Penguin boss unfazed by march of ebooks

In the Daily Mail, Penguin chief executive, John Makinson, tells Simon Duke that while the 'transition from physical [publishing] to digital is a momentous moment for the industry' he (unsurprisingly) doesn't believe that the role of publishers will be diminished.

Makinson believes publishers will be ‘more than a filter’, or a stamp of authority amid the deafening noise of budding authors trying to sell their work online.

‘I see the role of the publisher being extended rather than reduced in this world,’ he said.

‘We make decisions about what we want to publish, edit the content, design the content then sell and manage the product.’

Thousands of authors opt out of Google Book Settlement

From Alison Flood in the Guardian:

Former children's laureates Quentin Blake, Anne Fine and Jacqueline Wilson, bestselling authors Jeffrey Archer and Louis de Bernières and critical favourites Thomas Pynchon, Zadie Smith and Jeanette Winterson have all opted out of the controversial Google book settlement, court documents have revealed.

Authors who did not wish their books to be part of Google's revised settlement needed to opt out before 28 January, in advance of last week's ruling from Judge Denny Chin over whether to allow Google to go ahead with its divisive plans to digitise millions of books. The judge ended up delaying his ruling, after receiving more than 500 written submissions, but court documents related to the case show that more than 6,500 authors, publishers and literary agents have opted out of the settlement.

Hollywood and politics

For the Writers Guild of America, West, Denis Faye talks to former West Wing writer Patrick Caddell about how US film and TV have portrayed the country's politicians.

What has Hollywood gotten right about presidential politics?

For a long time, not anything. I remember the conversation that got me involved with West Wing. I met Aaron Sorkin when I was doing Bulworth [Screenplay by Warren Beatty and Jeremy Pikser]. We had lunch and I said, “Look, the most important thing to understand about politics and Hollywood is that unlike so many other things, Hollywood shows what it wishes it would be, not what it is.”

Hollywood makes great cop movies, for instance. They research the different sides. The grittiness, the accuracy, is so authentic. You know it when you see it. But with political movies and shows, it’s much more how they’d like it to look.

The second thing I told him was that the reason so many films fail about the president is that they’re made out to be cartoonish or, even worse, to be evil. Not to denigrate that because it can be part of the art, but I don’t think people really want to see that. The theory I had about politics is that people were already so negative of politics. When Hollywood showed even more negative views of politics, people didn’t go because why depress yourself even further?

Tories publish plans for the arts

From the Conservative Party website:

Shadow Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt and Shadow Arts Minister, Ed Vaizey have today set out far-reaching proposals to rejuvenate the arts under a Conservative Government.

"The Future of the Arts with a Conservative Government" (pdf) sets out plans for how to provide coherent and sustained support for the arts.

The Conservative approach is to:

• Secure, long-term funding for the arts, based on the mixed economy and the arm’s length principle which ensures they have the resources to carry them through the good times and the bad.The promotion of excellence in the arts through greater trust and independence for our arts organisations.
• Use technology and a more coherent approach to arts funding in schools to enable access – we believe as many people as possible should enjoy the arts in all their varied forms in this country.
  

In the Guardian, theatre critic Michael Billington is unimpressed.

Hunt is not all bad: I sympathise with his desire to trim the bureaucracy of the Arts Council – though I hope there is no petty, politically motivated urge to ditch its chair, Liz Forgan. But, in general, I fear Hunt is offering us a dodgy prospectus. I'm sure, personally, he loves the arts. But what I want to hear is a passionate defence of state funding, an assurance that a new culture minister will have a seat at the top table, and as big a commitment to regional growth and innovation as to shoring up the established institutions. I don't get any of that from Hunt.

An evening with David Edgar and Bryony Lavery

Thursday 29 April, 7-9pm at Derby Theatre Studio

To launch the revival of this famous studio venue (formerly Derby Playhouse) the Theatre Arts department at Derby, in partnership with the Writers Guild of Great Britain and in association with Theatre Writing Partnership, present Getting it Good, Getting it Right – an evening with David Edgar and Bryony Lavery

At a time of economic recession, the theatre seems to be thriving. And with the recent British Theatre Consortium survey revealing just how widely newly commissioned writing figures in this success, the challenge of what the playwright can bring to the contemporary stage has never been more relevant.

From their different personal perspectives, these two accomplished playwrights will talk about how they approach this challenge (both creatively and structurally) including discussion of David Edgar’s new publication How Plays Work and Bryony Lavery’s latest collaboration with Frantic Assembly Theatre Co.

(How Plays Work will be on sale and signed by David Edgar at the end of the evening).

ALSO on Wednesday 5 May, 7pm

Penny Dreadful – a theatrical reading of Richard Pinner’s black comedy about the controversial, final chapter of Charles Dickens’ life.

Both events all-ticket @ £5, £2.50 concessions. But FREE for Guild members!

BOX OFFICE 01332 255800, www.derbylive.co.uk

For enquiries/ reservations contact Richard Pinner at r.a.pinner@derby.ac.uk

EastEnders at 25

If you didn't catch the live episode of EastEnders last Friday, written by Simon Ashdown, it's available until the end of the week on BBC iPlayer.

It attracted ratings of almost 17 million and a mountain of media coverage including 25 years of EastEnders women, cartoons by Modern Toss, and special awards for the most popular characters of all time (won by Dot Cotton).

And following the recent online success of E20, There's even a blog post by Stuart Heritage about other possible EastEnders spin-offs...

HappyEnders

By the law of averages, not everything that happens within the confines of Albert Square has to be morbidly depressing. It might not seem that way to the average EastEnders viewer, but some of the characters have to experience fleeting moments of levity every now and then. So why not make a spin-off about those moments? That's right – I want to see a show where Lucy Beale buys a nice new hat, Pat Butcher dances the macarena in a pair of novelty slippers and Max Branning receives a telephone call that doesn't make him scowl like an angry prawn for a month afterwards.

Ears Wide Open

From the Theatre Writing Partnership:

Ears Wide Open is an experiment in site specific audio drama – an opportunity for two writers (one from the West Midlands and one from the East Midlands) to collaborate and write a series of short plays in response to locations in Birmingham and Nottingham. The locations should echo each other – they might be green spaces in the city or underground spaces. They might be rooftop locations, night clubs, industrial spaces or cinemas.

The aim of the commissions is to make radio drama which will be heard by listeners in a particular location in both cities as part of the Birmingham Book Festival and as part of the Momentum New Writing Festival. The commissioned writers will collaborate with each other and with the director of Theatre Writing Partnership, Kate Chapman, who will produce the audio drama. Our aim is to make the audio drama available online but also to find a way to present it on location in each city as part of each respective festival.

Other creative input will come from a sound designer (to be appointed) and from Director of Birmingham Book Festival, Jonathan Davidson.

We would like the commissioned writers to have an input into finalising the creative brief and identifying the locations. At this stage we would like to invite expressions of interest from writers who would be interested in this project. The deadline for expressions of interest is 28 February 2010. The writing period will be March – June 2010 with recording and editing taking place from July – September 2010 and the presentation in October.

Download the writers brief(pdf).

Link c/o BBC Writersroom.

What Guild members are getting up to

SEBASTIAN BACZKIEWICZ wrote the episode of Holby City "Amare" going out on BBC1 at 8:00pm on Tuesday 23rd February.

SARAH BAGSHAW wrote the episode of Emmerdale going out on ITV1 at 7:00pm on Monday 22nd February.

SIMON BRETT'S new series People in Cars "Get Away" begins on Radio 4 at 11:30am on Friday 26th February.

D.J. BRITTON has been appointed to the Board of the National Writers' Centre for Wales, as artistic adviser. The centre is based in Tŷ Newydd, Llanystumdwy, Gwynedd, home of the Welsh Statesman David Lloyd George. It promotes and develops literary writing in English and Welsh through residencies and short courses.

David Britton , who lectures at Swansea University, is currently working as dramaturg in the preparatory stages of Shelf Life, the second production in the premiere season of the new National Theatre of Wales. Shelf Life is an inventive site-specific presentation by Volcano Theatre and the Welsh National Opera. It takes over the grand Victorian building that housed the old City Library in Swansea in April. The production is is directed by Volcano's Paul Davies.

MARK BURT wrote the episode of Coronation Street going out on ITV1 at 8:30pm on Friday 26th February.

LESLEY CLARE O'NEILL wrote the episode of Emmerdale going out on ITV1 at 7:00pm on Wednesday 24th February.

PAUL COATES wrote the episode of Hollyoaks going out on C4 at 6:30pm on Thursday 25th February.

ANDREW CORNISH wrote the episode of Doctors "Yetis on the Golf Course" going out on BBC1 at 1:45pm on Monday 22nd February.

