Can You Really Sell Your Writing Output On Radio?

Written by Jim Green


I had never givenrepparttar matter much thought inrepparttar 128695 past but after an experience I enjoyed lately, I am now rather ofrepparttar 128696 opinion that you can.

It happened this way…

Coinciding withrepparttar 128697 launch of my latest book ‘Your Retirement Masterplan’ (How To Books ISBN 1857039874) I participated in eleven 10/15 minute live interviews on local radio over a period of just five days.

These promotional interviews were arranged by my publisher’s media consultancy and I didn’t require to visit a single studio to take part; they were all conducted overrepparttar 128698 telephone, sitting at my desk at home.

Towardsrepparttar 128699 end ofrepparttar 128700 first interview I was conscious ofrepparttar 128701 fact that I had yet to plugrepparttar 128702 distribution channels for my book.

The presenter beat me to it: ‘In five seconds, where can listeners buy your book?’ Before I could reply he added, ‘Can they order it online?’

‘Yes,’ I said, ‘at Amazon.co.uk’

Inrepparttar 128703 ten subsequent interviews I made a point of ending my spiel withrepparttar 128704 publisher’s name together with availability at bookstores but I always finished with, ‘…and online at Amazon.co.uk.’

Now here’srepparttar 128705 interesting part: afterrepparttar 128706 first five sessions I checked outrepparttar 128707 Amazon.co.uk website to discover that this newly published title had jumped 35 places inrepparttar 128708 bestseller list for its genre; I checked again afterrepparttar 128709 final interview and it had jumped again but this time by 329 places. In effect, in just a few days it had leapt from position 558 to 194 out of 3123 competing titles.

More than mere coincidence methinks…because books don’t climbrepparttar 128710 bestseller lists on Amazon unless they are selling in quantity.

So what if you self-publish your output and you don’t have a publicist to arrange radio interviews? Does that mean you are excluded?

No way; I have self-published several books inrepparttar 128711 past and managed my own promotion.

Here is what you do…

1.Wherever you live inrepparttar 128712 world you’ll find thatrepparttar 128713 majority of local radio stations are banded together into a single group for cost-effectiveness;

2.Identifyrepparttar 128714 controlling group;

Novel to Screenplay: The Challenges of Adaptation. Some basic steps when adapting a novel to the screenplay form.

Written by Lynne Pembroke and Jim Kalergis


ADAPTATION 101

Brimming with confidence, you’ve just signedrepparttar check purchasingrepparttar 128693 rights to adapt John Doe’s fabulous, but little known novel, Lawrence of Monrovia, to screenplay form. Suddenly, panic sets in. “What was I thinking? Howrepparttar 128694 devil am I going to convert this 400-page novel to a 110-page screenplay?”

The answer is: “The same way you transport six elephants in a Hyundai… three inrepparttar 128695 front seat and three inrepparttar 128696 back!”

Old and very bad jokes aside, how does one pour ten gallons of story into a one-gallon jug?

In this article, we’ll take a look at this challenge and a few others that a writer may encounter when adapting a novel to screenplay form.

CHALLENGE NUMBER ONE - LENGTH Screenplays rarely run longer than 120 pages. Figuring one page of a screenplay equals one minute of film, a 120-page screenplay translates into a two-hour motion picture. Much longer than that and exhibitors lose a showing, which translates to fewer six-cent boxes of popcorn sold for $5.99 atrepparttar 128697 refreshment stand. It tookrepparttar 128698 author of your source material 400 pages to tellrepparttar 128699 story. How can you possibly tellrepparttar 128700 same story in 110 pages,repparttar 128701 ideal length for a screenplay by today’s industry standards?

Andrepparttar 128702 answer to this question is no joke. “You can’t! Don’t even try!”

Instead, look to capturerepparttar 128703 essence and spirit ofrepparttar 128704 story. Determinerepparttar 128705 through-line and major sub-plot ofrepparttar 128706 story and viciously cut everything else.

By “through-line” I mean, WHO (protagonist) wants WHAT (goal), and WHO (antagonist) or WHAT (some other force) opposes him or her? It helps to poserepparttar 128707 through-line as a question.

“Will Dorothy find her way back to Kansas despiterepparttar 128708 evil Wicked Witch ofrepparttar 128709 West’s efforts to stop her?”

The same needs to be done forrepparttar 128710 major sub-plot.

“Will Dorothy’s allies achieve their goals despiterepparttar 128711 danger they face as a result of their alliance?”

One workable technique is to readrepparttar 128712 book, set it aside for a few weeks, and then see what you still remember ofrepparttar 128713 story’s through-line. After all, your goal is to excerptrepparttar 128714 most memorable parts ofrepparttar 128715 novel, and what you remember best certainly meets that criterion.

In most cases, everything offrepparttar 128716 through-line or not essential torepparttar 128717 major sub-plot has to go. Develop your outline, treatment or “beat sheet” accordingly.

CHALLENGE NUMBER TWO - VOICE Many novels are written inrepparttar 128718 first person. The temptation to adapt such, using tons of voiceovers, should be resisted. While limited voiceovers can be effective when properly done, remember that audiences payrepparttar 128719 price of admission to watch a MOTION (things moving about) PICTURE (stuff you can SEE). If they wanted to HEAR a story they’d visit their Uncle Elmer who drones on for hour upon hour aboutrepparttar 128720 adventures of slogging throughrepparttar 128721 snow, uphill, both ways, to get to and from school when he was a kid, or perhaps they’d buy a book on tape.

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