Ask the Author: Greg Levin
Answered Questions (9)
Greg Levin
An indie author published a book without first investing in editing, proofreading and cover design. And was never heard from again.
Greg Levin
Tyler Durden and Tyler Durden.
Greg Levin
Hi John,
My sincere apologies for never responding to your question about the HBO option deal for 'The Exit Man.' I never saw your message... until just NOW. Honestly. (I spend little time on Goodreads, as I find it a bit confusing. Great, now I sound like a grandpa.)
To answer your question (a mere seven months late), in October 2014, a TV producer emailed me out of the blue to ask about the TV/film rights to my book. (She had read a blurb about my book that a PR company had posted on Publishers' Weekly.) I said the rights were available, and she said she was very interested in seeing if she could get the book developed into a TV series. I didn't have an agent at the time, so I had an entertainment lawyer look over the "shopping agreement" the producer sent (giving her the right to shop my book to TV studios/networks), and then eventually signed the agreement. Just a few months later, she emailed me and said she had sold the option to HBO! After changing my underwear, I did a jig and sipped champagne. The producer also helped me land an agent at CAA -- a guy who is the head of TV for CAA, which is one of the two largest agencies in Hollywood. He handled the deal with HBO, and got me a very nice chunk of change for the option. Current status: A well-known screenwriter is working on the pilot script as we speak (it's taking a while), and hopefully HBO will green light the whole project, though there's certainly no guarantee the show will ever air. Fingers (and all other appendages) crossed.
Bottom line -- I lucked the f*ck out.
Again, sorry for the ridiculously delayed response. Best of luck to you and your writing!
Regards,
GL
My sincere apologies for never responding to your question about the HBO option deal for 'The Exit Man.' I never saw your message... until just NOW. Honestly. (I spend little time on Goodreads, as I find it a bit confusing. Great, now I sound like a grandpa.)
To answer your question (a mere seven months late), in October 2014, a TV producer emailed me out of the blue to ask about the TV/film rights to my book. (She had read a blurb about my book that a PR company had posted on Publishers' Weekly.) I said the rights were available, and she said she was very interested in seeing if she could get the book developed into a TV series. I didn't have an agent at the time, so I had an entertainment lawyer look over the "shopping agreement" the producer sent (giving her the right to shop my book to TV studios/networks), and then eventually signed the agreement. Just a few months later, she emailed me and said she had sold the option to HBO! After changing my underwear, I did a jig and sipped champagne. The producer also helped me land an agent at CAA -- a guy who is the head of TV for CAA, which is one of the two largest agencies in Hollywood. He handled the deal with HBO, and got me a very nice chunk of change for the option. Current status: A well-known screenwriter is working on the pilot script as we speak (it's taking a while), and hopefully HBO will green light the whole project, though there's certainly no guarantee the show will ever air. Fingers (and all other appendages) crossed.
Bottom line -- I lucked the f*ck out.
Again, sorry for the ridiculously delayed response. Best of luck to you and your writing!
Regards,
GL
Greg Levin
Interesting you should ask. I actually just wrote a guest post on that very topic for a book blogger. That post has yet to be published, but I'll give you a sneak peek via an excerpt from it:
(excerpt)
Well, like many writers and other sensitive creative types, I often think about suicide whenever the slightest thing doesn’t go my way. (Now, before any of you offer me a hotline number to call or recommend I seek psychiatric help, let me point out that, while I may often think about suicide, I don’t often think about committing suicide. Thank you, though, for your imagined concern.)
So, one day, after something horrible happened to me (I could find my favorite pen) I started thinking about what would be the easiest, most humane and least messy way to end it all. That, of course, led to a Google search where, after a little bit of digital digging, I discovered that the steady and controlled inhalation of helium – via a tank, a tube and a plastic bag over the head – was the method of choice among many right-to-die advocates.
Fortunately I have ADHD, so I soon forgot that I was upset about my misplaced pen and became very intrigued by what I was reading. I saw the spark of a potentially good story. An original story.
