In this inspiring collection of essays, a range of award-winning, established and newly published writers offer highly personal accounts of their creative processes. Authors reveal the anxieties, considerations and discoveries that shaped their own first novels, arming new writers with practical advice, focus and inspiration. The book's final section presents the perspectives of an agent, a publisher and an author on the business of publishing a first novel.

Writing a First Novel offers an illuminating read for both aspiring and seasoned writers. It contains contributions by:

- Hanif Kureishi
- Valerie Martin
- Johanna Skibsrud
- David Vann
- Maile Chapman
- Edward Hogan
- Kishwar Desai
- Wena Poon
- Alison MacLeod
- Andrew Cowan
- Jane Rusbridge
- Isabel Ashdown
- Helon Habila
- David Swann
- Soumya Bhattacharya
- Jane Feaver
- Hannah Westland
- Helen Garnons-Williams
- Lionel Shriver