SIMON CROWTHER wrote the episode of Coronation Street going out on ITV1 at 7:30pm on Monday 22nd February.

Guild members BENITA CULLINGFORD, JEAN MCCONNELL and MARY RENSTEN feature in The Woman Writer, A History of the Society of Women Writers and Journalists (SWWJ) by Sylvia Kent. Price £12.99, copies from The History Press.

KATE DELIN wrote the episode of Doctors "Eyes Open" going out on BBC1 at 1:45pm on Wednesday 24th February.

BILL GALLAGHER wrote the episode of Lark Rise to Candleford going out on BBC1 at 8:00pm on Sunday 21st February.

TOM GREEN'S new play Fighting begins it's run at the Brockley Jack in south London on 23rd till 27th February as part of its Write Now season.

JONATHAN HARVEY wrote the episode of Coronation Street going out on ITV1 at 8:30pm on Monday 22nd February.

ADRIAN HODGES wrote the concluding episode of Survivors going out on BBC1 at 9:00pm on Tuesday 23rd February.

JOHN KERR wrote the episode of Coronation Street going out on ITV1 at 7:30pm on Friday 26th February.

PETER KERRY wrote the episode of Emmerdale going out on ITV1 at 7:00pm on Friday 26th February.

JESSICA LEA wrote the episode of Hollyoaks going out on C4 at 6:30pm on Friday 26th February.

PHILIP QIZILBASH wrote the episodes of BBC Asian Network's daily soap Silver Street going out from Monday 22nd till Friday 26th February at 12:15pm, with an omnibus edition on Sunday 28th February.

GILLIAN RICHMOND wrote the episode of EastEnders going out on BBC1 at 8:00pm on Monday 22nd February.

PAUL ROUNDELL wrote the episodes of Emmerdale going out on ITV1 at 7:00pm and 8:00pm on Thursday 25th February.

STEPHEN RUSSELL wrote the episode of Coronation Street going out on ITV1 at 8:30pm on Thursday 25th February.

BILL TAYLOR wrote the episode of Emmerdale going out on ITV1 at 7:00pm on Tuesday 23rd February.

STEVE TRAFFORD wrote the episode of The Bill "Red Tape" going out on ITV1 at 9:00pm on Thursday 25th February.

JOY WILKINSON wrote the episode of Doctors "Loving Memory" going out on BBC1 at 1:45pm on Tuesday 23rd February.

Why are British films commercial flops?

With the BAFTA film awards just a few days away, in the Telegraph David Gritten asks why even those British films that achieve critical acclaim rarely make much impact at the box office.

Anyone with a passing knowledge of the British film industry won't be surprised at his main conclusion - that it all comes down to distribution.

Valentine’s Day, like so many heavily marketed and advertised Hollywood films in Britain, opened last week on a massive number of screens - 432. Fish Tank opened last September on just 47. What hope did it have? At that time I met its director Andrea Arnold, who told me plaintively she believed lots of people would like her film if only they got the chance to see it.

But they don’t. Some weeks back, I alluded to this in a Saturday Telegraph column, and a reader wrote to confirm that her friends were 'not aware of this type of (British) film, whereas they know all about American releases.’ Popcorn movies, she added, could be seen 'anywhere, at all times, but anything else is restricted viewing as far as my two local cinemas are concerned.’ Now this was someone with not one but two local cinemas. And she lives within 20 miles of London. If she feels excluded from British films, imagine how someone living in Cumbria or Cornwall must feel.

Doctor Who writers scripted against Thatcher

In an article by Marc Horne in the Times, former Doctor Who Sylvester McCoy reveals that in the 1980s that the show had an anti-Thatcher agenda.

“We were a group of politically motivated people and it seemed the right thing to do. At the time Doctor Who used satire to put political messages out there in the way they used to do in places like Czechoslovakia. Our feeling was that Margaret Thatcher was far more terrifying than any monster the Doctor had encountered. Those who wanted to see the messages saw them; others, including one producer, didn’t.”

McCoy's claims are confirmed by Andrew Cartmel, the show’s script editor during the late 1980s:

He said last week that John Nathan-Turner, who produced the show throughout the 1980s, had asked him during his job interview what he hoped to achieve in the post.

“My exact words were: I’d like to overthrow the government,” said Cartmel. “I was a young firebrand and I wanted to answer honestly. I was very angry about the social injustice in Britain under Thatcher and I’m delighted that came into the show.”

In praise of BBC radio drama

In the Daily Mail, Ray Connolly sings the praises of BBC radio drama.

'In a single afternoon we catch as many listeners as could see the plays on all three stages of the National Theatre if every seat was filled every day for a year,' explains radio drama commissioner Jeremy Howe.

It's a huge audience, and it's all garnered at a bargain basement price. For instance, while an hour of television drama costs between £500,000 and £1million to make, the average budget for radio drama is just £20,000 an hour - that's to pay for everything: writer, actors, studio staff and other costs.

Obviously with its low-key, thoughtful appeal, radio drama isn't a lucrative or glamorous part of broadcasting. But then ideas, stories and the imagination of the audience are the things that are important here.

Have your say on the skills needs of the literature sector

From a Creative & Cultural Skills press release:

Creative & Cultural Skills is inviting the literature sector to contribute to a new plan to develop the skills needs of the industry.

The Literature Blueprint will be a workforce development plan for literature in the UK. It will analyse the skills needs of the literature sector and propose key actions in response. The plan is focused on creative writers and those who support them. We would like to hear a range of views from the sector, from writers across different disciplines to writers’ networks and anyone who works to support the development of the literature sector. The plan will be UK-wide.

Tom Bewick, Group Chief Executive, Creative & Cultural Skills, said: “The UK is rightly proud of its literature sector, which encompasses a range of working practices and business models. To ensure the continued success of the sector in a time of intense technological and economic change, we need to focus now on developing those skills that will be needed in the future.”

Antonia Byatt, Director, Literature Strategy at Arts Council England, said: “We are delighted to have been partners with Creative & Cultural Skills in developing the Literature Blueprint. To ensure that everybody can access high-quality literature experiences, both now and in the future, is at the heart of our work, and the development of skills is vital in this aim.”

Please go to http://www.ccskills.org.uk/Industrystrategies/Industrysectors/Literature/tabid/103/Default.aspx to download The Literature Blueprint. The consultation closes on Friday 19 March 2010.

Kudos boss Stephen Garrett interviewed

For Media Guardian, Maggie Brown talks to Stephen Garrett, executive chairman of the independent television producer, Kudos.

Garrett's fears are for UK-based dramas that are suffering from the BBC squeeze on costs and find it difficult to attract international funding. When Kudos made the first series of Spooks, the difference between the fee paid by the BBC for it (known as the tariff) and its production costs was about 3%-5%. That shortfall could be made up by DVD sales, repeat fees and some overseas sales. He says the fee the BBC now pays for the series is less than it was in 2001 and so, with increased production costs, the funding gap has widened.

Dick Francis 1920-2010

Dick Francis, the best-selling thriller writer, has died at the age of 89, reports BBC News.

Francis [won] numerous accolades for popular fiction in his genre, including Crime Writer's Association lifetime achievement award in 1996.

He was awarded a CBE in 2000 for services to literature.

Numerous tributes have been published, including by Simon Barnes in the Times:

The sameness of his books is not his weakness but his strength. You know what you’re getting with a Dick Francis. And given that there are so many of them, his consistency is astonishing. I have hardly met a dud, and I have read an awful lot of them.

Perhaps the best is Bonecrack, set in Newmarket, in which our hero outwits an insane Mafia chief fixated on the idea of having his son win the Derby as a jockey. It’s not terribly likely, no, but you don’t argue the point when the plot’s on the gallop and the baddie’s coming to get you. The weightiest is The Danger, the kidnap one. Hot Money actually has a strong character alongside the narrator.

How should we assess the Francis oeuvre? As an incomparable entertainer, as the best aeroplane books ever written. Marcel Proust merely wrote about time: Dick Francis destroyed time. Are we at JFK already?

New screenwriting forum

Guild member Piers Beckley has set up a new screenwriting forum.

As he says on his blog, he's done it:

Because we didn't have anything like The Artful Writer or Wordplay forums here in the UK.

Hopefully it'll be of some use to everyone. Why not stick your head in and say hello?

Are writers to blame for the lack of parts for older women?

Last week the Stage reported that Shelia Hancock had complained that:

“I’m afraid a lot of men have a concept of women as they become older as being rather dreary and rather grey and not having any kind of life or personality, and therefore there is a danger that writers don’t write lively parts for older women. That’s a problem.”

Here's a response from Gail Renard, Chair of the Guild's Television Committee:

Sheila Hancock, you’re one of our finest actresses and I’d love to write something... anything... for you. But the problem lies with the executives and decision makers, not with the writers. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve written something in comedy for an older woman and execs turn her into a Cheryl Cole clone which, let me tell you, doesn’t make for great storytelling or dialogue.

