Adventures in Script-Writing
counterpunch.org – Friday July 19, 2019
Over the years I’ve had approximately twenty scripts produced at small theaters in and around Hollywood and Orange County. None of these plays were celebrated or spectacular, mind you, just some offbeat comedies (in what might be called the “minimalist” tradition) that were fortunate enough to attract modest audiences willing to pay $25.
Live theater, particularly when you’re doing original scripts, is a fascinating process. You start by submitting a script to the artistic director of a theater. If they agree to produce it, you hold auditions, cast the roles, conduct rehearsals (usually four to six weeks), have your “tech week” (where the cast dresses in their costumes, and all the technical stuff—lights, musical cues, and special effects—are integrated into the performance), followed by opening night. Which is both exhilarating and terrifying.
Original plays are also challenging in ways that established plays are not. The difference between an actor doing material by a dead playwright like Arthur Miller or Agatha Christie, and doing material by a famous but living playwright like Christopher Durang or Beth Henley, is that the actor is never going to suggest to the director that the script be changed. Not in his or her wildest dreams would they suggest such a thing. (“Can’t we shorten that speech by Hamlet?” Make it lighter?”)
New Publisher Listing
firstwriter.com – Friday July 19, 2019
Publishes: Fiction; Nonfiction; Poetry;
Areas include: Short Stories;
Markets: Adult
Publishes novels, textbooks, poetry, short stories, photo essays, graphic novels, short-form personal essays and long-form nonfiction work. Query via form on website.
WGA’s fight with agents enters Act 2, but there’s no end in sight
latimes.com – Friday July 19, 2019
Like many of his peers, writer Rasheed Newson, a co-executive producer on the Showtime drama “The Chi,” was supportive of his union’s efforts to rein in some of the aggressive practices of talent agencies.
But three months after the Writers Guild of America told members to fire their agents, Newson is growing frustrated with the lack of progress in resolving a dispute that has consumed Hollywood.
New Magazine Listing
firstwriter.com – Thursday July 18, 2019
Publishes: Fiction; Poetry;
Areas include: Short Stories;
Markets: Adult;
Preferred styles: Literary
Punk-influenced broadsheet journal based in Cape Cod and Pittsburgh. Publishes material both in print and online. Send one or two unpublished stories or up to five unpublished poems, by email. See website for full guidelines and separate email address for poetry submissions.
U.S. Publishers Report Nearly $1 Billion in Sales as Strong Industry Growth Continues
benzinga.com – Wednesday July 17, 2019
NEW YORK, July 17, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Audio Publishers Association released the results from their annual sales survey, conducted by independent research firm Management Practice Inc., which revealed that the strong growth the audiobook industry has seen in recent years continues. Based on information from responding publishers, U.S. audiobook sales in 2018 totaled $940 million, up 24.5% from the previous year, with a corresponding 27.3% increase in units. This continues the seven-year trend of double-digit revenue growth in audiobooks year over year.
David Ly and Jenny Ferguson In Conversation
this.org – Wednesday July 17, 2019
Meet This Magazine‘s new Poetry Editor, David Ly, and Fiction Editor, Jenny Ferguson. Jenny Ferguson is Métis, an activist, feminist, auntie, teacher, and accomplice with a PhD. She is the author of Border Markers (NeWest Press), a collection of linked flash fiction narratives. Jenny believes writing and teaching are political acts. David Ly is a writer and poet based in Vancouver. His poetry has appeared in range of magazines and anthologies, including The Puritan, The /temz/ Review, Prism international, Pulp Literature, The Maynard, and carte blanche. He is the author of the chapbook, Stubble Burn (Anstruther Press) and the upcoming collection Mythical Man (Anstruther Books, 2020). Here, Jenny and David interview each other about their new roles, what they’re looking for in a poem or story, and the future of CanLit.
Tips From Publishers: How Authors Can Improve Their Chances Of Getting Published
By Hollie Jones
Freelance Blogger
firstwriter.com – Wednesday July 17, 2019
What are the odds of an author getting a book published? According to literary agent Chip MacGregor, the chances could be as low as 0.0065%. If you want to be one of the few writers who are able to make a book and see it on the shelves, you have to get it in front of publishers and give them something they can work with. From finding the right niche to getting an agent, here’s what you can do to improve your chances of getting published.
New Publisher Listing
firstwriter.com – Wednesday July 17, 2019
Publishes: Fiction; Nonfiction; Poetry;
Markets: Adult;
Preferred styles: Literary
Seeks poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction of exceptional literary merit. Submit through online submission system. $10 submission fee.
Author Myke Cole talks writing hard science fiction in his space-set Coast Guard novel Sixteenth Watch
theverge.com – Monday July 15, 2019
Myke Cole is best known for his fantasy work, including his military-focused urban fantasy Shadow Ops series and his more traditionally epic fantasy Sacred Throne trilogy. But with his next novel, Sixteenth Watch, he’s switching things up a bit, swapping out the swords and sorcery for spacecraft in his first novel-length science fiction work.
Like Cole’s other books, his next draws on his personal military experience. But instead of putting the spotlight on the usual branches of the armed forces seen in military science fiction, like the Army or Marines (or even a Space Force), it focuses on the United States Coast Guard attempting to de-escalate a potential war on the Moon between the United States and China.
Munsch made m.d. at Abrams & Chronicle Books
thebookseller.com – Monday July 15, 2019
Inez Munsch will move from Hardie Grant Publishing to become m.d. of Abrams & Chronicle Books in September.
She takes over from Brenda Marsh who is returning to the US after serving in the position since June 2016. Munsch will take over the role at the London-based company on 23rd September, the A&CB board announced today (15th July).
Munsch is currently the UK and export sales director at Hardie Grant Publishing. Since she joined in 2014, the company has consistently achieved year on year growth, streamlining and diversifying their sales channels and adapting to the changing market. Prior to joining Hardie Grant Publishing, Munsch spent more than 10 years working at Bloomsbury Publishing where she gained experience working across a variety of different areas of the business that culminated in her role as head of UK sales.
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