What Does That Mean? Literary Definitions: Vol. 5
Ever come across a publishing term and wasn’t sure what it meant? (Who hasn’t?) This series will give you some clarity on literary definitions.
Ever come across a publishing term and wasn't sure what it meant? (Who hasn't?)
The Buried Editor and I are pairing up to start a series to help define some oft-used terms in the publishing world.
Literary Definitions: Vol. 5
Film option - (n.) Not to be confused with "option clause" below. An option is when a production company (or other individual/organization) pays you a moderate amount of money in exchange for a time period to exclusively develop a film project deriving from your work.
For example: A film company asks to option your book for $5,000. A typical deal would involve letting them have 12 months to move the project forward and try to get the wheels moving so a film adaptation of your book is brought to life. During those 12 months, the film company will hire a scriptwriter to pen a screenplay adaptation and then use the screenplay as a tool to get prominent actors and producers interested. If they have enough momentym and people onboard, the film company will buy the film rights altogether. If the film company fails in its goal to get a good script and actors, and the 12 months run out, you get the rights back. At that point, other production companies may choose to option it. Options are much more common that a full purchase of film rights.
Logline - (n.) A one-line summary of your story. For example: "A treasure hunter searches for a fabled artifact in the Himalayas."
Narrative nonfiction - (n.) Nonfiction that uses the devices of fiction. You're telling a true story, but using things such as character development, dialogue and cliffhangers. Think about it like the movie Apollo 13. The whole story is true, but it's told in a dramatic fashion, like a fictional story would be.
Oft-cited examples of narrative nonfiction include The Perfect Storm, Seabiscuit, In Cold Blood and The Right Stuff.
Option clause - (n.) A clause often found in author-publisher book contracts that grants the publisher the right to publish the author's next work. The option clause is sometimes called the "right of first refusal" because it allows the publisher first crack at the author's next book, which the publisher may or may not decide to take on.
For example, you write Book 1 for a publisher and then compose Book 2. The publishing house that signed you for Book 1 gets an exclusive look at Book 2 for a set period of time (say, a few months) and then will either come back and say "No thanks. You're free to take it elsewhere" - or they will say "We want this one, too. How does $15,000 sound?" If the amount offered for Book 2 is too low, you can still say no and still go elsewhere.
Synopsis - (n.) A summary of your story from start to finish that explains everything in the book. The main characters are introduced and the ending is revealed.
Tearsheet - (n.) A sample of writing in its published form, cut from the newspaper or magazine in which it appeared. If the tearsheet does not include the title and date of the publication, the writer should include that information. Similar to "clips."
Chuck Sambuchino is a former editor with the Writer's Digest writing community and author of several books, including How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack and Create Your Writer Platform.