And every time there is a strong woman lead in a series (i.e: Emilia Fox in Silent Witness); she has to be surrounded by more men than you would find in a public urinal. Older women characters are often merely barking. And I can’t wait to see how they cast the “Susan Boyle Story.”

Trust me, writers are with you all the way. There are questions currently being asked about gender inequality in the business and the Guild is highly active on this. The problem you describe extends to women writers and directors as well.

But just one thought. You’re a splendid writer yourself. Why not join the Writers’ Guild and help us win the fight?

Post-show with Peter Brook

On the Guardian theatre blog, Guild member John Morrison recounts his experience of an extraordinary post-show encounter with theatre director Peter Brook.

Last Tuesday's event helped me understand a little more of what he's up to. Firstly, his theatre is about storytelling. Secondly, he believes in the maxim of the famous French chef, Escoffier: faites simple (keep it simple). Thirdly, and most importantly, he has a deep respect for the audience, who are more than just passive watchers and listeners. In Brook's concept of theatre, the audience is essential; without it, nothing happens. "The relationship between the actor and the audience is the only theatre reality," he once told an interviewer. That idea puts Brook at odds with the tradition of Stanislavski and his followers, such as director Katie Mitchell, who seem to view the audience as at best incidental to their productions. Brook admits he has "barely read" Stanislavski.

What Guild members are getting up to

SIMON ASHDOWN wrote the episodes of EastEnders going out on BBC1 at 7:30pm on Thursday 18th and at 8:00pm on Friday 19th February.

CHRIS CHIBNALL wrote the concluding episode of Law & Order: UK "Honour Bound" going out on ITV1 at 9:00pm on Monday 15th February.

RYAN CRAIG'S radio play English in Afghanistan goes out on Radio 4 at 2:15pm on Tuesday 16th February.

CLIVE DAWSON wrote the episode of The Bill "Crossing the Line" going out on ITV1 at 9:00pm on Thursday 18th February.

DAVID EDGAR has adapted Arthur and George, the semi-fictional novel by Julian Barnes, for the stage.

Birmingham solicitor George Edalji has been convicted of a terrible crime and is desperate to prove his innocence. After his release from prison he recruits the help of none other than expert crime writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to help solve his mysterious case and hopefully win him a pardon.

At the Birmingham Rep from Friday 19th March to Saturday 10 April. Booking now. www.birmingham-rep.co.uk

MATTHEW EVANS wrote the episodes of EastEnders going out on BBC1 at 8:00pm on Monday 15th and at 7:30pm on Tuesday 16th February.

STEVEN FAY wrote the episode of Hollyoaks going out on C4 at 6:30pm on Wednesday 17th February.

JEREMY FRONT'S dramatisation of Simon Brett's A Charles Paris Mystery: Cast in Order of Disappearance concludes on Radio 4 at 11:30am on Friday 19th February.

BILL GALLAGHER wrote the episode of Lark Rise to Candleford going out on BBC1 at 8:00pm on Sunday 14th February.

TONY GREEN wrote the episode of Hollyoaks going out on C4 at 6:30pm on Friday 19th February.

JILL HYEM - Her new comedy We'll Always Have Paris is premiering at the Mill at Sonning Dinner/Theatre from February 24th-April 10th. Director - Joanna Read. Cast - Louise Jameson, Lucy Fleming, Marlene Sidaway, Anna Nicholas, Michael Fenner.

JESSICA LEA wrote the episode of Hollyoaks going out on C4 at 6:30pm on Tuesday 16th February.

BILL LYONS wrote the episode of Emmerdale going out on ITV1 at 7:00pm on Tuesday 16th February.

CHRISTOPHER NEAME'S new trilogy Three Weeks in May makes its stage debut in Carpentras, Provence, France on 26th February. Catriona Maccoll and Craig Bowles take on three parts each under the direction of Veronica Grange. For further information see www.WhatLarks.eu

JANE PEARSON wrote the episode of Emmerdale going out on ITV1 at 7:00pm on Wednesday 17th February.

ALAN PLATER has just finished the re-writes on his latest drama, Joe Maddison's War, and it begins shooting in the North-East on 1st March. Commissioned by Laura Mackie and Sally Haynes for ITV and will be produced by Mammoth Screen. Set in Newcastle in 1939, Joe Maddison’s War features shipyard worker Joe (Kevin Whately) who feels emasculated and past his prime and is too old to serve in the war. Needing a new challenge, Joe and his friend Harry (Robson Green) reluctantly volunteer to join the Home Guard.

DAN SEFTON wrote the episode of Holby City "Together Alone" going out on BBC1 at 8:00pm on Wednesday 17th February.

EVE SPENCE wrote the episode of Doctors "Too Little, Too Late" going out on BBC1 at 1:45pm on Wednesday 17th February.

JOE TURNER wrote the episode of Coronation Street going out on ITV1 at 8:30pm on Monday 15th February.

PETER WHALLEY wrote the episode of Coronation Street going out on ITV1 at 8:30pm on Thursday 18th February.

David Greig on Dunsinane

For BBC News, Nigel Wrench talks to playwright David Greig about his new play Dunsiane, which imagines what happens after the end of Shakespeare's Macbeth.

The Scottish playwright was commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), but Greig is not sure what Shakespeare himself would have made of his work.

"Well now, I don't know. I think it's a very cheeky thing I've done," he says.

The playwright adds: "But then to some degree for Scottish writers, it's always felt a little bit cheeky that unquestionably the greatest Scottish play was written by the great English playwright.

"So there is a slight sense of answering back a little bit. Playing with some of those concepts and characters, and claiming just a little bit of history from another point of view."

Dunsinane runs at Hampstead Theatre, London from 10 February to 6 March 2010

BBC 'to cut digital spending'

By Tara Conlon in Media Guardian:

BBC Vision, the corporation's TV and video content division, is to cut back on digital spending to protect its programme budget.

Jana Bennett, the BBC Vision director, recently told a meeting of television producers that the corporation wants to reduce digital costs and focus on ensuring that the BBC continues to make high-quality programmes. One source said: "She said digital spending will be reduced but not reveal how much."

David Eick on Caprica

For the Writers Guild of America, West, Shira Gotshalk talks to one of the writers of the new US TV series Caprica, David Eick.

I read that you said Caprica is less about futuristic technology and more about ideas and emotions and relationships. What is it about sci-fi that makes it such a conducive forum for character-driven drama?

It allows you to express controversial ideas in a way that's safe for the audience to consider and debate. If you do an episode of House or Grey's Anatomy or ER in which tough issues are being discussed, you either find yourself in very hot water, very quickly, with the network or with the audience because inevitably, there's the impression that the show creators or the writers have taken a position. That can tend to lead to either a lot of oppression in terms of what mainstream television shows are willing to tackle, or when they do tackle them, they have to be Very Special Episodes and all points of view need to be serviced and the final solution has to, in some way, reflect all points of view. There's this tremendous emphasis on sociopolitical balance.

Whereas in science fiction, you don’t have to do any of that, because if you're talking about a robot instead of a stem cell or if you're talking about aborting your fetus that may or may not be entirely human, or if you're talking about torturing something that may not be entirely human, you can just talk about it. Your protagonist can take whatever position serves the story or serves the character. And while certainly there may be an uproar in terms of people saying, "Well, clearly, this is just a metaphor for X,Y or Z," at the end of the day, there's a safety net underneath the audience. It's more for the audience to be able to take it in and accept the story and allow themselves to consider the point of view of the protagonist or the antagonist or the storyteller without the heightened political emotions that go along with those kinds of stories.

Go-ahead for product placement

As expected, the government has announced that it will relax the regulations concerning product placement on TV.

...the Government has concluded that we will be able to allow television product placement in a way which will provide meaningful commercial benefits to commercial television companies and programme makers while taking account of the legitimate concerns that have been expressed.

We have therefore decided to legislate to allow UK television companies to include product placement in programmes which they make or commission to appear in their schedules.

As previously reported, the restrictions on what can be advertised are tighter than some broadcasters were hoping.

Gail Renard, chair of the Guild's television committee writes:

Product placement is finally upon us which doesn't come as a huge surprise. It's a pragmatic decision in response to falling television advertising revenue. The WGGB greets it cautiously with the following caveats:

The Guild will ensure that we take part in the Ofcom and government consultation processes, to see that the proper controls and gatekeepers are in place. A scene taking place in Dev Alahan's corner shop in Coronation Street cannot morph into a five minute infomercial for all the delightful products on Dev's shelves. However there's no reason why Kellogg's Cornflake boxes can't be seen on Dev's shelves, like in every other mini-mart in Britain, as long as it's not part of the storyline. Which brings us to the difference between product placement, which the Guild accepts, and product integration, which America has and we don't want.

