Authoring & Playwriting

For all the authors and playwrights in our community, a place to discuss, share content and post tips and advice.

Literary Adaptations/TV/Film Agent

This is great full service agency and handles everything in house I believe...

https://aitkenalexander.co.uk/film-tv

Film & TV - Aitken Alexander Associates
Film & TV - Aitken Alexander Associates
We handle film, television and stage adaptation rights in our clients' books and pride ourselves on our ability to match material with the best producers. Unusually for a boutique size agency, we also…
Morgan Aitken

OMD! I was thinking of sending em something... Would that be nepotism? Thus spake, M.F. Aitken

Seriously, I didn't think they were open to unsolicited subs. But way cool for posting, D.E. White !...

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Richard Buzzell

I'm in. Thanks encore D. E.

Thriller Writers! This is a good one to join, especially if you're in the US.
International Thriller Writers - Official Website of the International Thriller Writers
International Thriller Writers - Official Website of the International Thriller Writers
ITW Programs International Thriller Writers in no way condone or tolerate discrimination in any form. And we urge our entire membership to listen, learn, and speak out against racism, intolerance, and injustice.
The Syrian Jewelry Box

SPELLBINDING PEACE

By the way, I am moving right along with my screenwriter on the rewrite:D

HAPPY 2023!!!

Shellie Schmals

Carina S. Burns - congratulations!! What is your approach in completing the project?

Maurice Vaughan

Great to hear an update, Carina S. Burns! Happy 2023!

D.E. White

Brilliant Carina!

Morgan Aitken
Listen Up, Stage 32: Writers Need Pitch Sessions Too

Ok, if that doesn't get me banned, let's have some convo on this...

It's like this, see: Screenwriters get all the pitches they can swing a bat at. Soooo, how about us book writers? It seems a wee daft to hack together a script just so we can slap down the plastic to pitch a novel/narrative for adapt...

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Morgan Aitken

Maybe you're right Maurice Vaughan about the Anything Goes Lounge. Technically there's so much info coming down the social media stand-pipe, it really comes down to what one makes of it... or gets pla...

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Shellie Schmals

Hi Morgan Aitken - great suggestion!! There is definitely a need to help author's connect too! Glad Sam Sokolow was here to see it! :)...

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D.E. White

Brilliant suggestion Morgan Aitken and yes, so many adaptations going on, it would be an excellent addition to Stage 32. And yes, price point is an issue, but with the correct one, it be great to get...

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Morgan Aitken

Precisely, @D.E. White : price point. Screenwriters can try their pitches in front of an exec for $35 but the only option for writers with a literary work they'd like to see about adapting for film/TV...

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D.E. White

Same!

Some inspiration for creators

I help produce a YouTube channel created by writer/director/actor Julia Fowler. Julia creates in an authentic southern voice. When the industry didn’t fully embrace Julia’s work. saying that the audience “wasn’t there”, she launched the The Southern Women Channel to find her audience. Millions of vi...

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L. Tom Deaver

Thank you for sharing, Sam.

Dathane Turner

Entertaining, thank you.

D.E. White

Sounds great Sam!

GiGi Raines

Thank you for sharing Sam! And congratulations to Julia for finding success in following her passion. There’s always a way!

Geoff Hall
Lucent Dark - Design Brief

As promised, after various discussions about writing 'design briefs', here is the brief for my new label, 'Lucent Dark'.

You will notice how brief the brief is! Colse Leung runs his own design company. I pay him a monthly retainer and this means that he is at my beck and call (ha!) whenever there's a...

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World of 0w1
World of 0w1
Owl:believe is the first in a trilogy of stories about their commitment to non-violence and they discover that it's a very effective means of subverting not only the State, but also the dark spiritual…
Geoff Hall

Here's one version:

Geoff Hall

and then the one I chose...

Geoff Hall

I should point out that after this brief is posted to the designer, a conversation ensues. He asks for images to be sent, that somehow exemplify in some way, the feel or look, I am wanting.

