April 2008
Write On…. Newsletter
2. We publish plays, as I hope you know, and like to
News inform members of recently published ones - all
We hope not too many of you have suffered from a this falls out of the website, so is an easy task.
“glitch” in NTP operations recently. Yours truly was, as 3. We like to highlight a sample of plays that are
ever, to blame, in that I went and married the lovely being performed.
Alison, taking both of us out of circulation for nearly
three weeks for the wedding (at Swinton Park Hotel 4. We add opinion, comment, helpful ideas and so
near Ripon - a place I thoroughly recommend if you on, plus any worthy news.
want a luxury weekend away) and our honeymoon in I guess point 4 is the most onerous, mainly because I
the Maldives (which I can also highly recommend). have had to come up with most of it personally, but
Added to that the preparations for the wedding and we always hope members will find time to contribute
we really did have a lot on. But she’s worth it, believe articles, opinions or even questions. Otherwise, anyone
me. taking on this task can contribute or rely on the existing
methods.
After it’s all compiled, it’s just a matter of sending it out
- via email to those who have it or by post to those
who don’t. Please contact me for a chat if you have
any questions or are interested.
Contacting members
Posting leads us on to contacting members. Every time
we send out newsletters, royalty statements (or just
about anything else really), we get mail returned and
emails undelivered. Clearly we can’t say in each
newsletter “let us know if you don’t receive it”, so I
would just remind all members who are receiving this
to let us know if you are changing any contact details.
On a related front, namely effort, we still suffer from And that, in turn, leads on to emailing versus “snail
too much to do and too little time to do it, and have mail”. We very much prefer to do as much
been wondering if any of you out there would be communication as possible via email, for several
interested in helping out in a couple of specific areas. reasons. Firstly, the Post Office is losing more mail all
Something that always seems to suffer in the priorities the time, and things don’t get delivered. We think the
list is this newsletter - as you may know, David Titchener last newsletter did not reach several members who we
took this on for a while and did a great job, but David posted it to, which possibly indicates a problem at
and his wife Emma had a number of problems with the Warrington - for this reason we are enclosing a further
delicate pregnancy of their first child (now happily copy with this one. Email is also instant, or as near as
resolved, and our congratulations to them all) and he can be, and “greener”, because there’s no trees
had to hand the reins back to me. David - if you’re involved. Finally, it’s considerably cheaper, since we
reading and want to pick it up again, please shot, but can send out all emailed newsletters with one email,
we all fully understand the demands of a new family versus the paper version that needs a printed letter, an
and where your priorities will quite correctly lie. envelope, a stamp and a trip to the Post Office. Using
Meanwhile, if anyone other member fancies taking it email has allowed us to keep costs down, which is why
on, please contact us. Please realise from the outset the membership subscription has stayed the same for
that there is no direct remuneration for this - none of the past few years. That, however, means that people
the people involved in NTP take any kind of salary - but without email are costing us more than people with
we do have some other incentives to make it email, and before too long we shall have to look at
worthwhile. these costs, possibly introducing a two-tier membership
So what’s involved? Well, basically, it’s a compilation depending on whether the member has email or not.
job. Now this probably looks as if we’re trying to force you
1. We are sent frequent writing opportunities from onto computers, as we know several of you don’t
various sources (and we pick some up from other want to go that way, for various reasons, all of which
sources), so like to inform members of them. are your right to choose. Do please remember,
New Theatre Publications
2 Hereford Close | Woolston | Warrington | Cheshire | WA1 4HR
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Page 2
however, if you are considering such automation, that The reason for point 2 above is that we don't make
yours truly has worked for most of my working life in any meaningful profit from books themselves; that is
computing and would be glad to help or advise the reason why we only pay out on non-discounted
where possible, in simple layman terms. retail sales: libraries and bookshops and most
educational establishments demand a healthy
We cannot get away from the cost comparisons of the
discount that eats away at all profits and most authors
haves and the have nots. Those with computers can
agree that getting the books "out there" (with a
send communications electronically, but can also
potential of the far more profitable performance fees)
submit play manuscripts that way. It follows, therefore,
is more important than 10% of a discounted £3 (1A
that these submissions can be sent to our reader
play price) or £6 (Full Length play price) - I hope that
panels instantly and all three at the same time,
last convoluted sentence makes sense!
