In twenty years, Franklin Leonard has built a solid reputation in the United States as a screenplay scout. Now, the American is setting out to discover fiction books, reports The New York Times. He hopes to accomplish the same feat in the literary field as he did in cinema, and to help “to finally solve the Sisyphean problem of the mountain of manuscripts to read” for publishers, explains the American daily.
The news did not go unnoticed in the sector and the press. For good reason, by gathering since 2005 on his site The Black List the “best” unproduced scripts, which went under the radar of the Hollywood industry, Franlink Leonard has helped to make hits like Slumdog Millionaire, Spotlight or The King’s Speech. The scenarios highlighted are those that are most appreciated on the platform by executives and producers in the sector.
The Black List will now also welcome manuscripts from aspiring writers. Franklin Leonard hopes to counteract the lack of visibility for writers who do not have a network, which “has very negative consequences, both for writers who struggle to promote the fruit of their work, and for publishing houses which sometimes miss out on the best authors or the best books,” he told the newspaper.
A bonus scholarship
The way it works is simple: any novelist can create a free account on the platform, then post an unpublished or self-published manuscript by paying a monthly subscription of $30 (27 euros), and for $150 (135 euros), receive feedback from a professional. The texts most appreciated by the platform’s readers will be highlighted.
Access to these manuscripts will be free for publishers, which is generating enthusiasm among some of them. “I find that Franklin Leonard does an immense job of prospecting, collecting and organizing, which gives a second chance to quality works,” says Molly Stern, founder of the publishing house Zando.
[…] - Courrier international
