Acclaimed new screenwriting book raises funds for Childline

Adrian Mead, hairdresser-turned-writer, has written a guide to selling your screenplay that's been getting great reviews from some of the big names of the screenwriting world. Best of all, all the money raised from the £7.79 download goes to Childline - with over £1,000 raised in the first week alone.

Adrian wrote and directed the award winning £300,000 feature Night People (pictured) with producer Claire Kerr and also works as a volunteer for Childline.  "The fantastic training and the short time I have experienced as a counselor so far has definitely given me new skills and an insight into my own psyche," he says. 'I’m convinced it’s also made me a better writer and director."

MAKING IT AS A SCREENWRITER is now available for the price of £7.79.  You can download your copy from www.meadkerr.com

From the author:

Getting your hands on a copy of MAKING IT AS A SCREENWRITER, couldn’t be easier...but first I’d like to tell you a story.  

I pressed the button on the phone and the first sound I heard in the headset was a child sobbing.  She was barely able to speak, kept saying the same thing over and over…”I just want it to stop.”  It was Monday morning 7.30 am.   My very first call as a ChildLine volunteer counselor.

When I first heard that ChildLine were opening a new office in Edinburgh I started to think about volunteering.  Their website stated, “ChildLine is the UK's free and confidential, 24-hour helpline for children in distress or danger”.  What would I be letting myself in for?  I mean, play me the scene where the mother elephant reaches her trunk through the bars to caress Dumbo and I’m bawling like a baby.  How would I cope?

The interview process and training was fascinating. Yes there are calls about abuse, however children also call to talk about bullying, family break ups, exam pressures, homework, puberty, and pretty much anything they feel unable to discuss with parents, teachers or friends.

The fantastic training and the short time I have experienced as a counselor so far has definitely given me new skills and an insight into my own psyche. I’m convinced it’s also made me a better writer and director.

Okay, at this point you may be thinking, “What’s all this to do with me?   Well, here’s where you come in.  Apart from a tiny admin cost, all proceeds from sales of MAKING IT AS A SCREENWRITER will go to ChildLine.  By making it exclusively available as a download we can maximize the funds the charity will receive.

Reviews

“In the confusing forest of screenwriting books here is a sturdy oak: simple, honest and true. Highly recommended.”

Ashley Pharoah
Co Creator of Life On Mars. Ashes To Ashes. Where The Heart Is.

MAKING IT AS A SCREENWRITER is not a “how to write” book but a manual that lays out exactly what you need to do in order to achieve your goal of becoming a professional screenwriter.

“Every aspiring writer should be forced to read this, at gunpoint.  If I'd had this when I first started writing, I'd have cried a bit, but would have been so much better prepared. You need to read this book immediately.”

James Moran  Screenwriter
Severance. Doctor Who. Torchwood. Primeval

"I love this book, it just tells you how it is and what you need to succeed."

Tony Jordan  Screenwriter
Creator of Hustle, Holby Blue. Co Creator of Life On Mars

“I will recommend this book to all the aspiring writers I work with – it’s practical, honest and inspiring.”

Carly Rich-Conway –
Red Planet Drama Executive and writer

“Lots of other screenwriting books do the ‘Go! Screenwriters!’ cheerleader routine.  Adrian Mead is more the hard-bitten coach in the dressing room, slapping you in the face and telling you exactly what you have to do to win.  It won’t make you write better scripts, but it will help you sell them.”

Andy Conway
Shooting People Screenwriters Network'

"Hard graft doesn't always get you what you want, but used in conjunction with this book as your guide, the chances are it'll help you turn that dream into a reality.”

Marc Pye  Screenwriter
Credits include The Street, Eastenders, The Bill

‘… jam-packed with honest and life changing information that could only come from a successful industry insider.  I highly recommend it to anyone serious about making it in TV or film.’

Geoff Thompson
Author, Screenwriter and BAFTA winner

The simple truth is talent isn’t enough.  You need to know how to get your work into the hands of people with money and then to continue to build a career beyond your first commission. MAKING IT AS A SCREENWRITER will teach you all this and much, much more.     

"Practical, insightful…It's all about the nuts and bolts of how to get ahead rather than any grand posturing about 'how to write'.  I wish I had something like this when I was starting out, it would have saved me a lot of time and frustration."

Danny Stack
Scriptwriter

MAKING IT AS A SCREENWRITER is now available for the price of £7.79.  You can download your copy from our site www.meadkerr.com

Your purchase will enable ChildLine to continue to offer support and help to children throughout the UK.