Authoring & Playwriting

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

Crime Fest

If anyone is going to Crime Fest let me know! Tickets on sale now, and if you are an author and would like to speak on a panel, I think the deadline is end of Jan...

https://www.crimefest.com

CrimeFest - Crimefest
CrimeFest - Crimefest
The annual crime fiction convention is for people who like to read an occasional crime novel as well as for die-hard fanatics. CrimeFest draws top crime novelist. readers, editors and publishers from…
William Schumpert
2023 update

Progress is getting better as the new year starts. Working on another audio book and on my fourth draft for the next novella. Sales have picked up and social media is still getting a large amount of traffic.

Also applying for Editor with ebooks. Crossing my fingers!

D.E. White

That's brilliant news!

Maurice Vaughan

Congratulations on the progress, William! Hope you get the Editor job!

Geoff Hall
Joy Harjo - ‘Catching the Light’

Santa was very discerning over Christmas and brought me a book written by one of my favourite poets, Joy Harjo.

Harjo is a Muskogee Creek Nation poet, who caught my attention with her collection of poetry in ‘Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings’.

The older I become, the more I am at home with the po...

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Happy New Year!

Just wanted to wish everyone in the lounge a happy New Year. Personally I shall be in my PJ's sipping whisky by 9pm, but if you are out and about have a great time and here's to new goals, staying happy and healthy, and a fresh start. My new fitness regime starts on Sunday... and as usual will probably be over by Monday ;-)

D.E. White

Bells ;-)

Shellie Schmals

Julia Warren - Happy New Year!! Looking forward to a fun and successful 2023!! :)

Stephen Olson

I have started on the tredmill.

Morgan Aitken

@Stephen Olson , treadmill: metaphorical or actual torture device?

Julia Warren

Shellie Schmals Thank you! Same here ! :)

Geoff Hall
A story is…

From Flannery O’Connor…

William Schumpert
2023 Update

A change to my diet has given me more energy to work. Almost complete with the final chapter for my next novella. Also was able to buy a new microphone for audiobook recording and podcast interviews.

Shellie Schmals

Hi William Schumpert - great to hear your 2023 has started off strong! And that looks like a super microphone!

Geoff Hall
Baldwin: Collected Essays

Since watching ‘I Am Not Your Negro’, James Baldwin has claimed a place not only in my imagination, but also my heart.

He refused all classifications, labels of ‘gay’ or ‘socialist’ and settled on ‘writer’, believing that labels restrict your talent and your audience. What is meant for a wider audie...

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Stephanie Munch

Thank you for this thread Geoff - Baldwin's words have that particular resonance for me. I guess I never understood what labels are and I don't want to. And you're right, it's a game we (writers) should not play.

Geoff Hall

Morgan Aitken maybe vegan, vegis, vegit? At least that would be personal pronouns, rather than impersonal (it it’s itself).

Geoff Hall

Robert Muyuwa Mulundika hey Robert, I’m glad you feel that you’ve found a place, a community here at Stage32.

I’m sorry to hear about your diagnosis and trust you’ll find a way to balance this with the...

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Geoff Hall

Stephanie Munch when was the first time you read Baldwin’s work?

I think he was brave not to follow the peer pressure of his day, to following those labelling conventions. I love his tenacity, not to...

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Stephanie Munch

I was in highschool (long ago) and to be honest I didn't even remember he was a black writer. Your post made me fall into it again - Sometimes it is good to remember the context and time in which a bo...

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Self Publishing...

So I have two ebooks (rights reverted), just sitting on my computer, and inspired by all of you, I'm going to self pub both of them. 

I'm having them re-formatted, because I need to edit out the former publisher's details, and new covers, plus new titles. Total cost £350 per book.

They are already out...

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D.E. White

Thanks Debbie, yes all good and I have that letter of reversion super safe. Plus my agent has been through everything in case I missed any clauses. So many authors doing this now, and glad we can take our books another route if we want to!

Terrence Sellers

Good luck! I am absolutely horrified at the idea of self publishing.

Morgan Aitken

Self publishing is an oxymoron.

William Schumpert

Good luck.

D.E. White

Morgan Aitken Tis...

Want to learn how to get into a television writing fellowship?

If so, I highly recommend this webinar hosted by Rebecca Windsor, the head of Warner Brothers’ Television Workshop. Here’s a link so you can check it out; https://www.stage32.com/webinars/How-To-Get-Into-Television-Fellowships...

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D.E. White

Sounds great!

Debbie Elicksen
How Book Profits Work

If you use a traditional publisher, this is what you can expect.

If you self-publish, you keep both the publisher and author cost, and if you distribute yourself, you keep the distributor costs. If you print and get your books in a bookstore, you don't always need a distributor, especially locally. I...

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Morgan Aitken

Good point about 'why would a reader invest their time in one's story' - as Scrooge McDuck said 'Money can be earned, time can't'

D.E. White

I get 45% from ebooks, 15% from paperbacks. Absolutely agree with most of your points but I think lots of people buy because it's an author they recognise, or a trusted publisher, or even a trusted bookshop. That's why celeb books get so many giant advances they never earn out.

What after a pitch?

Hey all, I had my first pitch session with Jason Piette of Disrupting Influence that was set up by a Stage 32 email. How do I find out if my pitch was an epic fail or if he had any interest? Did I lose my one shot?

Candace Meredith

Hi Sam Mannetti and to all of you … thank you for the responses!! I was nervous and I don’t feel I did a good job representing the work. I just hope it sounded like a great Thriller. Thank you all aga...

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Candace Meredith

Hi Maurice Vaughan it was a verbal over the phone pitch

Maurice Vaughan

Ok, Candace Meredith. Never mind. Sam Mannetti answered your question perfectly. :)...

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Candace Meredith

Okay, thank you.

Maurice Vaughan

You're welcome, Candace Meredith.

TV writing fellowships

Getting accepted into a TV writing fellowship is one of the best ways to pave a path into a writers room and a career as a television writer. This upcoming webinar on how to get into TV fellowships is a must watch if you want to apply - it’s competitive but absolutely achievable. Here’s a link so yo...

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Shellie Schmals

Great early bird discount for the inside track!!

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