whereas a paper script has to be mailed round each
in turn, again with additional cost, which may dictate 3. Royalties are accrued in an account in the
that we are also forced to adopt a two tier charging author's name. If at any time the amount reaches
system for play submissions. or exceeds £100, we pay the full amount at the
end of the calendar month in which that target is
I can almost hear mutterings that the reader panels
reached. During April of each year we issue a full
are slow anyway, but that is more to do with their
royalty statement to every author who is a current
workload than anything else - remember they are all
member, and at the same time we pay any
volunteers.
royalties that have reached or exceeded £50.
The reader panels, once each has read and made Amounts less than £50 are carried forward to the
notes on a submission, used to meet at someone’s next year.
home (or a suitable hostelry) to collate a final “group”
So, the above applies to both contracts and what is
assessment. Nowadays they email their notes to the
the difference?
lead reviewer and frequently “meet” using MSN to
discuss any relevant points and arrive at the group Well, the basic difference is the cost of getting the
assessment. books in print in the first place. We have to take the
author's manuscript (hopefully in some sort of
Once a publication offer is made, it’s a very quick job
electronic format - paper scripts are very labour
to get from the (electronic) manuscript to the typeset
intensive to scan and convert), edit into our standard
proof copy, which, when possible, we email to you,
house style, send a proof copy to the author for
again at low cost. When we have corrected any
checking, make any changes, produce a cover,
proofing errors we produce the finished artwork, which
supply and register an International Standard Book
is then (you guessed it) emailed to our printers, to
Number, provide the author with the free copy that
whom we also email all orders.
forma part of the contract, submit the script to the
As you probably know we also offer to send pdf copies British Libraries Legal Deposit Office and the 5 British
on any scripts to anyone who requests them, hopefully Libraries (free of charge of course), enter the play in
leading to performances, and in this way a script can our catalogue system, website, etc.
be being read by a person in Sydney within the same
When we make an offer to publish a play ourselves,
time as someone in Manchester.
we take on the costs of all the above, taking a
As stated above, this is your choice, but we shall have gamble that the play will sell sufficiently well to recoup
to look at costs before too long. Your opinions on this those costs over time and we won't be out of pocket.
would, as ever, be appreciated. The judgement as to whether an offer to publish a
play, therefore, must include what we consider its
NTP Publishing Contracts market potential. So many playwrights, especially new
ones, think the professional stage is the ultimate target,
We have recently had an enquiry from a prospective
the Nirvana, and I cannot disagree with that
member about the thinking behind offering publishing
sentiment. However, the amateur and community
contracts (and the less usual managing agents (MA)
theatre market in the World is actually far bigger in
contract). His questions resulted in an explanation as
terms of potential performances and income for the
summarised below, but we wondered if all members
vast majority of plays and playwrights. It would be
appreciate what goes into the “system” when we offer
"nice" if we could consider a play purely on its artistic
to publish a play, so have made a decision to expand
merit, and having such low overheads (for example
it here.
print-to-order with absolute minimum stock on shelves)
There are two NTP contracts - the more usual allows us to take chances where a lot of publishers will
publishing contract that most members have, and the not. Sometimes that works and sometimes not.
Managing Agent contract. They are basically the
A few authors are sufficiently confident in their own
same, in that for both:-
work that they want to "publish and be damned",
1. We pay authors 70% of performance fees whereas we make the decision that, for that particular
play, we do not believe we would get payback on our
2. We pay 10% on all full price retail sales.
New Theatre Publications
2 Hereford Close | Woolston | Warrington | Cheshire | WA1 4HR
www.plays4theatre.com | info@plays4theatre.com | Tel: 0845 331 3516 | Fax: 0845 331 3518
Page 3
outlay. In this case we offer the MA contract, where all of you can have one as well for a very small outlay.