Product integration is where the product becomes an integral part of the show; i.e.: where Jack Duckworth stops the storyline to extol the virtues of Clucko Pigeon Feed and how it keeps his birds regular. Not on our watch.

Product placement, as stated in the original government papers, must also never be present in children's programming (or what little of it remains in Britain.)

And all the powers-that-be must remember that product placement can't be a sticking plaster or miracle cure for poor network management and/or programming. It's an opportunity to tap a new source of revenue to make more and better British television programmes. Like all breaks, let's use this one wisely.

Simon Beckett - Britain's top writer in Europe

In the Times, Richard Brooks reports on new figures revealing that the best-selling British author in Europe last year was crime writer Simon Beckett who is relatively unknown in this country.

Simon Beckett, 49, did not find literary success until his mid-forties, but he is now mobbed at book readings in Germany and recognised at airports in Scandinavia.

In 2009, Whispers of the Dead, his latest book, sold 300,000 copies in hardback alone in Germany and about 200,000 more copies elsewhere. It also reached No 2 in Poland and was a bestseller in Sweden and Italy.

Bain and Armstrong's Sundance diary

In the Guardian, a diary kept by comedy writers Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong on a recent trip to the Sundance Festival where Four Lions, the film they wrote (with Chris Morris and Sam Blackwell) was being shown.

Jesse: The screening goes well, but I find it excruciating. Sometimes when I'm scared of flying, I have this feeling like it's taking my full powers of concen­tra­tion to keep the plane in the sky. It's the same at the screening – as little pockets of laughs emerge here and there, I'm examining them for tone, timbre and implications. In my head I'm a sheepdog – circling the room wanting to shepherd people to draw the right inferences, go the right way.

Afterwards, I try to make a frank assessment of how the film has gone down. If it's possible for something to go rather well while simultaneously taking you repeatedly to the brink of throwing up throughout, that's what it felt like.

Centre for Children's Literature

A new Centre for Children's Literature has opened at Cambridge University, as Nicola Woolcock reports in the Times.

The university opened a Centre for Children’s Literature yesterday, which will give as much consideration to blogs, fan fiction and video games as to the works of established children’s authors. Its founders say they deserve the same attention, as all can have a deep and lasting impact on children and teenagers.

Writing For Publication: West Midlands Writers' Guild branch event

A guest post by Philip Monks

The West Midlands branch of the Writers' Guild held their very successful Writing For Publication event on Friday 22nd January at Birmingham Rep Theatre. It was a great way to welcome in a new year of writing. The event was well-attended, with 50 people coming along from across the region to hear what the panellists had to say, to put questions and to chat afterwards. The audience was fairly evenly divided between members and non-members and covered poets, novelists and other writers, both established and aspiring, as well as those just interested to find out more.

Novelist Helen Cross deftly chaired the event and her upbeat style and positive tone was echoed by the panel, who talked about the opportunities as well as the difficulties of the different fields of publication. Both Laura Longrigg (literary Agent at MBA) and Alan Mahar (Publishing Director of Tindall Street Press) looked at current trends in the fiction market and there was an interesting discussion about marketing and the power of the various outlets.

On the poetry side, both Jane Commane and Matt Nunn from Nine Arches Press and Jacqui Rowe from Flarestack talked about their current initiatives and publishing policies and showed examples of recent publications. Rounding off the panel, Dave Reeves explained how Radio Wildfire is developing and the opportunities for online publishing that he can offer.

A very enjoyable and encouraging event overall, with much positive discussion and sharing of knowledge and opinions.

What Guild members are getting up to

CAREY ANDREWS wrote the episode of EastEnders going out on BBC1 at 8:00pm on Monday 8th February.

DAVE COHEN performs the final preview of his new one-man stand-up poem My Life As A Footnote at the Dogstar, Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, Tuesday 8th February 8:00pm Tickets £5.

JULIE DIXON wrote the episode of The Bill "Keeping Her Talking" going out on ITV1 at 9:00pm on Thursday 11th February.

TIM DYNEVOR wrote the episode of Emmerdale going out on ITV1 at 7:00pm on Friday 12th February.

RACHEL FLOWERDAY wrote the episodes of EastEnders going out on BBC1 at 7:30pm on Thursday 11th and at 8:00pm on Friday 12th February.

JEREMY FRONT'S dramatisation of Simon Brett's A Charles Paris Mystery: Cast in Order of Disappearance continues on Radio 4 at 11:30am on Friday 12th February.

BILL GALLAGHER wrote the episode of Lark Rise to Candleford going out on BBC1 at 8:00pm on Sunday 7th February.

JIMMY GARDNER wrote the episode of Survivors going out on BBC1 at 9:00pm on Tuesday 9th February.

TOM GREEN'S new play Fighting will be on at the Brockley Jack in south London as part of their Write Now season.

TONY JORDAN wrote the episode of Hustle going out on BBC1 at 9:00pm on Monday 8th February.

IAN KERSHAW'S radio play Raft to Bondi goes out on Radio 4 at 2:15pm on Monday 8th February.

DAVID LANE wrote the episodes of Coronation Street going out on ITV1 at 7:30pm and 8:30pm on Monday 8th February.

GARRY LYONS'S radio play Amazonia is going out on Radio 3 at 8:00pm on Sunday 7th February.

DAVID MCDERMOTT wrote the episode of Emmerdale going out on ITV1 at 7:00pm on Wednesday 10th February.

JAN MCVERRY wrote the episodes of Coronation Street going out on ITV1 at 7:30pm and 8:30pm on Friday 12th February.

PAUL MYATT wrote the episode of Doctors "The Bigger Man" going out on BBC1 at 1:45pm on Tuesday 9th February.

RICHARD STEVENS'S radio play The Small Back Room is going out on Radio 4 at 2:30pm on Saturday 6th February.

CHRIS THOMPSON wrote the episode of Emmerdale going out on ITV1 at 7:00pm on Monday 8th February.

KATHARINE WAY wrote the episode of Doctors "Love Lies Bleeding" going out on BBC1 at 1:45pm on Thursday 11th February.

KARIN YOUNG wrote the episodes of Emmerdale going out on ITV1 at 7:00pm and 8:00pm on Thursday 11th February.

Bradshaw 'retreats' over product placement

A report by Denis Campbell in the Guardian yesterday says that, according to letters written by Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw to Cabinet colleagues, plans for liberalising the rules on product placement have been watered down.

"Following consultation with the Department of Health I propose to ban product placement in the following areas: alcoholic drinks, HFSS [high in fat, sugar or salt] food, gambling, smoking accessories, over-the-counter medicines and baby food," he said. Those restrictions go further than existing limitations on advertising cigarettes and medicines, for example, in print and broadcast media that are contained in both advertising industry codes and British and European laws. Companies such as Coca-Cola and McDonald's will not be able to promote many of their products in this way.

How screenwriters might use the iPad

From screenwriter and self-confessed geek John August's blog, his take on Apple's new iPad, including:

It should be terrific for reading scripts. Right now, the big Kindle DX does a credible job with screenplays. It’s $489. The iPad is only $10 more, and can handle mail, web, video and a lot more. A few weeks ago, I wrote about reading scripts on laptops turned sideways. The iPad is the elegant version of this solution.

BFI to stage 'HBO weekend'

In the Independent, Arifa Akbar reports that the British Film Institute (BFI) will present an 'HBO weekend' looking at the work of the American cable channel that has produced critically acclaimed dramas such as The Sopranos and The Wire.

I can't see anything about it on the BFI website yet, but apparently it will run from 23-25 April.

Akbar's article quotes BFI artistic director, Eddie Berg, who says that part of the reason for bringing HBO execs and producers to London is to see what British broadcasters can learn from them.

"When people think of British drama around the world, we think of quality costume drama at the BBC, but what we don't think of is [it showing] series dramas like The Wire or The Sopranos, which are contemporary and edgy.

"We have to ask ourselves why can't the BBC seem to be able to do this with all the resources it has?"

Reporting on the same story, the Telegraph also has a comment from the BBC.

In response, the BBC issued a statement saying that television drama was "alive and well" in Britain, citing Criminal Justice, Small Island and A Short Stay in Switzerland as evidence of the corporation's commitment to risk-taking programmes.

Forty years of Nancy Banks Smith

In the Guardian, Michael McNay celebrates the 40-year career of TV critic Nancy Banks Smith.

A shrewd, unprejudiced writer, Nancy created the art of TV reviewing as tangential knockabout comedy – a mode that set the agenda, and has been followed ever since but never equalled. She doesn't do the day-in-day-out stint any more, but Nancy remains by a distance the funniest columnist writing, better than the stuff she writes about.

