Get Creative: On writing a TV show - where do ideas come from?
rte.ie – Monday October 13, 2025
Ever dreamed of writing a TV show but didn't know where to start? Now's the perfect time to pick up your pen (or keyboard) and dive in - no experience needed, just your imagination.
In a new series, screenwriter Ray Lawlor - creator of RTÉ's popular black comedy series Obituary - offers some tips for the budding TV writer...
Like it or not, the job of a screenwriter is to relentlessly come up with one great idea after another. Ideas that inspire people to invest millions, and crews to work terrible hours. So: where do those ideas come from? And how do you take something summed up in a pithy single line and transform it into six hours of television?
Over the following series of articles, I'll use my own series Obituary (returning for a second season on RTÉ One on October 14th) to guide you through the process of creating a TV show, from initial spark to complete series.
When I first set out to write a TV show, I studied the best series around and asked what they had in common. The Sopranos, Mad Men, and Breaking Bad quickly stood out. I realised these shows were built around the jobs of their main characters: Tony Soprano was a mob boss, Don Draper an ad man, and Walter White made meth.
New Romance Novels Are Transforming the Publishing Industry
goethe.de – Wednesday October 8, 2025
The New Adult genre is not only filling bookstores and topping bestseller lists – it’s transforming the publishing industry. Long dismissed as “light reading”, these novels are shaking up publishers and book fairs – and forcing literary critics to reevaluate popular fiction.
The shifting dynamics of Germany’s publishing industry are on full display at Frankfurter Buchmesse. As soon as the doors of the world’s largest book fair open, crowds flock to Lyx’s glittering, pastel-hued booth. The New Adult imprint of publishing house Bastei Lübbe has become home to the country’s most successful authors in this flourishing genre, including Mona Kasten, Laura Kneidl and Anabelle Stehl.
Enemies to Lovers
Last year, the “safe space for everyone who loves reading” even set an international record when the TV adaptation of Mona Kasten’s Maxton Hall became the most-streamed non-American series Amazon has ever produced. Set not in Germany but at an elite British boarding school, this coming-of-age story embodies the “dark academia” aesthetic popularised on social media. Here, ambitious, kind-hearted Ruby Bell, who comes from a humble background, meets privileged heir James Beaufort. Their initial rivalry soon blossoms into a passionate romance. It’s a familiar storytelling pattern – or trope: enemies to lovers, foes who gradually fall for each other.
Baker & Taylor Prepares Plan to Shut Down
publishersweekly.com – Wednesday October 8, 2025
At a town hall meeting yesterday, Baker & Taylor owner and CEO Aman Kochar said that while he had hoped to find another way forward for the company after its acquisition deal with ReaderLink was called off, he now does not see a sustainable path to keep the library wholesaler in business.
As a result, B&T let go about 520 employees yesterday and plans to wind down the business by January. Employees who were laid off had their severance plans canceled as well. B&T had undergone some layoffs earlier this year, but recently had as many as 1,500 full-time and part-time employees.
A story in the Shaw Local, a business journal for Northern Illinois, said that of the 318 employees in the B&T distribution center in Momence, IL., 253 were let go on October 6. Sixty-two employees will remain until December 22 and a “post–wind down” group of three employees will be let go on Jan. 3.
Princeton University Press acquires Island Press
press.princeton.edu – Wednesday October 8, 2025
Princeton University Press (PUP) and Island Press are thrilled to announce that Island Press will become an imprint of PUP, effective January 1, 2026. The unification of these two mission-driven, nonprofit publishers will support the future sustainability of Island Press’s esteemed list as well as their founding ethos that “knowledge is power.”
PUP will assume all publishing and rights responsibility for Island Press publications, including its distinguished backlist and its current and future publishing program of titles, which focus on ecosystems, conservation, and biodiversity; food systems, water, and health; and the built environment. Island Press’s commitment to “elevate voices of change, shine a spotlight on crucial issues, and focus attention on sustainable solutions” will remain integral to its identity as a PUP imprint. PUP will begin marketing and publicizing Island Press titles in January, with the vendor of record changeover April 1.