He will th...

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L. Tom Deaver

Very interesting, Geoff. I like your design.

Geoff Hall

L. Tom Deaver thank you Tom. I think when you find a designer who ‘gets it’ and ‘gets you’ then they are gold dust.

I never have to force it and I’ve learned from him that he has a better eye for thing...

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Service/place to check for legitimate offer to adapt a novel

Hello! Does anyone know if there is a source to verify if a contact is legitimate on adapting a novel you write? I got an email claiming to be CBS Films but I'm not positive it's actually them.

Morgan Aitken

I got the same email. Assumed it was spam. If it's for real, usually a clerk or intern from a real agency - you can ring up and ask to speak to said person - gets in touch to ask if rights are available. Then later you might hear from an agent or rep.

Shellie Schmals

Dominic DiMarco - this is a quick hack, but I will search an email in google to see if it exists and then do another search like :

"email@me.com" scam

and see what comes up....

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Dominic DiMarco

Thank you everyone for the great advice! Turns out to be a scam, and looking closer makes much more sense. Despite the letdown, makes me eager to get more scripts going and query agents soon! Thank you again everybody!!

Jeff E. Gregory
  1. Register a copyright. 2. Get an agent.
Shellie Schmals

Hi Dominic DiMarco - always ask for references and referrals from our Stage forums. That's what we're here for! :)

Geoff Hall
James Baldwin - Social Change and the Writer’s Responsibility

Kick-back this Sunday and listen to a talk from James Baldwin, who for this Brit is the standout social commentator and essayist of American life, in the 20th Century.

Standout quotes:

“The audience can only be...

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Worth joining if you write Romance or a sub genre!
RNA - Romantic Novelist Association
RNA - Romantic Novelist Association
Welcome to the website of the Romantic Novelists' Association (RNA). Romantic fiction is central to the publishing industry in the UK and around the world. The RNA was founded in 1960 to promote roman…
Morgan Aitken

Personally, I'm not really sure what romance writing is. Seriously, it looks to me like fiction. What draws the line between fiction and romance? Is it the level of snogging and snagging that defines...

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GiGi Raines

Great tip! Thank you! Do you write predominately romance?

D.E. White

I write crime, but for romance writers this society is great! Morgan, all of the above lol, and yes, the structure and tone play a big part. Like the crime formula, there is a romance formula too. Romance is another massive and highly lucrative genre, with some incredible writers.

Shellie Schmals

I have a few friends who will be interested in this - thank you!

Publisher Open for Subs...
Submissions | Hera
Submissions | Hera
We offer hands-on editorial advice - every single book will undergo a rigorous and understanding editorial process, from in-house and external editorial staff. We know that editorial is not a one-size…
Richard Buzzell

I couldn't resist - I sent in a submission. When will I ever learn? Thanks for the lead D. E..

Morgan Aitken

@Richard Buzzell , guess you'll learn when you hear back from them. But good on ya for submitting!

Maurice Vaughan

Hope they love your manuscript, Richard!

D.E. White

Good luck Richard and ya got to be in it to win it!

Shellie Schmals

Thanks for sharing!!!

And for crime writers...
Home - The Crime Writers' Association
Home - The Crime Writers' Association
The CWA , and celebrates crime writing, and writers of all crime fiction and non-fiction from across the globe. We're proud to be a growing, thriving community with membership encompassing authors of…
Shellie Schmals

D.E. White - so cool!! I'm a huge organizations geek, I will pass this along!

Aaron Tarpley
Peasant Crafted Productions

Just introducing myself and nosing around the lounge... Like a goat smelling butts and body parts. Hello!

Julia Warren

Hi Aaron and welcome! There's plenty to explore here - have you also checked out the 'Introduce Yourself' lounge? It's another great place to meet up with fellow creatives : https://www.stage32.com/lounge/introduce_yourself

What are you working on at the moment?

Aaron Tarpley

Thank you! I have a few projects I'm working on I hope to work out into some sort of product :)

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