There's also a selection of her reviews and tributes from actors, producers and writers including Andrew Davies:

Nancy manages to convey her infectious enthusiasm for TV, good or bad. I've always felt honoured to be noticed by her. Almost always, she identifies the key moments in a show and expresses exactly the way they come across.

Routes Into Screenwriting - Feb 5th

The Guild's Deputy General Secretary, Anne Hogben, will be taking part in the Routes into Screenwriting online forum run by Guardian Careers tomorrow (Feb 5th) from 1-4pm . The panel also includes Guild member and agent Julian Friedmann.

The forum is already open for questions on any aspect of careers in screenwriting.

Adapting Charles Paris

On the Writers' Guild website, Jeremy Front explains how he came to adapt The Charles Paris Mysteries by Simon Brett for BBC radio.

Adapting the work of a dead novelist has its own problems, not least of which is making the work your own whilst staying true to the spirit of the original. If I take liberties (and I’m sure I have) with Evelyn Waugh or Anton Chekhov, I may incur the wrath of their devotees, but the authors are unlikely to accost me outside Soho House. Simon and I had never met, but I knew he was very much alive and well. I was assured, however, that he (and the BBC) had given me free rein to go with my instincts and take the radio version in whatever direction I felt it should go.

In the end this meant keeping the basic structure of the murder mystery plot, over which I storylined and a whole new parallel narrative for Charles, Frances and Paris’s useless agent, Maurice (Jon Glover). The upshot of so much change was that all the dialogue and Charles’s laconic narrations would be new and original writing.

The new Charles Paris series, Cast in Order of Disappearance, continues on Radio 4 at 11.30am on Fridays until 19 February. Episodes are also available for a week after broadcast on BBC iPlayer.

A Series Of Murders and The Dead Side of the Mic are available on BBC Audio.

British writers among Oscar nominees

Nominations have been announced for the 82nd annual American Academy Awards and several British writers are among those in contention for an Oscar.

Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci and Tony Roche receive a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for In The Loop. Nick Hornby is nominated in the same category for his adaptation of An Education, based on the book by Lynn Barber.

An Education is also in the running for Best Film and A Matter Of Loaf And Death, written by Nick Park and Bob Baker, is nominated for Best Animated Short.

The full nominations in the writing categories are:

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

• District 9, written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
• An Education, screenplay by Nick Hornby (based on the book by Lynn Barber)
  
• In the Loop, Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
• Precious: Based on the novel Push by Sapphire, screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher
• Up in the Air, based on the novel by Walter Kirn, screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner
  

Writing (Original Screenplay)

• The Hurt Locker, written by Mark Boal
• Inglourious Basterds, written by Quentin Tarantino
• The Messenger, written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
• A Serious Man, written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
• Up, screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy

The winners will be announced on 7th March.

The Write Stuff - A History of the Writers' Guild of Great Britain

Guild member Nick Yapp has researched and written an illustrated 50-year history of the Guild, from 10th October 1956 when a small group of writers met in the basement of a doctor's surgery through to the present day.

The book is now available at £12 plus £2.50 postage & packing - but for a limited period Guild members can order a copy at the special discount price of £10 (postage paid). If you would like to purchase a copy, please send a cheque for £10 to the Guild office at: 40 Rosebery Avenue, London, EC1R 4RX.

Read an interview with Nick Yapp on the Writers' Guild website.

Which self-publishing site to choose?

In the Guardian, technology correspondent and occasional poet, Victor Keegan, looks at what's on offer from different online self-publishing services.

It doesn't have to be an embryonic bestseller because self-publishing is best suited to limited editions. Anything over 1,000 copies and you would be better off going to a traditional printer to take advantage of economies of scale.

Amazon and Macmillan battle over e-book pricing

By Ben Par for Mashable:

While the ebook war between Apple and Amazon has only just begun, this weekend’s drama between Macmillan and Amazon has ended decisively in the book publisher’s favor.

This weekend it was revealed that Macmillan and Amazon were fighting over ebook prices. Macmillan wanted to raise the prices and change pricing to an agency model. Amazon responded by yanking Macmillan books off the digital shelves.

Now Amazon has made its own statement on its forums. The gist of the message: you win, Macmillan.

As Motoko Rich and Brad Stone report for the New York Times, the dispute goes to the heart of publishers' and retailers' aspirations for e-books.

Amazon’s goal has been strategic: it aims to establish a low price for e-books that will have the ancillary benefit of helping it sell more Kindle devices.

Amazon’s decision is also a victory for Apple’s chief executive, Steven P. Jobs, who first pitched the idea of selling e-books under the agency model to book publishers earlier this year. Now Apple, whose iPad tablet is due in March, can compete on fairly equal footing with Amazon.

Book publishers, meanwhile, are volunteering to limit their digital profits. In the model that Amazon prefers, publishers typically collect $12.50 to $17.50 for new e-books. Under the new agency model, publishers will typically make $9 to $10.50 on new digital editions.

Update: A related article by Erick Schonfeld for Tech Crunch: Why Amazon Cannot Afford To Lose The eBook Wars To Apple

The coming battle between Apple and Amazon will occur on many fronts, but place where Apple can really hurt Amazon is on pricing. Just as Apple initially did with 99-cent songs on iTunes, Amazon imposed a uniform $9.99 price on bestsellers in the Kindle Store. A single price helps to establish markets for new product categories, especially when that price is at a discount to the physical alternative. While the 99-cent strategy worked well for Apple in digital music, in books Apple doing a jujitsu move on Amazon by allowing publishers to have more control over the pricing. Now Macmillan is demanding that Amazon sell its eBooks for $14.99, and News Corp’s Rupert Murdoch is making similar grumblings about HarperCollins.

Save scripted television content

By Gail Renard

This week the WGGB once again lobbied at Westminster, along with our Performers’ Alliance colleagues, Equity and the Musicians’ Union. The Guild met with MPs, Lords and Baronesses to talk about the problems facing writers in Britain today. Amongst other topics, we talked about maintaining the output of quality scripted television programmes, so vital to our culture. Ben Bradshaw, Ed Vaizey et al listened... now let’s see what they’ll do. Here’s the paper we delivered.

The Guild's lobbying paper
(by Gail Renard and Ming Ho)

The decline in commissioning of quality scripted television content grows more alarming with the increase in reality shows on all channels. This is to the detriment of not just professional writers and performers, but also the viewers, who are offered less choice and depth of material, and indeed the production companies - non-scripted content might be cheaper to make in the first instance, but has a limited shelf-life and export value.

Ultimately, there is long-term damage to the wider economy through lost revenue and reduced cultural repute.

Scripted content, such as Doctor Who, Cranford, Poirot, The Office and Morse can be repeated on TV and digital platforms internationally for decades. It brings millions of pounds into Britain from overseas sales and related industries, including tourism. Lifestyle and entertainment television may spawn a few big brands, which can be reformatted for local markets, but the majority of reality shows offer no such ongoing benefits.

Commercial broadcasters are fighting for survival, and are understandably looking for quick fixes. But where will the premium content of Britain’s future come from, if original scripted output is allowed to shrink? Where will the next generation of distinctive, top-class British programme-makers be able to cut their teeth? It is vital that we safeguard a significant proportion of air-time for original scripted content now, before that potential for investment is lost forever.

The BBC, as a public service broadcaster, does not face the same commercial pressure as its competitors, but works in a climate of finite income, stretched more thinly across an ever-expanding range of "services". A report published recently by the Policy Exchange think tank has questioned the determination to offer iPlayer, Freesat, and Project Canvas on non-commercial terms, which not only stretch the BBC’s own resources, but damage the open market. It’s time to prioritise the licence fee for programme-making and genuinely original content, which has traditionally made the BBC and British television distinctive and worthy of preferential funding.

It needn’t be expensive. BBC4 is a model of low-budget, original programming, admirably upholding the Reithian ideals of both entertainment and education. This channel shows what can be done with talent and a will.

With proper investment, Britain’s original comedies and dramas can be the envy of the world; individual writing voices and diversity of subject matter - vital to our nation’s culture, education, and entertainment – should be encouraged. Do not allow our unique heritage and identity to be eroded. For the sake of both our cultural and financial future, save scripted television content.

Gail (right) with fellow Guild member Jayne Kirkham and actor David Tennant at the Performers' Alliance parliamentary lobby

What Guild members are getting up to

DAVID ASHTON'S radio play Dr. Johnson's Dictionary of Crime: A for Assassin is going out on Radio 4 at 2:30pm on Saturday 30th January.

STEVE BAILIE wrote the episode of The Bill "Time Bomb" going out on ITV1 at 9:00pm on Thursday 4th February.

TRACEY BLACK wrote the episode of Doctors "Hasta la Vista" going out on BBC1 at 1:45pm on Monday 1st February.

