hear about this delay in receiving your feedback report. We are pleased to confirm that we sent your report via email this morning – Mon 19 April.

We appreciate your feedback. Please do get in touch with us (cbccourses@curtisbrown.co.uk) if you have any further thoughts on how we can improve.

Very best,
The CBC Team

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

A really great course

A really great course, ideal for anyone writing a thriller. The modules are clear and concise, interesting and engaging, and you get to put theory into practice with constructive advice and criticism from both fellow writers and CBC staff. Excellent value for money.

13 April 2021
Unprompted review
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Reply from Curtis Brown Creative

Hi Alex,

Thank you for your review. We're so pleased that you enjoyed Writing a Psychological Thriller.

Happy writing!
The CBC Team

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

A great course, worth the money!

An excellent company doing a great course. Very helpful and friendly! Worth the money.

16 March 2021
Unprompted review
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Reply from Curtis Brown Creative

Thank you for your feedback, Yasmin! We're so pleased that you enjoyed your course.

Happy writing!
The CBC Team

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Writing a Psychological Thriller - a great course!

I have just completed one of Curtis Brown's 6 week online courses - Writing a Psychological Thriller - and would recommend to anyone whose considering writing in this genre. Great tutor, good tasks and course content and feedback from other students.

16 March 2021
Unprompted review
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Reply from Curtis Brown Creative

Hi Carole,

Thanks so much for sharing your experience. We're so pleased that you had such a positive time studying with us.

Happy writing!
The CBC Team

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Really good

Really good. I have done two courses with Curtis Brown and got a ton out of each; I've also since received multiple offers of representation. My only criticism was it would be great to have more of a formal alumni chat room, as I feel this was a bit of a missed opportunity and one of my observations is that the kind of people on these courses are so very supportive. I would have loved to have chatted with people in the other courses that ran concurrently this summer and would gladly have paid for access etc. Just a thought!

17 December 2020
Unprompted review
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Reply from Curtis Brown Creative

Hi Heather,

Thank you for so much for sharing this feedback. We're so pleased you enjoyed studying with us and will take your interesting thoughts on an alumni room into consideration.

Happy writing!
The CBC Team

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Great Historical Fiction Deep Dive

Very good course and good online content and interaction. I feel compelled to continue with confidence in my projects. Well worth the investment, of time and money, in such a specific genre and focus. Great job.

11 December 2020
Unprompted review
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Reply from Curtis Brown Creative

Hi Brain,

Thank you for sharing this feedback. We're so pleased that you enjoyed your time on our Writing Historical Fiction course.

Happy writing!
The CBC Team

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Rich, rewarding and stonking value for money

A huge thank you to everyone who has contributed to the running of this course. It's been a rich and rewarding springboard into writing thanks to the content and the experience you've delivered. Stonking value for money too. I recommend it highly!

24 November 2020
Unprompted review
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Reply from Curtis Brown Creative

Hi Catherine,

Thank you for sharing your experience. We're so pleased you found your time on our course rewarding.

Happy writing!
The CBC Team

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Why CBC courses benefit writers of all abilities.

The teaching modules progress like a carefully constructed narrative. They sweep you relentlessly forward, teaching you every step you need to take to reach those words, "The End." And each week, the insights you gain from fellow students, as well as those you make yourself of their novels, prove just as invaluable to the experience.

19 November 2020
Unprompted review
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Reply from Curtis Brown Creative

Hi Richard,

Thank you so much for sharing this feedback. We're so pleased that you enjoyed your time on our courses. Congratulations on penning those magic words 'The End'!

Happy writing!
The CBC Team

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Excellent writing courses

I have done a number of online courses with CBC this year during lockdown and am always satisfied with the quality of the materials and the supportive group atmosphere. The six-week novel writing courses have helped me to hone my ideas into a workable plot with rounded characters.

The outcome from taking these courses is that I have developed an idea that was lying dormant and gained useful tools for honing it into shape. The weekly tasks have meant putting my ideas out there and I've learnt a lot from feedback from the readers and other writers on the course. It has also encouraged me to read fiction from a writerly point of view.

