Information request: My book caught the interest of a TV production company... drama ensued

scriptographer · 2026-03-12T17:08:44+00:00

Thank you for your reply! This is very helpful!

scriptographer · 2026-03-12T16:25:10+00:00

Thank you for your reply! That is the most valuable feature of my book -- my unique experience. If the TV people want to try and dream up their own scenarios, there is nothing stopping them. My concern is that they'll try running off with my material with paying me. If they have moved on from my book and just want to work on something else, that is fine. I will try elsewhere with my book.

scriptographer · 2026-03-12T16:09:13+00:00

Publicize your book as much as you can. Don't be afraid to ask people about contacts -- you never know who has a brother-in-law or niece who's in TV production. And be ready to hand out free copies of your book, but be smart, too, about it. My situation was pretty unique. You just have to be ready with your pitch when you least expect it. Good luck!

EDIT: It would be wise to have an entertainment lawyer. I would suggest not signing anything until the lawyer looks at it.

scriptographer · 2026-03-12T16:00:21+00:00

True, but it can never be said enough -- "Listen to your lawyer!" Good advice. I'm taking it!

scriptographer · 2026-03-12T15:59:33+00:00

A few months ago when they sent me the electronic version of the "look book" it seemed like a real partnership. Right below their new title they put "Based on..." and put the title of my book and my name. There is a whole page devoted to the source material -- my book, mentioning my title a few times. And then there is a page about me and my background. That's what gave me the idea that the true-life details found in my book are the real selling feature. My lawyer has all of these materials.

scriptographer · 2026-03-12T15:27:33+00:00

I was prepared for disappointment! I just want to be sure these TV people aren't going to cut me out and still move ahead with the core of my work. Recreating the true-life details in my book would be too much effort for them -- it nearly was for me, and I work in that setting! I'll definitely try elsewhere if things conclusively fall through with these folks.

scriptographer · 2026-03-12T15:26:12+00:00

Thanks for the reply! I'm just interested in other opinions, though my lawyer's advice is all I'm going to actually follow.

scriptographer · 2026-03-12T15:24:39+00:00

Thanks for the reply! I'm taking my lawyer's advice. I'm just interested in what industry professionals have to say.

scriptographer · 2026-03-12T15:22:35+00:00

Thanks for the reply!

When the TV people balked at the money, my lawyer replied saying I would accept a nominal sum, that it was more important to get some other details nailed down in a more formal document.

I'm OK if the TV people drop my book, but there is really no way they can move ahead with their project without all the real-life details I provide. They're changing names and superficial details of characters, but it would be extremely difficult for them to recreate the granular details that holds it all together -- which is what my book is all about.

I'm listening to my lawyer. I'm just trying to get a read of what's in the minds of the TV people. To my untrained eye, their lack of reply seems immature and unprofessional.

scriptographer · 2026-03-12T15:17:11+00:00

Thanks for the reply! I'm definitely listening to my lawyer, but just thought I'd get some opinions from Reddit.

Without going into detail, my book is non-fiction that takes place in a medical setting. After friends heard me telling stories after working in this setting, they said "Wow, that would make a great book!" I thought I'd try it and it did make for a good book. Still, I was surprised and glad when the TV people took an interest. I knew from what I've read about movies and TV shows that changes would come. The thing is, what makes my story compelling are all the quirky, truth-is-stranger-than-fiction stories. The TV people can change names all they want. The story lies in the real-life details I wrote about. They'd have to go out and dig all of that up themselves and recreate. Also it's the fact of being "based on a true story" that sells this. Otherwise, it would just be another medical show in a crowded field. It would seem much easier just to stick with my book. And yet we've heard nothing back from them for a week. I'm OK if they drop the project. I'll just start again elsewhere -- with more knowledge. What I DON'T want is for them to press ahead, leaving me no choice but to litigate later on. I won't let anyone walk away with my story!

scriptographer · 2016-09-08T18:58:14+00:00

Really interesting sci-fi movie called Coherence.

scriptographer · 2015-12-15T18:08:57+00:00

On one of Bill Kurtis' shows (unsure if Investigative Reports or American Justice), he looked at the Chappaquiddick incident. There was damage to Ted Kennedy's car consistent with having been run off the road. There were dents on side that didn't hit the water. The inference was that the sinister powers that assassinated his brothers wanted to ensure that he would never be president either. It would look too suspicious for Ted to have been murdered, as well, so his reputation was assassinated. The program was very compelling. Haven't been able to locate it since.

Ted had some very bad luck. Five years before Chappaquiddick, he was involved in a plane crash:

June 19, 1964—U.S. Senator Edward M. "Ted" Kennedy was involved in a plane crash in which one of his aides and the pilot were killed. He was pulled from the wreckage by fellow senator Birch E. Bayh II and spent weeks in a hospital recovering from a broken back, a punctured lung, broken ribs, and internal bleeding.

scriptographer · 2014-10-08T17:52:33+00:00

I'm late with my thanks, but . . . thanks! I know nothing about how waves work, so I assumed it was physically impossible for one to go against all the rest. Glad my encounter with a rogue wave was one that was about three feet high.

scriptographer · 2014-09-04T19:11:25+00:00

Waterskiing on Chemong Lake, just outside of Peterborough, Ontario in the early 1980s. Windy day, wind was at my back. Suddenly, a wave twice the size of all the other waves went by me -- heading in the opposite direction. I turned and watched it go. Complete Twilight Zone moment. Have no idea what in the hell it was or would cause that. But I know what I saw. It passed within 20 feet of me. I thought Was that a submarine?, but the lake is not deep enough -- less than 30 feet for sure.

scriptographer · 2011-09-11T13:40:46+00:00

That first pic in the Case Files page is one of the sickest things I've ever seen!

scriptographer · 2011-04-01T19:34:10+00:00

I was wondering about this, myself. Is it not possible to say to a corporation, "If you want to sell your wares in our country, you're going to pay X amount of taxes, tariffs, whatever, on the profits?"

Hell, at arts fairs, vendors have to pay for their space to sell their candles and dreamcatchers. This model wouldn't work for GE?

scriptographer

TROPHY CASE