RAY BROOKING wrote the episode of Doctors "Three Go Wild" going out on BBC1 at 1:45pm on Wednesday 3rd February.

GABY CHIAPPE wrote the episode of Lark Rise to Candleford going out on BBC1 at 8:00pm on Sunday 31st January.

MATTHEW EVANS wrote the episode of Wild at Heart going out on ITV1 at 8:30pm on Sunday 31st January.

CHRIS FEWTRELL wrote the episodes of Coronation Street going out on ITV1 at 7:30pm and 8:30pm on Monday 1st February.

PETER FLANNERY wrote the episode of Inspector George Gently "Gently in the Night" going out on BBC1 at 8:30pm on Wednesday 3rd February.

ADRIAN FLYNN wrote the episodes of The Archers going out on Radio 4 from Sunday 31st January till Friday 5th February with each episode being repeated at 2:00pm the day following its original broadcast.

JEREMY FRONT'S dramatisation of Simon Brett's A Charles Paris Mystery: Cast in Order of Disappearance" continues on Radio 4 at 11:30am on Friday 5th February.

MARK ILLIS wrote the episodes of Emmerdale going out on ITV1 at 7:00pm and 8:00pm on Thursday 4th February.

JULIE JONES wrote the episode of Coronation Street going out on ITV1 at 8:30pm on Thursday 4th February.

TONY JORDAN wrote the episode of Hustle going out on BBC1 at 9:00pm on Monday 1st February.

NEIL MCKAY wrote the drama Mo staring Julie Walters, Emma Cambridge and David Haig amongst others. It will be going out on C4 at 9:00pm on Sunday 31st January.

SUE MOONEY wrote the episode of Emmerdale going out on ITV1 at 7:00pm on Friday 5th February.

DALE OVERTON wrote the episode of Doctors "Mr Donormight" going out on BBC1 at 1:45pm on Tuesday 2nd February.

JULIE PARSONS wrote the episode of Emmerdale going out on ITV1 at 7:00pm on Wednesday 3rd February.

MARK RAVENHILLL will be on stage at the Soho Theatre from 8th to 27th February with Bette Bourne and Mark Ravenill: A Life in Three Acts. Previously in three parts, the piece reveals a portrait of an amazing individual and a celebration of the momentous struggles and achievements of gay liberation.

CHRISTOPHER REASON wrote the episodes of EastEnders going out on BBC1 at 7:30pm on Thursday 4th and at 8:oopm on Friday 5th February.

JULIET GILKES ROMERO, winner of the WGGB Award for Best Theatre Play, has written a short play about her experiences working in Haiti in the 1990's that contributed to part of an Evening For Haiti at Hampstead Theatre.

SHELAGH STEPHENSON wrote the first episode of How Does That Make You Feel? (Ordinary's Not Enough) going out on Radio 4 at 10:45am on Monday 1st February.

RICHARD STEVENS wrote the episode of Doctors "Coming to Get You" going out on BBC1 at 1:45pm on Friday 5th February.

JOE TURNER wrote the episode of Coronation Street going out on ITV1 at 7:30pm on Friday 5th February.

JOY WILKINSON'S dramatisation of Towards Zero concludes on Radio 4 at 11:30am on Wednesday 3rd February.

JD Salinger 1919-2010

American author JD Salinger has died at the age of 91. There are numerous appreciations and obituaries, including a series of articles in the New York Times. Charles McGrath writes:

In 1974 Philip Roth wrote, “The response of college students to the work of J. D. Salinger indicates that he, more than anyone else, has not turned his back on the times but, instead, has managed to put his finger on whatever struggle of significance is going on today between self and culture.”

In the Guardian, three prominent American authors, including Joyce Carol Oates, pay tribute to Salinger.

Salinger's great, obsessive theme was the moral rootlessness of contemporary American materialism and its corrosive effect upon precocious, highly sensitive children and adolescents whose religious yearnings were both esoteric (eastern, mystic) and sentimental (narcissistic, naively self-regarding).

Apple launches iPad and iBooks

Apple today unveiled its new iPad, a device somewhere between a mobile phone and a laptop. While the web is full of assessments of the hardware, there's also analysis of the implications for content creators. Indeed, even before the launch, TechCrunch predicted it could lead to a media revolution.

And, as Doug Aamoth reports, Apple are also launching an e-books store.

Apple’s hoping to recreate the magic of what iTunes did for music with the addition of a vast selection of electronic books. Announced at Apple’s event today, the iBook store.

Book pricing has been set similarly to what’s offered on Amazon.com’s Kindle platform — the first book will be $14.99, a Ted Kennedy book (available on Kindle for $14.78). It works just like the App Store with a simple tap to purchase the book.

The iPad will start shipping in America in late March and, apparently, will be available the UK at the same time .

The John Brabourne Awards

The John Brabourne Awards, run by the Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund, are now open for applications.

The John Brabourne Awards are a stepping stone for up and coming talent driven to further their experiences and careers in all aspects of film and television. The awards also seek to help those disadvantaged in some way, either through lack of funds or set-backs due to illness or accident.

There are two types of award, the CTBF Awards and the Sponsored Awards.

The CTBF Awards provide cash sums of between £1,000 and £5,000 to assist with training, rental of equipment, or the costs of travel, rent, bills or childcare.

The Sponsored Awards offer new talent direct access to essential industry experience, through paid work experience at leading companies and/or access to training, equipment or materials, and in some cases a mentor.

Since the May 2007 launch of the awards the CTBF has been able to secure substantial support from the film and television industry, with companies such as Kodak, Arri Media, ITV, Endemol UK and Turner Classic Movies all contributing to the awards. The scheme has a total of 13 corporate sponsors offering 12 different awards, with an overall value of around £200,000.

As part of the Sponsored Awards, they are running the Big 5 Comedy Award:

We are looking for a talented individual to write a 10 minute comedy short that has the potential to be made into a short film. The CTBF in conjunction with the UK Film Council will provide the funding to help finance this production as well as taking advantage of the BIG 5 Sponsors who are all offering the following services.

Scripts for the Big 5 Comedy Award must be received by February 28th 2010.

Link via Screen Daily on Twitter.

Sir Tom Stoppard interview

An interesting interview with Guild member Tom Stoppard by Nigel Farndale in the Telegraph. In reply to a question about students and academics wanting to speak to him about his work, Stoppard says:

‘The whole thing derives from a misapprehension about creative writing, which is that the writer is working from a set of principles or a thesis and the play is the end product of that predisposition, but, actually, the idea turns out to be the end product of the play, and the less I know about this play I am trying to write, the better.

'The more doors there are for you to open, the better the play. Take Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, if the metaphor had been specific, the play would not have had the freedom to go where it wanted. Some students don’t see it as a metaphor but a puzzle to which I have the answer, and if only I would impart it they would get an alpha.’

Arts Council England appoints 152 artistic assessors

From the Arts Council England press office:

Arts Council England today (26 January 2009) announced the appointment of 152 people to write assessments on the artistic work of its regularly funded organisations.

The appointments follow a fantastic response to the Arts Council’s recruitment campaign which saw over 1,100 people apply for the roles.

The full list of assessors can be viewed on their website.

At Sundance, new routes to finding an audience

By Brooks Barnes in the New York Times:

Standard operating procedure over the years at Sundance, the cinematic bazaar now under way in this resort town, has been simple: show your film and hope it plays well enough to attract a theatrical distributor or, if the movie is particularly small and arty, a video-on-demand deal.

If no deal happens — and this is where more than 75 percent of Sundance offerings landed last year — you go home and try Internet downloads, DVD and foreign television sales.

But even that risky blueprint is being redrafted. With more art-house theaters closing and most of the big studios no longer interested in distributing specialty films, a theatrical release is becoming increasingly hard to secure. So some filmmakers are trying to turn that system on its head, using Sundance not just as a sales tool but also as a platform for immediate digital delivery.

As the article points out, YouTube has just launched a Sundance channel, although the rentals option ($3.99 per movie) appears only to be available in America.

Might British film festivals seek a similar partnership?

Last chance to opt out of Google Book Settlement

From Pamela Samuelson in the Huffington Post:

January 28 is the last day on which owners of copyrights in books published in the U.S., UK, Canada, and Australia can opt out or object to the proposed settlement of the Google Book Search (GBS) class action lawsuit initiated in 2005 by the Authors Guild.

There is a huge difference between opting out and objecting, and copyright owners who dislike the settlement must choose between them.

The deadline for making claims has now been extended to 31 March 2011.

All the information is on the Google Book Search Settlement website. And here's a reminder of the information on the Settlement provided by the Guild last year.