22 October 2020
Unprompted review
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Reply from Curtis Brown Creative

Hi Emily,

Thank you for sharing this feedback. We're so pleased that you enjoyed your time on our six-week 'How to Write Your Novel' online courses.

Happy writing!
The CBC Team

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Curtis Brown Creative Online Memoir Course

As always, Curtis Brown Creative course materials are brilliantly structured. I have just completed the Curtis Brown Creative Online Memoir writing course. It was just what I needed, finding a way to write in such a way that a balance is achieved in telling the story in manner that appeals to the reader. How do you indicate to the reader a combination of facts in a story, in a narrative style that is true to the essence of the story yet is not factual. I loved watching the videos by the course tutor Cathy Rentzenbrink; her wealth of experience and examples serve as a tool for building the story. I love that the Online course allows us to learn at our pace and the writing community forum is absolutely fantastic.

21 October 2020
Unprompted review
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Reply from Curtis Brown Creative

Thank you for taking the time to share this feedback. We're so pleased that you enjoy our courses and found the Writing a Memoir online course so helpful.

Happy writing!
The CBC Team

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic for people wanting to produce an enticing pitch

Thought the course was very high quality, easy to follow and excellent resources. Great for objectivity about writing and learning how to find the crux of the story to write a better pitch.

29 September 2020
Unprompted review
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Reply from Curtis Brown Creative

Hi Jo,

Thank you for sharing this feedback. We're so pleased that you enjoyed your time on Edit & Pitch Your Novel.

Happy writing!
The CBC Team

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Curtis Brown Creative

I have just completed an online short story course with Curtis Brown Creative. It worked like a dream for me and I would highly recommend CBC to anyone who is contemplating an online writing course.

28 September 2020
Unprompted review
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Reply from Curtis Brown Creative

Hi Linda,

Thank you for sharing this feedback. We're so pleased that you enjoyed your time studying with us.

Happy writing!
The CBC Team

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Probably better to buy a good book on creative writing.

The videos and resources are helpful and especially the interaction with other students is very encouraging. However despite the course being led by an agent, there is hardly any interaction and would not describe this course as being an online equivalent to a course which you would normally attend. There was no interaction via Zoom and only one feedback throughout the course. (Since receipt of the email from Curtis Brown Creative - I have replied to them in more detail regarding my review).

28 September 2020
Unprompted review
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Reply from Curtis Brown Creative

Hi Michelle,

We are sorry to hear that you were disappointed with aspects of the course. Please do email us (cbccourses@curtisbrown.co.uk) so we can discuss this further and look into your concerns.

All best,
The CBC Team

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Exceptional tutors

I recently completed a course with Cynan Jones, and I am currently working on Writing a Memoir with Cathy Rentzenbrink. Both tutors are exceptional. I highly recommend the CBC online courses.

28 September 2020
Unprompted review
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Reply from Curtis Brown Creative

Hi Linda,

Thank you for sharing this feedback. We're so pleased that you enjoyed your time on our Writing Short Stories and Writing a Memoir online courses.

Happy writing!
The CBC Team

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

CBC Edit and Pitch Your Novel

Super, inclusive course that required only commitment and enthusiasm from students. We were rewarded with a well constructed course that benefitted everyone; from debutants to experienced writers in all genres.

19 August 2020
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The Edit and Pitch Your Novel course was excellent

The Edit and Pitch Your Novel course exceeded my expectations. It was exceedingly well thought-out, the pacing was perfect, and the advice was spot-on. It was also designed to give you the tools to do this for anything you wrote in the future, which is very valuable.
Unexpected bonus: Coursemates were lovely, enthusiastic and willing to devote a lot of time to going through each other's entries and giving useful feedback. CBC were good at monitoring for any questions or issues they could help with.

19 August 2020
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The best investment in my writing I have ever made

I have recently finished the Curtis Brown 3-month selective novel writing course and can safely say it was a transformative experience for my novel, and for me too! The teaching, feedback and support you get on this programme is outstanding, and I would recommend it to anyone who is serious about writing.

13 August 2020
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

CBC - Edit and Pitch your Novel

Would highly recommend this action-packed six week course. Full of great advice and practical support, it will definitely give your writing a much better chance of being read and you can't ask fairer than that.

21 July 2020
Unprompted review

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