Want help selling a book or film?
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 the rise of the topical novel killing literature?
THE RISE OF THE TOPICAL NOVEL In 2010, I took my then agent for a Chinese lunch. I pitched an idea for a novel about fake news, close elections and knife crime. He said that…
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
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…
Has Amazon deleted your reviews?
Has Amazon deleted your reviews? A few weeks ago I wrote a blog in which I said how important reviews were to authors and readers. Imagine my shock, then, when I discovered that Amazon has…
How to write a riveting review
How to write a riveting review This week, an art that is both very new and almost as old as writing itself – writing reviews. First, a thank you to everyone who’s written reviews of…
Bookstore rage: How I came close to losing my temper with an indie bookshop manager
Yesterday I came close to inflicting serious verbal damage on an indie bookshop manager. I’d very much like to know from anyone else who has a similar story, either as an author, a publisher or…
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…
How the gurus who teach “show don’t tell” could ruin your treatment
All screenwriting gurus teach “Show don’t tell” – it’s one of the few things they all agree on. How can it possibly be bad? And yet, what they don’t tell you is sticking to “show…
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.