Writers' Lab @ Bolton

A new scheme from the University of Bolton:

The University of Bolton is developing a writer's programme in association with a number of production companies in the North West (AbbottVision, Red Productions, Lime Pictures, BBC writersroom, LA Productions, Made In Manchester, R.S.J. Productions). This is a scheme for writers that want to develop their skills working in an industry context. Writers will develop an original script as well as learn about team writing and producing.

In order to develop the scheme effectively we are offering free places to 16 new writers from the North West. This pilot scheme will put writers into direct contact with the best TV, radio and web producers in the region. In return for helping us develop this training programme we are offering writers the opportunity to develop their skills in a commercial context. You will attend workshops at AbbottVision, The Arvon Foundation and at the University of Bolton. Throughout the programme, you will work on a team written project with industry mentors. You will have direct and sustained contact with industry professionals through the best work experience placements around.

This scheme is designed to give writers the best start possible and is an opportunity you can't afford to miss.

Who can apply for this scheme?

The scheme is open to writers based within the North West region who have already had a script commissioned or had a professional reading of their work (for any platform, film, radio, stage, TV or the web) or had material published. You will be expected to be able to work effectively on scripted material from the start of the project. This is not a scheme for beginners.

Applicants must be over 18 and not in full-time education.

Full details are on the University of Bolton website.

Link via Tom Murphy on Twitter.

Hollywood age discrimination case settled

From Richard Verrier in the LA Times comes news of a settlement in major legal case about alleged age discrimination in Hollywood.

A long and winding legal battle that raised uncomfortable questions about Hollywood's treatment of middle-aged and older TV writers was settled Friday, a decade after a class-action lawsuit alleged they were the victims of widespread age discrimination.

Under the settlement, 17 major networks and production studios, along with seven talent agencies, agreed to pay $70 million to thousands of writers to resolve 19 claims.

Although, as Verrier reports, the Writers Guild of America, West was not a party to the dispute its research provided crucial evidence in winning the money - although the networks and studios continue to deny any wrongdoing.

Tesco moves into film production

High street retailer Tesco has announced a move into straight-to-DVD film adaptations of best-selling books in partnership with Amber Entertainment, reports Sarah Cooper for Screen Daily:

The first film to come out of the partnership will Paris Connections, which is due to start shooting in France later this month and has been specially adapted by author Jackie Collins from her 1999 bestseller LA Connections...

Also in line for production will be titles by other best selling authors including Dick Francis, Jacqueline Wilson, Philip Pullman and Judy Blume as well as three more “Connections” films with Jackie Collins.

Lords committee wants tax breaks for children's TV

By Katherine Rushton for Broadcast:

The campaign for tax credits for children’s programming has received a shot in the arm after a House of Lords select committee called for film tax credits to be extended to kids TV.

The culture select committee, led by Lord Fowler, called for the 18% tax relief for UK films to be applied to all children’s and animated television productions on a pilot basis. If successful, it could be extended to other hard-pressed genres like regional news and documentaries.

You can read the full report on the Parliament website - the tax credits recommendation comes in Chapter 6:

We recommend the extension of the film tax credit, on a pilot basis, to children's programmes and animation productions made for television. This pilot, if successful, might be extended to other genres.

What Guild members are getting up to

MARK BURT wrote the episode of Coronation Street going out on ITV1 at 7:30pm on Monday 25th January.

MICHAEL CHAPLIN's two-part radio play "Two-Pipe Problems" is concluding on Radio 4 with the second half "The Trusty Valet and the Crusty Butter" going out at 2:15pm on Thursday 28th January.

GABY CHIAPPE wrote the episode of Lark Rise to Candleford going out on BBC1 at 8:00pm on Sunday 24th January. She also wrote the episode of Survivors going out on BBC1 at 9:00pm on Tuesday 26th January.

SIMON CROWTHER wrote the episodes of Coronation Street going out on ITV1 at 7:30pm and 8:30pm on Friday 29th January.

STEVEN FAY wrote the episode of Hollyoaks going out on C4 at 6:30pm on Monday 25th January.

IAIN FINLAY MACLEOD's radio dramatisation of Ann Cleeve's Raven Black goes out on Radio 4 at 2:30pm on Saturday 23rd January.

ALISON FISHER wrote the episode of EastEnders going out on BBC1 at 8:00pm on Monday 25th January.

JEREMY FRONT wrote the episode of the new series of A Charles Paris Mystery: Cast in Order of Disappearance going out on Radio 4 at 11:30pm on Friday 29th January.

ROB GITTINS wrote the episodes of EastEnders going out on BBC1 at 7:30pm on Thursday 28th and at 8:00pm on Friday 29th January.

DAWN HARRISON wrote the episode of Doctors "Master of the Universe" which goes out over 5 parts on BBC1 at 1:45pm from Monday 25th till Friday 29th January.

ROB JOHNSTON wrote Fencing for Losers, which is on at The Lowry, Salford on 29th-31st Jan at 7:45pm, with a Saturday matinee at 2:30pm.

JOHN KERR wrote the episode of Coronation Street going out on ITV1 at 8:30pm on Monday 25th January.

JONNY KURZMAN wrote the episode of MI High going out on BBC1 at 4:35pm on Monday 25th January.

BILL LYONS wrote the episode of Emmerdale going out on ITV1 at 7:00pm on Tuesday 26th January.

RICHARD MONK's radio play The Journey is going out on Radio 4 at 2:15pm on Wednesday 27th January.

TOM NEEDHAM wrote the episode of The Bill "New Beginnings" going out on ITV1 at 9:00pm on Thursday 28th January.

JOANNA TOYE wrote the episodes of The Archers going out on Radio 4 at 7:00pm from Monday 25th till Friday 29th January with each episode being repeated at 2:00pm the day following its original broadcast.

JOY WILKINSON's radio dramatisation of Agatha Christie's Towards Zero continues on Radio 4 at 11:30am on Wednesday 27th January.

Robert B Parker 1932-2010

American novelist Robert B Parker has died at the age of 77. Best known for creating the private detective Spenser, he wrote more than 60 books for adults and children.

There are many obituaries online, including in the New York Times, the Washington Post and by Dennis McLellan in the LA Times:

"In the line of great American hard-boiled writers that went from Dashiell Hammett to Raymond Chandler to Ross Macdonald, Robert B. Parker is the next great one in that line," said Otto Penzler, owner of the Mysterious Bookshop in New York City and a publisher of crime fiction.

Parker, he said, "had a spare style that made his books entertaining and readable consistently. His protagonist, Spenser, was a real hero, and I think people love heroes."

Reminder: Writing For Publication event

The West Midlands branch of the Writers’ Guild presents: Writing For Publication

When: Friday 22nd January, 7.30pm
Where: Centenary Suite, Birmingham Rep Theatre
Cost: Free to Writers’ Guild Members; £5 for non-members, payable at the door
Please email WMidWritersGuild@aol.com to confirm your attendance.

The panel comprises:

Laura Longrigg, director of MBA Literary Agents. Laura has worked in publishing for nearly 25 years. As an editor, mostly in the genre of popular fiction, she worked for HarperCollins, Heinemann and Penguin. She became an agent in 1994, working first with Jennifer Kavanagh, and in 1997 she joined MBA. Since becoming an agent, her interests have broadened to include literary fiction and non-fiction, including history, biography, travel, self-help, health and parenting. She has also worked with children’s authors.

Alan Mahar, publishing director of Tindall Street Press, an independent publisher of regional literary fiction with a national reputation for excellence and a prize-listing record that is the envy of many established imprints (including three Booker nominations and two Costa first novel awards - its 2010 award just announced). Based in Birmingham, Tindal Street Press aims to find writers of national and international significance from places other than London and the South East.

Jane Commane, the co-director of Nine Arches Press, an independent and innovative poetry publisher based in the West Midlands that aims to bring you the best in contemporary British poetry. It publishes Under The Radar magazine as well as poetry books and pamphlets.

Jacqui Rowe, the Co-Director of Flarestack Poets, a new venture under the Flarestack imprint. Following its launch anthology in November 2009 it will be publishing six poetry titles in 2010. Flarestack pamphlets have a reputation for quality and diversity, and for encouraging work from new and established voices.

Dave Reeves, the director of Radio Wildfire, which broadcasts from the West Midlands via the internet live on the first Monday of each month. It focuses on live literature, spoken word performances and oral art.

The panel will be chaired by Helen Cross, the author of three novels: The Secrets She Keeps, My Summer of Love (which won a Betty Trask Prize and was made into an award-winning film) and Spilt Milk, Black Coffee, published by Bloomsbury in May 2009.

UK Writer magazine now online

We've put the most recent issue of the Guild's magazine, UK Writer, online.

Subjects covered include writing for The Archers, writing short films and taking poetry into schools.

Let us know what you think.

Paul Marquess to take Hollyoaks helm

From How-Do:

Lime Pictures has announced that Paul Marquess will be the new series producer of Hollyoaks when Lucy Allan steps down at the end of January.

