Nicholas Royle

Who am I?

I am a Reader in Creative Writing here at Manchester Met and every year I have the privilege of watching new writers grow into themselves. As a teacher and editor I am extremely thorough so don’t be surprised if your work comes back with a lot of notes. I have written seven novels, two novellas and three volumes of short fiction (two full-length collections and a shorter volume). I have also edited twenty anthologies of short stories.

I’m interested in the uncanny, the weird and the Gothic. I am especially interested in short novels (50,000 words and under), short stories and experimental fiction. I enjoy surrealism, crime fiction and fiction about place, especially if a story is named directly after a place. 

I collect second hand paperbacks and am actively collecting all the white-spined Picador paperbacks issued between 1972 and 1999/2000. So if you've got any you don't want...

I also work as an editor for Salt Publishing and run my own small press, Nightjar Press. Twice a week I play football and am often looking for extra players. I would always rather walk than get the bus, but I do like the tram. If you’re looking for me and I'm not in No.70, I can often be found rifling through the CD racks in the experimental/avant garde section at Vinyl Exchange.

Why do I teach?

Every year among the new intake of MFA/MA novel-writing students, I find a selection of writers who are so talented that it is inspiring and exhilarating to work with them and watch them get even better. The question is not ‘Can you really teach creative writing?’ The question is ‘how much better can you help someone get by immersing them in the MFA/MA process over two or three years?’

The answer is a lot.

Words of wisdom

Always remember the most important words are not those on the page.

Why study ?

Postgraduate teaching

Creative writing – fiction

Research expertise

Short stories, film, contemporary fiction, translation, surrealism, independent publishing.

Publications

• Books (authored/edited/special issues)

  N. Royle (2020). London Gothic: Short Stories. Confingo Publishing.

  N. Royle (2018). The Dummy & Other Uncanny Stories. The Swan River Press.

  . Various (2017). Best British Short Stories 2017. N. Royle.

  N. Royle (2017). Ornithology Sixteen Short Stories.

  . Various (2016). Best British Short Stories. N. Royle.

  N. Royle, D. Gledhill (2016). In Camera.

  . Various (2015). The Art of the Novel. N. Royle.

  . Various (2015). Best British Short Stories 2015. N. Royle.

  . Various (2014). The Best British Short Stories 2014. N. Royle.

  . Various (2013). The Best British Short Stories 2013. N. Royle.

  N. Royle (2013). First Novel. Random House.

  . Various (2012). The Best British Short Stories 2012. N. Royle. Salt Publishing.

  N. Royle (2011). Murmurations: An Anthology of Uncanny Stories About Birds. Two Ravens Press.

  . Various (2011). The Best British Short Stories 2011. N. Royle. Salt Publishing.

  N. Royle (2011). Regicide. Solaris.

  N. Royle The enigma of departure.

  N. Royle (2008). '68: new stories from children of the revolution.

  N. Royle The appetite.

  N. Royle Antwerp.

  N. Royle (2006). Mortality. Serpent's Tail.

  N. Royle (2004). Dreams Never End. Tindal Street Press.

  N. Royle (2001). A Book of Two Halves Football Short Stories. Orion Publishing Company.

  N. Royle (2000). The Time Out Book of London Short Stories Volume 2. Penguin.

  N. Royle (2000). The Director's Cut. Abacus (UK).

  N. Royle, TOM. Ltd (1999). The Time Out book of Paris short stories. Time Out Pub.

  N. Royle (1999). Neonlit The Time Out Book of New Writing.

  N. Royle (1998). The Ex Files New Stories about Old Flames. Quartet Books (UK).

  Agony and the Ecstasy.

  N. Royle (1997). The Time Out Book of New York Short Stories. Time Out Pub.

  N. Royle (1997). The Matter of the Heart. Abacus (UK).

  N. Royle (1996). The tiger garden a book of writers' dreams. Serpents Tail.

  N. Royle (1996). Saxophone Dreams.

  N. Royle (1993). Counterparts.

  N. Royle (1992). Darklands 2.

  N. Royle (1991). Darklands.

• Journal articles

  N. Royle (2009). Writers' rooms. Ambit. 198,

  N. Royle (2009). Creative writing.

  N. Royle (2008). Salt. Black Static.

  N. Royle (2008). Jayne Anne Phillips. The London Magazine. Feb,

  N. Royle (2008). Full on night. Ambit. 194,

• Chapters in books

  N. Royle (2014). This Video Does Not Exist. In: The Spectral Book of Horror Stories. UK: Spectral Press, pp.236-252.

  N. Royle The dummy.

  N. Royle Very low-flying aircraft.

  N. Royle Train, night.

  N. Royle Unfollow.

  N. Royle Last drink bird head.

  N. Royle The goldfinch.

  N. Royle The children.

  N. Royle The reunion.

  N. Royle Rotterdam.

• Other

  L. Adkins, N. Duffy, K. Aubrey, A. Kettle, L. Biggs, et al. C. Williams, S. Bonnell, N. Royle, E. Bryne, J. McCullagh, D. Cooper, L. Raven, S. Dixon, B. Schoene, P. Evans, . et al. Made in Translation.

  N. Royle Moss Nook.