Want help selling a book or film?
No book or film reviews today. This week I’m talking about pitching a book or film with Thomas Umstattd Jr, who runs the outstanding Novel Marketing podcast. His podcast is, he assures me, the longest-running…
Have your say: new blurb for The Breaking of Liam Glass
I’d love to hear your opinion of the new blurb for my noir thriller The Breaking of Liam Glass. Times change, things move on and I decided it was time to update the description of…
Why most people are crap at persuading
GETTING GOOD AT PERSUADING This message was intended solely for writers and film-makers, until I realised that pitching and persuading is something that everyone in the media has to get good at. And then I…
Do’s and don’ts of submitting to agents
Crime writer Dominique Hall has written to me for advice on sending a novel to an agent. She says: I am at the stage of approaching agents as I have written a crime novel, and…
The GOATS method for writing and editing
How to write powerful stories using the GOATS method. Great stories possess great power. Whether fiction, movies, TV or theatre, they have the power to move, to change people’s lives (and even to earn their…
What book blurbs really mean
When the Man Booker shortlist was announced earlier this year, Andrew Holgate of the Sunday Times noted how the judges slagged off the while industry of creative book blurbs along with the celebrity quotes that…
Historical drama on screen – to write or not to write?
Historical drama is big in TV and film at the moment,but is it a good idea to write one? David Oman sent this question: Hello Charles I’m still enjoying your excellent books, and prefer studying…
How to get what you want – negotiating tricks
In case you missed it, there’s an article you really should read on negotiating tricks and how to get what you want. After all, as writers (and directors, parents, children, friends, customers, comrades, etc) we’re always…
Automatic screenplay query letter generator for screenwriters
Developed by a secret army of specialist software designers, the automatic screenplay query letter generator guarantees you’ll never have to struggle over your screenplay query letter again. Free to use, time and time again.
Two simple ways to add power to your pitching
If you want to pitch with power, here are two powerful ingredients that are often forgotten by script gurus although they are used to powerful effect in almost every successful TV drama or cinema film.
3 Ways to Make Sure Your Script Stands Out
Despite what most writers think, most scripts fail to sell not because they are too different, but because they are not different enough. Many writers, including advanced writers, believe that their cinema or TV script…
How to ask
A very quick post, linking to an excellent article by my good friend Chris Jones – indie film-maker and one of the genius’ behind the London Screenwriters’ Festival. It’s a very practical, not to say…
One question that will help you sell your script
What is the key question you need to ask to sell your script? The right question follows soon. First here’s the wrong question.
Pitching: What’s Love Got To Do With It?
Where do you fit the emotion into the cold hard-nosed job of pitching?
Plan now for Cannes
Cannes is the biggie: a week at Cannes is worth a year at film school. And there’s things you’ll learn there that you’ll never learn at school. But if you’re going this year, you need to start preparing now. My biggest tip is this. Don’t underestimate the value of the work you do during this time.
A Sure-Fire Way Not To Sell Your First Script
I see loads of well-written scripts (and a fair load of badly written scripts too) and I’ve seen just about every fault that writers have ever invented. But there’s one flaw that stands out as being the real killer.
Power Pitching Tips 2
Here’s a strange thought. When most people pitch their projects, the question they never ask themselves is why.
Money, Money, Money…
I want to talk about a small strategy that may seem simple and yet if you use it has the power to push the sales of your scripts/films/novels/etc through the roof. It’s one that’s so easy it almost feels like cheating and yet when it’s done well it’s highly artistic and connects very directly with your audience.