Marquess’ production credits come from primetime ITV1, where he’s been executive producer of The Bill and creator of Footballer’s Wives.

As Doug Lambert points out for ATV News Network, Marquess has been a controversial figure, especially when presiding over the demise of numerous long-established characters (and writers)on The Bill.

The Bill moved away from being about cops and robbers as it shifted its focus towards the personal lives of the officers and a series of sensationalist storylines were introduced; serial killer, serial rapist, serial sniper, rape, murder, suicide and incest were on the menu under Marquess reign.

However, quoted in the Liverpool Daily Post, Tony Wood, executive producer of Hollyoaks, said:

“It’s very exciting to be working with Paul Marquess again. He’s one of the best show-runners in the business. This is a brilliant appointment for Hollyoaks.”

Amazon ebook deal offers 70% royalty

As Publishers Weekly reports, Amazon has announced plans to offer publishers a royalty of 70% when they use the company’s self-publishing Kindle Digital Text Platform, subject to certain restrictions.

Delivery costs will be based on file size and Amazon said that new program will enable authors and publishers to make more money on the sale of e-books. In Amazon’s example, on an $8.99 book an author would make $3.15 with the standard option, and $6.25 with the new 70% option. To qualify for the new rate, however, e-books must meet a set of requirements that includes carrying a price between $2.99 and $9.99, a price that must be at least 20% below the lowest physical list price for the physical book.

As Lance Ulanoff reports for PCmag.com, the move could be seen as a way of persuading publishers to release high profile books on the Kindle (at a lower price) at the same time as a paper book is released.

Patrick Spence, BBC's Northern Ireland drama head, steps down from post

By Tara Conlon for Media Guardian:

The BBC's head of drama in Northern Ireland, Patrick Spence, is stepping down from his post.

Spence, who is responsible for overseeing BBC4's eagerly anticipated drama about the MPs' expenses scandal, Bringing Down the House, is in negotiations for a new role, which may be within the corporation.

According to a BBC Northern Ireland spokeswoman, the Northern Ireland drama department will now be restructured and a "new post will be created".

Writing sketches for radio

If you're interested in topical sketch writing, take a look at the BBC Writersroom blog where members of the Newsjack team, including Dan Tetsall, are dishing out advice and observations.

Beware the 'And finally...' news stories. Beware anything in a tabloid that's less than two inches in length - and beware anything that sounds like a set-up to a penis joke. Beware the Most Emailed on the BBC website, where comedy news never dies - that goat was still getting married last year. It might sound pretentious, but a sketch has to have tension and drama like any other script, just in miniature. OK, it did sound pretentious, but it's still true.

Newsjack, on BBC Radio 7, is accepting unsolicited sketches for its current series.

Phillip Gross wins TS Eliot poetry prize

From BBC News:

Philip Gross has won the 2009 TS Eliot Poetry Prize for his collection The Water Table, it has been announced.

The 57-year-old, who was born in Cornwall, will receive a £15,000 cash prize, the largest in British poetry.

The Water Table was inspired by the Bristol Channel, drawing out connections with mystery, depth, and the man-made world.

Matthew Weiner on creating Mad Men

The new series of Mad Men comes to BBC Four later this month, and in the Telegraph its creator, Matthew Weiner, talks to Neil Midgley

Mad Men is a labour not just of love but of passion: his office is furnished with a period buttonback sofa and chairs that could have come straight from the series and, in his assistant’s anteroom, there’s a wall covered in all sorts of print advertisements from the Sixties. But, Weiner says, he was prompted to write the pilot script by much more recent events.

“It was inspired by a friend who was going through a divorce and worked in Manhattan in finance during 9/11,” he says. “Two or three days afterwards I said: ‘How’s it going? What’s New York like?’ He said: ‘What can I tell you? I’m still getting divorced.’ The most stimulating thing, intellectually and creatively, about Mad Men is that I’ve been able to write about how we experience history.”

BBC Cymru Wales confirms plans for drama centre

From the BBC Press Office:

BBC Cymru Wales has confirmed that construction on a new drama production centre will start within months, if planning consent is granted.

Menna Richards, Director of BBC Cymru Wales, also confirmed that a site at Roath Basin in Cardiff Bay has been identified for the new production base which will bring together a range of BBC dramas, including Doctor Who, Casualty and the BBC's longest-running TV soap Pobol y Cwm.

"The BBC has confirmed it is to build a drama centre at Roath Basin in Cardiff Bay and has reached agreement with key partners to complete the site, subject to planning consent," she said.

"This is a fantastic opportunity to build on the success of BBC Wales drama production and the wider creative industries in Wales.

Book writers in Bandit Country

A guest post by Leo Aylen

The Guild is rightly pleased with the recent work by the Film Committee which has resulted in a pamphlet aimed at standardising practice in the industry and protecting writers. Similar work has been done by the Television Committee also resulting in a useful pamphlet.

Book writers are likely to feel less protected. Publishing, the book trade, and therefore relationships between writers and publishers, writers and agents, are in a difficult state. Book writers nowadays are working in ‘bandit country’ where established rules no longer apply.

Robert Adams, the Chair of the Guild's Books Committee, has asked the members of the Books Committee to suggest topics which we, in the Books Committee, should examine. As the Books representative on the Executive Council, I should like to invite any Guild member who writes books to take part in the discussion.

Many writers are now self-publishing with success. The Guild hopes to help this along with the Co-operative which is about to be launched. Self-publishing is no longer despised. This is perhaps the most pivotal change in the books industry, but there are other things to consider as well.

If you have had experiences - good or bad - which could help other book writers, do please tell us about them on this blog. (You do not have to be a blog-writer; merely conact the blog editor Tom Green c/o the Guild office, and he can turn your email into a blog item.) Or you can post a comment below.

What could be useful?

1.Technical advice about the technology of publishing: even if they are not self-publishers, more and more writers are needing to know about the production of their books.

2. Experiences with new kinds of contract.

3. Experiences in public presentations – in schools, libraries, community groups, hospitals, prisons, etc.

4. General thoughts about bookselling and libraries.

As I understand the general feeling in the Books Committee, it seems unlikely that we would have any success with the kind of general coding of practice which the film and television writers have succeeded – to an extent – in establishing. With books nowadays, it seems more practical to collect individual experiences from which the lessons learnt can help others.

Let us make use of the blog as a forum for discussion.

Bollywood writers seek a better deal

For Reuters, Shilpa Jamkhandikar explains why Bollywood scriptwriters are seeking to improve their terms and conditions.

The Film Writers Association of India is now coming up with a "model contract" to ensure writers get a fair deal.

"Within the industry, there are many examples of writers who have gone to a big producer with a script, been rejected and then realised that the same film was made two years later," says an industry insider.

"Unfortunately, it's their word against the producers."

The difficulties facing film writers in India have been highlighted by the recent case of the film 3 Idiots, based on Five Point Someone, a book by Chetan Bhagat. As Rhys Blakely reports for the Times.

...the film’s success [it took £41 million in 18 days] has been overshadowed by allegations of double dealing and backstabbing among its creators. Bhagat has alleged that the film-makers have sought to hide the fact that the movie is based on his work. He reacted furiously after he learnt that the storyline was credited in the opening titles to Abhijat Joshi, a scriptwriter, and Rajkumar Hirani, the director. The promotional campaign gives the author no mention and statements released to publicise the film’s success have failed to give him any credit.

Bhagat gives his side of the story on his blog (the fact that his post has more than 2,200 comments shows how big an issue this has become).

The case is as simple as the makers claiming the story as their own, and clearly it is not. Pre-release, the makers made press statements like the movie is only ‘very loosely’, ‘2%-5% inspired by the book’. After release, those who have read the book and seen the movie (and frankly, I think those are the only people who have the right to comment) find the film to be an adaptation of Five Point Someone. The setting, characters, plotline, dramatic twists and turns, one-liners, theme, message – almost all aspects that make up the story are from FPS. Yes, there are some changes, any adaptation requires that – but it is no way an original story. Leading movie critics have privately admitted to me that the film is 70% the book. Still, don’t take my word for it – go read the book, watch the film.

Best of luck to all Indian writers as they organise to assert and defend their rights.

Hollywood credits disputes

In the LA Times, Steven Zeitchik explains the significance of credit disputes for writers.

The issue cuts to the heart of contemporary Hollywood, where screenwriters are abundant but successes are rare, leaving a lot of people to scramble for a little bit of glory.

To those removed from the rituals of Hollywood, the fierce debate over credit can seem like arguing over who rides shotgun on a weekend road trip — arbitrary and, in the end, not very consequential. But for writers, credit can mean the difference between getting and not getting future gigs, higher paychecks and the acclaim and envy of peers.

Link via Danny Stack on Twitter.