Princeton University Press Director Christie Henry comments, “Island Press has since its origin been an inspiration in catalyzing change with knowledge. Island Press books have influenced policy, informed global public debate, and empowered individuals and organizations to take action toward a more sustainable, healthier future. Princeton University Press is incredibly grateful and excited to now be a part of that future, and to unite the missions of PUP and Island Press in symbiotic support of the ongoing resilience of ecosystems of knowledge.”
Publishing wants debut authors to produce bestsellers. What happens if they don't?
cbc.ca – Wednesday October 8, 2025
When a debut author doesn't produce a bestselling book, it may signal the end of a career. This is due to the publishing industry's increasing obsession with books' sales data, even though the numbers are often inaccurate.
What happens when the publishing industry focuses more on milking authors for cash rather than nurturing their craft? Today on Commotion, host Elamin Abdelmahmoud discusses this conundrum with ECW Press editor Jen Sookfong Lee and writer Tajja Isen, who wrote an article for The Walrus about publishing's data obsession.
Elamin: Tajja, on the one hand, it makes sense that if your first book is not a success, they have a harder time selling the next one. It makes sense that publishers are a little bit cautious to go, "Should we take a risk on this writer again?" But you point out that this hasn't always been the case, Toni Morrison being a good example of this. Do you want to talk about the story of her first novel?
Tajja: So her first novel, The Bluest Eye, was very modestly published. The publisher didn't have massive expectations for it. It sold maybe 1,500 [or] 2,000 copies. And a few years later, it actually went out of print. And at the time, Morrison was working in publishing, very strapped for cash. And she happened to be working in the same building as Robert Gottlieb, who later became her editor, and he happened to have read the first novel and thought, "Hey, there's something to this writer. She's got some chops." He kept her in-house and published her second novel, published her third. And it was her third novel, with Song of Solomon, where she really broke out. So it was because her editor was able to nurture her across books that she had this incredible career that reshaped literature.
Write Michigan contest open for entries
schoolnewsnetwork.org – Monday October 6, 2025
Education Everywhere — Students are invited to enter their unpublished work in the 14th annual Write Michigan Short Story Contest.
Offered by Kent District Library since 2012, the short story contest has three categories:
- Adult, ages 18 and older
- Teen, ages 13-17
- Youth, ages 12 and younger
There is no entry fee for students ages 17 and younger. Any entrants who are 18 or older pay a $10 entry fee. Three cash prizes are awarded in each category:
- Judges’ Choice – $500
- Judges’ Runner-Up – $250
- Readers’ Choice – $250
New Literary Agent Listing: Seb Flatau
firstwriter.com – Monday October 6, 2025
Represents writers for film and television across numerous genres, with a particular affinity for scripts that are character-driven and grounded in human connection. He takes a collaborative approach to script development, working with the writer to help bring a project into commercial shape.
Murder One, Ireland’s International Crime Writing Festival returns once again to Dublin from 17th – 19th Oct
newsfour.ie – Saturday October 4, 2025
Featuring some of the most well-known and internationally renowned crime-writing stars, Murder One, Ireland’s International Crime Writing Festival, returns to Dublin from the 17th – 19th October 2025 for its 8th year with a whole host of not to be missed events, readings and masterclasses taking place in Dun Laoghaire’s DLR Lexicon Library & Cultural Centre.
If you’ve seen the recent press coverage about Sam Blake and the Sam Fake AI books, this is your chance to see real authors who write real books! Supporting authors has never been more important and Murder One gives you a chance to meet them, and get your books signed!
Supported by the Arts Council and DLR Libraries, the festival features international crime writing talent, including global sensation and international bestselling author Chris Whitaker on his first visit to Ireland, as well as Ruth Ware, Steve Cavanagh, Gillian McAllister, Jane Casey, Andrea Mara, A.J. West, Amanda Cassidy, Conor McAnally and Catherine Ryan Howard to name but a few!