Like most people, when I think of helium I think of party balloons (and squeaky voices). So when fleshing out my story, I got to thinking how interesting it would be to have a regular schmoe who owns a party supply store somehow get involved in euthanasia. I didn’t want to have an evil and sadistic protagonist, however, so I was careful to craft a set of circumstances that would make the party supply guy’s indoctrination into mercy killing not only believable but noble (no helium pun intended). A sort of Dexter meets Dr. Kevorkian kind of tale.
I want to point out that The Exit Man in no way makes light of suicide or terminal illness. The book is certainly a dark comedy (at least I hope to elicit some laughter); however, the humor in the book stems not from death or suffering. Rather, the humor comes from the complicated predicaments that Eli continuously finds himself in. And also from the stark contrast of Eli’s day job with his secret underground operation. Selling party favors one minute and taking a life the next – plenty of room for black humor there, don’t you think?
While making readers chuckle was definitely part of my original plan with this novel, laughter was not all I was after. I had hoped to engage readers and elicit lively discussions about voluntary euthanasia – all while providing plenty of suspense and intrigue.
(excerpt)
Well, like many writers and other sensitive creative types, I often think about suicide whenever the slightest thing doesn’t go my way. (Now, before any of you offer me a hotline number to call or recommend I seek psychiatric help, let me point out that, while I may often think about suicide, I don’t often think about committing suicide. Thank you, though, for your imagined concern.)
So, one day, after something horrible happened to me (I could find my favorite pen) I started thinking about what would be the easiest, most humane and least messy way to end it all. That, of course, led to a Google search where, after a little bit of digital digging, I discovered that the steady and controlled inhalation of helium – via a tank, a tube and a plastic bag over the head – was the method of choice among many right-to-die advocates.
Fortunately I have ADHD, so I soon forgot that I was upset about my misplaced pen and became very intrigued by what I was reading. I saw the spark of a potentially good story. An original story.
Like most people, when I think of helium I think of party balloons (and squeaky voices). So when fleshing out my story, I got to thinking how interesting it would be to have a regular schmoe who owns a party supply store somehow get involved in euthanasia. I didn’t want to have an evil and sadistic protagonist, however, so I was careful to craft a set of circumstances that would make the party supply guy’s indoctrination into mercy killing not only believable but noble (no helium pun intended). A sort of Dexter meets Dr. Kevorkian kind of tale.
I want to point out that The Exit Man in no way makes light of suicide or terminal illness. The book is certainly a dark comedy (at least I hope to elicit some laughter); however, the humor in the book stems not from death or suffering. Rather, the humor comes from the complicated predicaments that Eli continuously finds himself in. And also from the stark contrast of Eli’s day job with his secret underground operation. Selling party favors one minute and taking a life the next – plenty of room for black humor there, don’t you think?
While making readers chuckle was definitely part of my original plan with this novel, laughter was not all I was after. I had hoped to engage readers and elicit lively discussions about voluntary euthanasia – all while providing plenty of suspense and intrigue.
Greg Levin
A couple shots of vodka while reading a few Bukowski poems and some Hemingway quotes.
Greg Levin
I just released my second novel, 'The Exit Man' (a dark comedy about euthanasia), and thus I've been very busy promoting it. I'm already hard at work on my third novel -- a comedic dystopian tale about a secret government organization that is in charge of population control in the US. It's set about 30 years in the future. Still no jet-packs or hover cars, by the way.
Greg Levin
Read a lot. Write a lot. Never give up. And, most importantly, marry rich.
Greg Levin
There are so many things I like about being a writer, but I would say numero uno is being able to see a creative idea germinate and grow into something big and, hopefully, beautiful. To create something from nothing and push the limits of self-expression -- that's quite empowering.
I also love being able to work in just my underwear -- or less.
I also love being able to work in just my underwear -- or less.
Greg Levin
I just plow right (or write) through it. I'd rather write nonsense that can later be edited or salvaged in some way than to sit and stare at a screen or a notepad. Sometimes you just have to force-feed the page until things start flowing.
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