The Breakdown - Week of 9/28/20
Howdy, y’all! After a brief break, we are back with another issue of The Breakdown!
First, I wanted to announce that I’m streamlining the newsletter going forward and dispensing with the prompts. This means we’ll be diving right into the news after a little housekeeping.
Also, I’ve already reached out to the next submitter for the Writer’s Workshop and will be working on their story this month. I hope to have it posted by the end of October, but reserve the right to push it back a week or two, due to—you know—life. 😁
For many of you, please keep in mind that you’ve been able to access the full Writer’s Workshops (and the Industry Deep Dives) because of your comped Premium subscription. I just wanted to let you know that many of these comps will end some time in mid-November. It’s been absolutely wonderful having you along for the whole ride, and I would love for you to support what I’m doing here by signing up for a Premium subscription when your subscription ends. But if not, you’ll still get the free content so no worries!
Now, I finally got around to looking at the newsletter stats and the Writer’s Workshop, is by far, the most popular feature, with many folks going back to either make sure they’ve completed reading it or re-reading it over the course of many days. And I’m absolutely gobsmacked the analyses I’m doing for you is bringing so much value!
However, there are still a few of you left on the sign up list. If I haven’t been able to do a breakdown on your first five pages, I do hope you’ll consider supporting this newsletter by subscribing as a Premium member at just $5 per month (you can cancel at any time) so I can get you that feedback. For those unfamiliar with this approach, it’s very similar to supporting your favorite writer, artist, agent, or professional via Patreon. As much as I love, love, love doing these workshops, I can only continue doing them if I can make the newsletter self-supporting. So, please consider signing up for Premium if you can! 🙏🏼
News
(Click the titles for the source articles)
Book Deals: Week of September 28, 2020
Nothing terribly exciting this week in Publisher’s Weekly deals (but you can click the title to check it out), unless you’re interested in a Hugo award winner, famous people, and six-figure deals for well-established authors. So, let’s take a look at some debut author deals from another source to see what’s selling. Make note of the comps they use. Comps are playing an increasingly important role in both pitching to an agent and in that agent being able to pitch your work to an editor.
Alex Kiester's COME HOME, JUNE MAXWELL, following a thirty-something married couple struggling with new parenthood, when the workaholic husband wakes to discover his wife has mysteriously left, leading him on a journey into her present through her journal and their shared past to understand where she's gone and how to bring her back, pitched as EVIE DRAKE STARTS OVER with playful notes of WHERE'D YOU GO BERNADETTE, to Laura Brown at Park Row Books, in a good deal, in a pre-empt, by Sarah Phair at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates (world English).
Kristen Bird's THE NIGHT SHE WENT MISSING, pitched for fans of Big Little Lies, following three women in the small town of Galveston Island - surrounded by water and overseen by one very powerful family - who have to look to their children, or perhaps each other's, for answers when a teenager goes missing, to Kathy Sagan at Mira, at auction, in a two-book deal, for publication in August 2021, by Hayley Steed at Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency (NA).
MFA candidate at the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop and contributor to New York Magazine's The Cut, Xochitl Gonzalez's debut novel, OLGA DIES DREAMING, the story of a Nuyorican brother and sister from a gentrifying Sunset Park, Brooklyn, reckoning with their absent, politically radical mother and their glittering careers among New York City's elite in the wake of Hurricane Maria, to Megan Lynch at Flatiron Books, in a major deal, at auction, in a two-book deal, by Mollie Glick at CAA. UK rights to Fleet.
Debut author Eva Jurczyk's THE DEPARTMENT OF RARE BOOKS AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, which follows an assistant to the head of the department of rare books and special collections at a large university, who is thrust into the spotlight when her boss falls seriously ill and a priceless manuscript is discovered to be missing from the collection, revealing the dark edge of obsession running through the most devoted bookworms, to Anna Michels at Sourcebooks, for publication in early 2022, by Erin Clyburn at Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency (world English).
