Who am I? In short, I have worked in publishing for almost 25 years as an author, editor, creative writing instructor and ghost (not the scary kind). And in more detail…
After working as a bookseller at Waterstone’s and a copywriter for book blurbs, I became a commissioning editor at Little, Brown. In my next role at Pavilion, I was the founding publisher of a new imprint, Portico. I also worked as an editorial director for AA Books and spent many years as an editorial consultant before joining Reedsy as Head of Learning. In total, I’ve edited and commissioned well over 100 titles, including many bestsellers and prize-winners. In 2018, I was the recipient of Whitefox’s Unsung Heroes of Publishing award (if you’ve ever heard me sing, you’ll know why that’s for the best).
In 1997 I took an MA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University, where I was awarded a distinction.
My first novel, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, was published by Pan Macmillan in 2001 (“Appealingly funny” —Big Issue). This was followed in 2003 by Half A World Away (“Very funny” —The Times). I’m also the author of the non-fiction music book We Could Have Been the Wombles (Penguin, 2005) and two pop culture memoirs: All in the Best Possible Taste (Simon and Schuster, 2010) and Wired for Sound (Simon and Schuster, 2012).
Under the pseudonym Thomas Black, I wrote the crime novellas Dead on Arrival (Lume, 2013) and Hammerhead (Lume, 2015). In 2021, I was commissioned by the British Library to write Bespoke, a non-fiction book exploring the history and language of cycling. My story “Rings” was chosen as the opening piece for the Best British Short Stories 2021 anthology (Salt Publishing). I’m currently working on a new novel.
I’ve worked as a ghostwriter for the last decade. I would tell you which books I’ve written, but then I’d have to kill you. I have ghostwritten fifteen titles in total, including prize-winners and several international bestsellers. The majority of these books have been memoirs, with clients ranging from rock stars to footballers, politicians to boxing champions, soldiers to reality TV winners, psychologists to Tolkien experts (I am definitely not a Tolkien expert, so please don’t ask me any questions about The Hobbit. I’m still recovering from that one).
I have taught novel writing for over a decade both online and in person, and at retreats, universities, and literary festivals. Among the many institutions I have taught for are Falmouth University, the National Film and Television School, the Faber Academy, Stratford Literary Festival, John O’Connor Writing School, CrimeFest, I Am In Print, and the Casa Ana Writing Retreats in Andalucía. I have written over a dozen creative writing courses which thousands of students around the world have taken online and in-person. Many have gone on to be traditionally published or self-published.
In my spare time, my main hobbies are music, cycling, and football. I play guitar, bass, and double bass (though not at the same time). I’ve played in rock, funk, and folk groups (again, not at the same time — that would sound horrible) and currently play in a jazz trio. I enjoy cycling, particularly off-road in the beautiful New Forest near where I live. Football is more of a spectator sport these days: I’ve followed York City through thin and thin since I was six (no, they’re not in the Premier League. Or the league below that. Or the one below that…).
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September enrollment ends at 1pm UTC, Sep 02.
The course was fantastic. In particular, I enjoyed the Weekly Masterclasses, and mainly because they were live. Having said that, I couldn’t have done the entire course live, so the format was perfect.
Adriana Z.
The practical dos and don’ts taught throughout the course gave me a clear understanding of what works and what doesn’t when it comes to writing. It was like being allowed to peek behind the curtain of that secret author’s club that had always felt so elusive.
Blair R.
There’s an age old adage that to be a writer, you must first, and always, be a reader. Reedsy puts this into practice with the structure of this course, helping writers understand what makes a passage powerful by dissecting it with a skillful teacher.
Nora S.
Such a thoughtful, clear, inspirational course. It more than earns its investment in time and money.
Jesse G.
Kudos to Tom Bromely and Reedsy for creating it. I recommend it highly to everyone who could benefit.
Kurt K.
Tom was wonderful, and the community was also inspiring. I will revere back to this content often as I continue progressing my writing career.
Rob V.
Anyone can write a book. But it takes more than a simple understanding to write a good book. The time I spent in the Reedsy Masterclass with Tom Bromley were the best three months I could have invested. Without a doubt, it made a vast improvement in my abilities.
Michael B.
The daily lessons worked really well for me; I loved that I could watch them anytime and the topics, content and books covered were really helpful. I can't emphasise enough how useful the weekly critique sessions have been.
Simon H.
Tom is a brilliant teacher not just because of his experience and expertise, but also because of his approachability. Absolutely brilliant!
Jill R.
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September enrollment ends at 1pm UTC, Sep 02.
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