Whether you are an avid crime reader, a budding writer with an exciting idea for a thriller of your own, or a book club looking for a new read, Murder One has something for everyone to enjoy this October.
Founded by best-selling crime author, Sam Blake, after a day of school events on Thursday 16th, the masterclass programme kicks off on Friday, 17th October at 10am, with Sam Blake (also founder of Writing.ie) giving insider tips on how to get published. This is followed by a session with Professor Henry Sutton, who will guide writers through the art of storytelling, from creating a compelling plot that keeps readers on the edge of their seats, to choosing the perfect point of view to bring your characters to life. Henry heads up the UEA Crime Fiction Masters, the leading course of its kind in the UK with some of the world’s most successful writers as alumni. Then, literary agents Simon Trewin (Simon Trewin Creative) and Jade Kavanagh (Darley Andersen Literary Agency) will discuss how to make your submission stand out, and what agents and publishers are really looking for.
Bournemouth’s Romance Writing Festival attracts international audience
dorsetview.co.uk – Thursday October 2, 2025
Bournemouth’s Romance Writing Festival, which takes place on Saturday 18 October, will welcome attendees from across England and Wales as well as from California, Toronto, Belgium and Germany.
Taking place at the Royal Bath Hotel, it will bring together bestselling authors, literary agents and publishing professionals for a day of talks, workshops, networking and book signings.
The mayor of Bournemouth will join writers at an evening reception to honour two distinguished guests and to celebrate the growing literary influence enjoying a renaissance in Bournemouth.
The programme includes 10 panels with Sunday Times bestselling authors such as Paige Toon, Milly Johnstone and Sue Moorcroft, as well as one-to-one sessions with literary agents and editors, and a lively Author Marketplace where published writers will showcase their work. Five authors will also celebrate the launch of their new books at the festival, offering attendees the chance to be among the first to pick up signed copies.
Beyond the hotel, festivalgoers can join beach walks to meet fellow writers in an informal setting, or take part in literary walks of Bournemouth, highlighting the town’s rich heritage as the home and inspiration for writers including Mary Shelley and J R R Tolkien. Afternoon tea with publishing editors will take place at the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum
The Publishing Industry Has a Gambling Problem
thewalrus.ca – Wednesday October 1, 2025
Companies keep betting on the next bestseller. Literature is poorer for it
In 1970, a New York publishing company put out a debut novel by an editor and former teacher from Ohio. The press, then known as Holt, Rinehart and Winston, had taken a chance on the book, which had been rejected by numerous other houses. The initial print run was somewhere between 1,200 and 1,500 units—modest expectations that looked justified when, in the first year, sales barely cleared 2,000. This despite getting positive reviews in the New York Times and The New Yorker and being assigned to freshman classes at the City College of New York. The attention wasn’t enough. Four years later, the novel was out of print.
The author stayed in the game, albeit precariously. While working on her second book, she was a single parent commuting to Manhattan for a job in publishing. At the time, she was “so strapped for money that the condition moved from debilitating stress to hilarity.” Despite her first book’s lacklustre sales, she found a publisher for her second. The debut had attracted the admiration of a high-profile editor, one who happened to work in the same building she did. He acquired her next title, and the next, keeping her in house as she steadily built acclaim and an audience.
Eventually, the writer scored an opportunity still regarded as a grail of book marketing: her debut was chosen for Oprah’s Book Club. Sales reportedly soared to 800,000 copies. Today, publishers hope that their titles will nab the book club stamp—and the ensuing bump in sales—straight out of the gate. But, in this case, the Oprah endorsement came only at the turn of the millennium, thirty years after the novel was first released. By then, the author had published some half dozen other books and cleared the stable of major literary accolades. She had won the National Book Award, the Pulitzer, the Nobel. The author was Toni Morrison. The novel was The Bluest Eye.
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