the author contributes towards the costs of getting the I am no web designer so my site is, to say the least,
play in print as detailed above, hence the £100 up amateurish, but it seems to get results. I never, ever,
front fee. The author's decision may not be purely push my plays at people who want to read your plays,
based on his belief in the work versus our own and all promotions of NTP are on a fair and equal basis
reservations - it may well be that the play fits into a for all of you; to show any kind of bias or favouritism
niche market that our marketing systems do not would be against the principle under which NTP and
address - the author wants books in print and a the Playwrights’ Co-operative were founded and run.
royalty/licensing system to back that up while he
But I have achieved some success, and - most
markets the play himself to market he perhaps knows
importantly - I’m not doing a single thing that you, an
better than we do. We obviously, to be fair to all
author could not do as well or better. Think about it,
members, have to market all NTP plays in the same
please.
way, we cannot show special favouritism to specific
authors, and we always maintain the best marketer of If you want a website, contact me and I will tell you all
an author's work is the author himself - so many new I can. If you want to pay for a website, I doubt you will
authors seem to have the attitude that once we have ever get better value anywhere than Stuart (the
accepted and published their plays they just have to designer who revamped the NTP site). I hope I’m not
sit back and wait for the enquiries and performances speaking out of turn here, but I’d guess he would be
to start rolling in, which, of course, is not how life works. looking in the order of £300 to put you a website
together (perhaps less for a small site). Purchasing a
I am sure there are a few other reasons why an author
domain name (the bit that goes after the www) and
would go for an MA arrangement rather than the
paying for someone to host it would cost you an initial
more usual publishing contract, but I hope the above
outlay that could be as little as £20, and the hosting
explains the mechanisms behind it all.
(where your website is store) can be just a few pounds
Marketing a year. We can offer advice on all of this. Once you
have a website, I will happily provide you with a copy
The above title is becoming a regular in these of the email I use - it obeys all the anti-spamming laws
newsletters, but no apology is made for that. A play and from is a reader can click straight through to look
script has little value to yourselves or to us unless at the relevant play on my website
people area reading it. Once that step has been www.ianhornby.co.uk.
achieved, and provided the work is attractive to those
reading it, performances will surely follow. The one thing I do have is a collection of email
addresses of theatre groups, and I have sent emails to
Without wanting to sound as if I’m on some kind of ego over 1,000 of these. All the information is in the public
trip here, I believe I can support this opinion using domain (that is you can find it in the same way I did by
myself as an example. In another window on this using Google Search with terms like “play scripts” and
computer I have opened the spreadsheet that forms a “theatre company”) but I cannot in all conscience
complete record of all sales of books and licences for send you a list of these, since if all members suddenly
every author. If I pick a few of the higher performing started hitting all these email addresses at once it
authors, I can see that one, between July 2006 and would give NTP a bad name. I do intend, however, to
today, has eight entries, leading to £456 in retail book send an email on behalf of NTP to all these addresses,
sales and £125 in performing rights. Another, in the so you could all benefit. My first mailshot was a
same period, has three entries, giving £39 in book sales personal one, on my own behalf, to see what results I
and £40 in licences. A third has six entries, with £33 in could get.
sales and £140 in royalties. One of our higher-
performing writers has 22 entries, leading to £189 sales We are prepared, however, to collect more email
and £425 in royalties. This is just a sample, of course, addresses for NTP mailshots, and here you can help. If
and the authors in question are confidential. But it you find or know of anyone who might be interested in
brings me to my own page. I have 37 entries, giving NTP scripts, let us know and we’ll add them to our
me £662 in sales and £1735 in licence fees over that database, to the mutual benefit of all members. To
period. simple send you out a copy of all email addresses I
have collected for personal use would be, in my
So what am I doing right? (Apart, obviously, from opinion, less than ethical, though I would see my
being a brilliant author - that’s a joke, by the way.) The collection as a valid contribution to a larger NTP
answer has to be about marketing. I contact theatre database, which included contributions from as many
groups and offer to send them evaluation copies of members as possible.
