So I turned up for round two at the London Book Fair but this time I was on the other side. Decked in my LBF t-shirt I started my duties as volunteer - by drinking free tea and eating free pastries during the briefing. But once the important stuff was out the way I headed to my designated room to get ready for the day's talks. As there were no talks in my room until half 11 I helped my friend who was in charge of the room next door. This room was the home of talks about children's literature including a few discussions on equality and representation in children's books that got heated. But for more on that go and follow @charlieinabook - a must-follow for anyone interested in YA literature and social media communities.
So finally it was time for the talks in my room to get going. First up was Gamification for Publishers which was a panel talk looking at how publishers can use gamification and transmedia to enhance their products and get access to a wider audience. But it's not only the publishers that can benefit as game developers can use the collaborations to build on their audience too. The key messages I took from this talk were that gamification covers more than you expect and that there is a level of game-like interaction in almost everything now
So finally it was time for the talks in my room to get going. First up was Gamification for Publishers which was a panel talk looking at how publishers can use gamification and transmedia to enhance their products and get access to a wider audience. But it's not only the publishers that can benefit as game developers can use the collaborations to build on their audience too. The key messages I took from this talk were that gamification covers more than you expect and that there is a level of game-like interaction in almost everything now
and nearly all the major name games have publishers behind them in some form so you have to at least be familiar with the ideas of gamification if you are going to keep up. And collaboration is key. Stick to what you are good at and team up with people who are good at the rest rather than spreading yourself too thinly and doing everything badly. This sector looks to be something that is going to keep growing and will open up new opportunities both for products and rights deals so it's well worth getting to grips with it early even if you don't think it will be relevant for what you want to do - even academic publishers are getting involved. Competition is no longer coming from other publishing houses but from other media forms so unless you can offer users the same level of interactivity and kick you are going to fall behind.
Next talk of the day was Should Novelists Write Screenplays? An interesting question I hadn't really thought about and one that sparked a lot of discussion with people arguing both sides. A few interesting points that came out were the different audiences the two formats have as the novelist writes for a single reader (an editor) while a screenwriter always writes with many people in mind as submissions are assessed by a committee and, considering the fact that screenwriters will have read novels but few novelists will have read screenplays, this can prove to be quite difficult. It's a truism that bad books are easier to adapt because the original isn't held in such high regard but if you see a bad adaptation remember that it can't ruin the book, it can't make you retrospectively hate the book or change your enjoyment of it, it can only make you hate the film. So the discussion led to the conclusion that authors should feel free to try writing a screenplay as long as they recognise the differences and difficulties and remember: if it's a hit the director will get all the credit but if it's a flop the writer will get all the blame.
What is perhaps more important when it comes to film and TV is making sure you know your rights as I learnt in the next talk What should authors, agents and rights' professionals know when making deals with film and television companies in the brave new digital world? Getting an agent involved to help you retain your rights and make sure you have means to get them back if the adaptation never makes it to the light of day. Many publishers and producers you deal with will try and get all the rights but if you can portion them off and sell them separately you might far better. There are a few things you can do to strengthen your bargaining position. A strong author brand developed through social media will give you a bit more power and make sure you do your research through sites like IMDB. And if it doesn't work out, don't be afraid to ask why you have been rejected and to keep trying as some of the biggest successes didn't get picked up straight away.
So that saw the end of my duties as volunteer so I finished the day by attending a talk on How to Set up a Publishing House. After a talk from someone from the Independent PUblisher's Guild, someone who has done it and made it work and someone from Nielson Bookscan I learnt that it is doable but you have to work hard, really want it and do your research. And of course joining an organisation and getting help from the people who have already done it goes a long way. So while the talk was positive, I don't think I've got the entrepreneurial bug right now so I'll stick with just working for someone else, but you never know.
So the end of my second day at the fair and I was exhausted. But I had learnt a lot about a few things by attending talks as a volunteer that I probably wouldn't have thought to go to otherwise which is why I recommend volunteering at events like this if you get the chance. You never know what you might learn.
Next talk of the day was Should Novelists Write Screenplays? An interesting question I hadn't really thought about and one that sparked a lot of discussion with people arguing both sides. A few interesting points that came out were the different audiences the two formats have as the novelist writes for a single reader (an editor) while a screenwriter always writes with many people in mind as submissions are assessed by a committee and, considering the fact that screenwriters will have read novels but few novelists will have read screenplays, this can prove to be quite difficult. It's a truism that bad books are easier to adapt because the original isn't held in such high regard but if you see a bad adaptation remember that it can't ruin the book, it can't make you retrospectively hate the book or change your enjoyment of it, it can only make you hate the film. So the discussion led to the conclusion that authors should feel free to try writing a screenplay as long as they recognise the differences and difficulties and remember: if it's a hit the director will get all the credit but if it's a flop the writer will get all the blame.
What is perhaps more important when it comes to film and TV is making sure you know your rights as I learnt in the next talk What should authors, agents and rights' professionals know when making deals with film and television companies in the brave new digital world? Getting an agent involved to help you retain your rights and make sure you have means to get them back if the adaptation never makes it to the light of day. Many publishers and producers you deal with will try and get all the rights but if you can portion them off and sell them separately you might far better. There are a few things you can do to strengthen your bargaining position. A strong author brand developed through social media will give you a bit more power and make sure you do your research through sites like IMDB. And if it doesn't work out, don't be afraid to ask why you have been rejected and to keep trying as some of the biggest successes didn't get picked up straight away.
So that saw the end of my duties as volunteer so I finished the day by attending a talk on How to Set up a Publishing House. After a talk from someone from the Independent PUblisher's Guild, someone who has done it and made it work and someone from Nielson Bookscan I learnt that it is doable but you have to work hard, really want it and do your research. And of course joining an organisation and getting help from the people who have already done it goes a long way. So while the talk was positive, I don't think I've got the entrepreneurial bug right now so I'll stick with just working for someone else, but you never know.
So the end of my second day at the fair and I was exhausted. But I had learnt a lot about a few things by attending talks as a volunteer that I probably wouldn't have thought to go to otherwise which is why I recommend volunteering at events like this if you get the chance. You never know what you might learn.
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