Zoe Sivak's SEASON OF ASHES, about a biracial woman who flees to Paris following the start of the Haitian Revolution and into the inner circle of Robespierre and his mistress, where she must contend with her place in both uprisings, to Jen Monroe at Berkley, in a pre-empt, by Amy Elizabeth Bishop at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret (world).
Jesal Kanani's TANPURA'S STRUM, a collection of Haiku and Tanka poetry of urban life of women as they grapple with trying to successfully navigate the world; drawing out the ordinary that when looked at with repose transmutes into something extraordinary; a wide-ranging collage from motherhood, mothers-in-law, heartbreak, love, to the tangibles: food, spice, nature and salons, to Curtis Key at Global Collective, in a nice deal, for publication in summer 2021, by Priya Doraswamy at Lotus Lane Literary (world).
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Nicola and David Yoon Launch YA Romance Imprint Starring Heroes of Color
Random House Children’s Books has announced the launch of an imprint led by bestselling authors and married couple Nicola and David Yoon. Debuting in 2022, the imprint, called Joy Revolution, will be devoted to publishing teen love stories by and about people of color.
National Book Award finalist, Printz Honoree, and Coretta Scott King New Talent Award winner Nicola Yoon, author of Everything, Everything and The Sun Is Also a Star, said in a statement that the imprint is born of her passion for stories of the heart, as well as her desire to reflect our diverse world. “I loved romantic comedies and romance novels when I was younger. Loved the meet-cutes, the breakups, the make-ups, and the final chase scene followed by the big speech declaring one person’s love for the other. But as much as I loved those titles, they always left me with nagging questions: Where were the girls who looked like me? Didn’t Black girls ever fall in love?”
William C. Morris Award finalist and Asian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Literature Honoree David Yoon, author of Frankly in Love and the forthcoming Super Fake Love Song, added, “Nicki and I created Joy Revolution as an antidote for a media landscape where people of color have relentlessly been erased, except for those rare occasions when their pain can teach white people about racism. Joy Revolution is a safe haven for readers like me and Nicki to see themselves as the romantic hero, free to pursue their bliss however they want, unrestrained and unencumbered. After a literal lifetime of waiting for more romantic literary heroes who look like us—largely to no avail—we’re thrilled to help take the lead in making sure those heroes’ stories are told to a wide and beautifully diverse audience.”
Rick Riordan has done something similar with Young Adult Fantasy, helping to publish and endorse stories influenced by myths and folklore from around the world. It’s a great project and has been very successful. And Uncle Rick, as fans call him, doesn’t even take a cut of those deals! What a mensch!
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The UK’s Booker Prize for Fiction Announces Its 2020 Shortlist
At a news conference in London (September 15), the Booker Prize Foundation has announced its six shortlisted authors and titles for the Booker Prize for Fiction, a 2020 round of the coveted awards dominated by debut efforts. The six-title Booker Prize for Fiction shortlist carries forward four of the eight debuts that were included in its late-July longlist.
Booker Prize for Fiction 2020 Shortlist
Diane Cook, USA - The New Wilderness
Tsitsi Dangarembga, Zimbabwe - This Mournable Body
Avni Doshi, USA - Burnt Sugar
Maaza Mengiste, Ethiopia/USA - The Shadow King
Douglas Stuart, Scotland/USA - Shuggie Bain
PicadorBrandon Tayler, USA - Real Life
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This Year’s Academy Nicholl Screenwriter Winners Spotlight Five Up-and-Comers
The Academy Nicholl Fellowships Committee has selected the five winning fellows of the 2020 Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting competition, who were winnowed from ten finalists out of 7,831 scripts submitted for this year’s competition. Each winner takes home a $35,000 prize. Their scripts will be highlighted at the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting Awards and Virtual Table Read by an ensemble of actors on Thursday, December 3.