my plays. When I get a performance, I go and see it,
and my new bride takes on her sales role to push other Since NTP was a founder contributor to the London-
plays I have available. Two amateur societies have based theatre magazine “Sardines”, I do not have any
staged four of my plays each. I don’t pay for adverts problems with sharing the list of email addresses for
in publications - the payback on that has proven to be theatres in the London catchment with you all - NTP
a waste of time and money. I do have a website, and could hardly be blamed for a surplus of emails arriving
New Theatre Publications
2 Hereford Close | Woolston | Warrington | Cheshire | WA1 4HR
www.plays4theatre.com | info@plays4theatre.com | Tel: 0845 331 3516 | Fax: 0845 331 3518
Page 4
at a theatre who has made their contact details so
public. That is why I offered to make the list available
to any of you who requested it - since the offer I have Writing Opportunities
received no enquiries whatsoever for this list. I cannot
stress, the sales of YOUR plays is very much in YOUR Somerset Thrive: Youth Theatre New Writing is a pilot
hands, so you need to use all opportunities you get. project bringing together four youth theatres to meet
writers to explore new ways of working and
As stated previously, we are happy to discuss any of developing skills. At the heart of the project is
the above and advise where we can. Anything that empowerment of young people to make their own
increases sales and awareness of NTP benefits all NTP choices about the artists they wish to work with, as
members, me included. equals in a selection process and project
Sermon over (for now). development. This pilot stage in the project will explore
ways in which young people can learn to select artists
Author Profile Pages and then work with them to identify future project work
together. Apply to sarah@takeart.org or Sarah
I hope you are all aware that NTP/PC membership
Peterkin, Take Art, The Mill, Flaxdrayton Farm, South
entitles you to a free “profile” page on our website. It’s
Petherton, Somerset TA13 5HE.
not obligatory, but it can’t hurt. For those of you who
have not yet taken advantage of this facility, just take GI60 2008- The World's Only International, Interactive,
a look at what’s already there and use that as a basis One Minute Play Festival
for your page. All NTP published plays are picked up
Now in its fourth international year, Screaming Media
automatically, but if you have any non-NTP work you’d
Productions in association with Leeds Metropolitan
like to add, just send us all the details.
University, Leeds University, Brooklyn College and BBC
Recently published plays Big Screen are proud to present Gi60, the world's only
international, interactive, one minute play festival. On
The History of Kevin Figgins by Maxine Smith June 12th 2008 one hundred brand new pieces of
Blenkinsop’s Ghost by Andrew Beattie theatre will be performed. 50 in the UK at Stage One @
Leeds University and 50 in the US at the New Workshop
Ordinary Jack by Andrew Beattie Theatre, Brooklyn College. Each venue will premiere
fifty new plays, each lasting no more than sixty
Girl Power by David Challenger
seconds in length. Deadline for submissions is midnight
Combination by Maxine Smith May 1st
The Long Green Grass by John Cade -Plays must last no longer than 60 seconds
The Axedowne Mystery by Michael Marsh -All work must be totally original and the author's own
work
Some recent performances
-All submissions must be sent by email to:
Going Home (Ron Nicol) - County Cork screammedia@yahoo.com and must include your
Late Of This Address (Ian Hornby) - Chesterfield name, address and location before the title of your
work
Absent Thee From Felicity (Graham Billing) - Aitkenvale,
Australia Script is the development agency for dramatic writers
in the West Midlands, offering training, mentoring and
Benny's Funeral & Manny's Party (Geoff Saunders) - support for writers of stage, radio, TV and Film. We’re
Harlow currently inviting submissions for a Screen Adaptation
The Worst Day of My Life (Alan Richardson) - Oxford Scheme, which is aimed at published authors who
may have little or no experience of screenwriting.
The Canary Cage (Diana Raffle) - Elgin Ideally, we would like to attract authors who would like
to adapt their own work (novels/short stories, not
Red Riding Hood Goes Out West (Jackie Staite) -
poetry). Would you be able to circulate the
Worksop
information below to any writers you feel may be
Jumpers (Tom Casling) - Durham interested in the opportunity? It is aimed at Midlands-
based writers, and we’re really keen to widen our net
Time And Rosemary (Rena Pope) - Bristol
for participants.
Catherine Edwards, Acting Programmes Director,
Script - 0121 224 7415 - www.scriptonline.net
New Theatre Publications
2 Hereford Close | Woolston | Warrington | Cheshire | WA1 4HR
www.plays4theatre.com | info@plays4theatre.com | Tel: 0845 331 3516 | Fax: 0845 331 3518