The 2020 winners are (listed alphabetically by author):
James Acker, “SadBoi”
Beth Curry, “Lemon”
Vanar Jaddou, “Goodbye, Iraq”
Kate Marks, “The Cow of Queens”
Jane Therese, “Sins of My Father”
The 2020 finalists are (listed alphabetically by author):
Kris A. Holmes, “The Seeds of Truth”
Fred Martenson, “Demons in America”
Robin Rose Singer, “The Lions of Mesopotamia”
David Harrison Turner, “Safe Haven”
Andrew Wankier, “Three Heavens”
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Writers Guild Tells Members: Still No Deal With CAA, WME
Leaders of the Writers Guild of America have told their 15,000 members that powerhouse agencies CAA and WME still cannot represent them again after an 18-month standoff.
The WGA, in an email sent Wednesday afternoon, said that the holdout agencies have not agreed to the guild’s demand that they limit their investment in their respective production affiliates to 20%.
I have to say I’m surprised this dispute is still ongoing. Especially since more than 80 agencies agreed to a limit on agency packaging fees and affiliate production, including several mid-sized agencies, such as Abrams Artists (now A3), Rothman Brecher Ehrich Livingston, Verve, Kaplan Stahler and Buchwald, and Paradigm. And I’ve seen some pretty big names go over to them in the wake of the agent firing, especially Verve.
This standoff hasn’t opened up the sorts of opportunities for writers that the 2007 strike did, when film spec sales shot through the roof. However, it has bred a stronger sense of community on sites like Twitter. I’ve engaged with some pretty big names who I’ve never worked with and didn’t know until this all went down. I’m sure being stuck in Lockdown and the unease caused by social unrest helped to fuel their generosity as well. In any event, I just hope that the openness and willingness to lend a hand that many entertainment professionals have shown to writer newbies over the course of this year doesn’t disappear once CAA and WME finally cave. There are some great mini-mentors who’ve been sharing invaluable insights. The multi-talented Javier Grillo-Marxuach (Supervising and Co-Executive Producer for shows like Lost, Charmed, The 100, and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance) is one of the best and most giving.
Click on the Tweet to see the whole thread where he shares some of his wisdom!
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Film Independent Officials Explain How Their New TV Spirit Awards Will Work, and What’s Indie TV
Film Independent’s decision to add TV categories to its annual Spirit Awards was widely cheered on Tuesday by network, studio and streamer executives, who now have another opportunity to campaign for their prestige projects to win a respected prize.
But here’s perhaps the biggest game changer: The Spirit Awards will only honor new series, limiting the competition to shows in their freshman seasons, via the best new scripted series and best new non-scripted or documentary series categories.
I remember when the Spirit Awards were the shizzle. This was back when independent cinema was really making waves and all the up-and-comers were either writing indies, acting in them, or directing them. Then, came the Age of the Blockbuster and an endless stream of superhero movies and one really didn’t hear much about what was going on in the indie scene at all. So, for them to include television and highlight only news shows coming on air, is a great way to get more eyes and attention on some of the best writing and directing happening out there in the entertainment universe.
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ABC Sets New Inclusion Guidelines to Amplify Underrepresented Groups on TV
“These new guidelines are intended to make our content and our sets as inclusive as possible, and will serve as a further catalyst for real and sustained change,” wrote ABC Exec. VP of development and content strategy, Simran Sethi. “We want to take this moment to evaluate systems and habits in an effort to remove barriers to access and opportunity. It’s important for us to look around the room, see who’s not there, and then take the steps to not only bring them in, but also set them up for success.”
There are four separate sets of standards that span on-screen representation, creative leadership, below the line workers, and industry access and career development.
When it comes to on-screen talent and characters, the mandate asks creatives to fulfill at least three of five guidelines. That could include having 50% or more regular and recurring written characters from underrepresented groups, 50% or more regular and recurring actors from those groups, and “meaningful integration” of underrepresented groups in the overall themes and narratives in a series. Similar criteria are asked of below-the-line crew and creative leadership, including half or more of episodic directors or producer-and-above level writing staff coming from underrepresented groups. In the career development arena, criteria include paid employment opportunities, showrunner participation in Walt Disney Television talent development initiatives or guild mentorship programs, among other possible actions. (An image of the standards can be found in the article.)
I’m curious to see if other networks and studios will follow in ABC’s footsteps and the kind of impact it might have towards bringing true diversity to the screen and how much opportunity something like this can create. It might just be words on the page and it might backfire. We’ll have to wait and see.
Final Thoughts
It’s official! Halloween is the new Christmas!
So, this wrap-up isn’t directly tied to any of the articles above. Rather, it’s more of an observation. In case you haven’t noticed, the whole Christmas TV movie marketing play has been growing in popularity over the years. The Hallmark channel were the first innovators here and have mastered the art of back-to-back Christmas programming. And what started out as just a few weeks before the holiday has now grown to span the entire month of December. They even created an app for tracking all the Xmas movies you watch!
UPDATE 2021: Hallmark is now scheduling their holiday programming to run from the end of October straight through to the end of January (“A New Year, A New Start” is the tag line.) Given they’re a romance channel and Valentines Day is huge for them, if you count their new Fall Harvest block for much of October, that’s solid holiday programming for five straight months!
Packaging and airing programming around a holiday has become such a successful tactic that not only is Hallmark starting even early this year (the 24/7 Christmas movie marathon starts on October 24th!), but they’ve expanded into all four seasons (anyone catch their Fall Harvest line up this year?) And they definitely make a big deal around other holidays like July 4th, and of course, Valentine’s Day.
Given all of this marketing success, it looks like practically every other major TV outlet is following suit, starting with Halloween. Sometimes it’s just a matter of a network or a streamer gathering up all the scary movies in their catalog and building a marketing campaign around them, such as with HBO Max, Freeform, and Disney+. And sometimes it involves commissioning or acquiring movies for the holiday itself such as with Lifetime’s lineup of six villainous cheerleader movies for Halloween, Quibi’s 50 States of Halloween, Amazon Prime’s Welcome to Blumhouse, or Hulu debuting its original anthology show, Monsterland, during their annual “Huluween” event.
Well, that’s great! But how does this relate to the newish, or even seasoned, writer? Well, I know a few Romance writers whose Christmas books have been optioned, and they’re not huge names in the industry. And I know of at least one opportunity where one of the networks above commissioned original stories from unpublished authors to help promote their Halloween event.
So, while there may not be immediate opportunities coming out of these initiatives now, I wouldn’t be surprised if—in an effort to build up their back catalogs—this tactic spurs more avenues for newer writers to get involved. Contests, open calls, and working with writing sites to commission stories—while maybe not to adapt them—but at least to promote their catalog might become the norm. And if I were a Romance or Horror writer, you bet your bottom dollar I’d be producing as much holiday-themed content as I could—even if only to show that you can write to that marketing initiative!
Honestly, everyone should have at least one Horror story under their belt. As a genre, Horror has legs (as they say in the Biz.) And if this trend continues, then it’s reasonable to expect a much bigger appetite for horror content in general. While these outlets love to get the big names to contribute at first (especially if it’s an anthology), remember Horror is one of those genres that simply sells more easily. Original short stories get optioned (as evidenced by my story in The Breakdown - Week of 7/27/20), they are more frequently bought as spec scripts, and they even offer more opportunities for new and burgeoning screenwriters.
It’s something to think about.
Okay, that’s it for now. Please don’t forget to comment or vote so I know you all are out there! 😄
Until next time!
~ Paula
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Hello. Thank you so much for all the knowledge and advice you've shared.
I was wondering if there were imprints targeting the adult market, at least for the major genres like romance, fantasy and horror, with the aim to promote diverse stories and voices. Or are those moves only happening in the YA industry?
[I hope this isn't a silly question. XD]