Ed note: As the season turns to fall, and thoughts return to work, we're letting you preview today's issue of The Optionist, a standalone subscription newsletter from Ankler Media that identifies IP available for adaptation. Led by Andy Lewis, The Optionist curates a list of promising IP each week from books (new and backlist), long-form journalism, short stories, graphic novels and wherever IP can be found. Offering more than just a logline, the picks include comps, a short summary, casting suggestions and rep info. It's like having an extra set of hands on your dev team.
And The Optionist delivers ideas that get bought and developed -- far more than we can track. A few of Andy's favorite optioned IP picks include a James Bond spoof, a backlist title about a legendary unsolved robbery, a medical procedural about the federal government's elite rare-disease detectives and a high-concept sci-fi procedural that places a murder investigation against the arrival of a three-mile-tall alien corpse.
Optionist subscribers get the newsletter every week at noon PT on Friday; we're previewing today's newsletter, available to all Ankler readers today with a link to a special offer for new subscribers. Subscribe to The Optionist individually or as a group subscription and read on for a taste of an IP list that is like no other (and that your rivals are already subscribed to).
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The turn of the seasons feels like a fitting time to revisit a few of my favorite recent picks that are still up for grabs. Think of this as a gentle nudge to snap up the rights to one of these gems before someone else does. I mean, who wants to live with those kinds of regrets, amiright?
While we're at it, it also seems like a good time to remind readers of one of The Optionist's most valuable resources -- our archive of past picks. This easy-to-navigate database includes all of our picks dating back to the very first newsletter in 2022. In addition to our list of every book and every article/podcast we've featured, there are separate sublists by genre (Drama, Comedy, YA, Sports, etc.) to make searching that much easier. Yes, it lives behind a paywall, but if you're not already a subscriber, you're in luck! We've got a special offer for new members this week.
I've always been a big believer that the best hedge against uncertain times in this industry (ahem, like right now) is good material. What do I mean by that? Obviously, it's crucial to have good material on hand. However, you need to be thinking one step further. You should be keeping a running list of potential IPs for when the right opportunity pops up. You always have to be ready!
Subscribing to The Optionist is like beefing up your development team. Each week, my hand-curated list of picks across various genres and formats cuts through all of the noise and hype and offers what I think are the most promising books and articles for development.
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The Optionist gives subscribers more than just a snappy logline for the titles I love and champion. You'll also get a concise-but-robust explanation of what it is about a particular piece of material that's promising -- whether it's vivid world-building, vibrant characters or rich emotional arcs. Whatever makes it stand out from the crowd. I'll give you unique comps, rundowns of similar projects in development and even the occasional casting suggestion. Additionally, I share who represents the material, so you'll know exactly who to contact without wasting time. The goal is to provide my readers with all the information they need to make an informed decision (without overwhelming them with extraneous details).
I like to think of The Optionist also as an inspiration machine. Even when the material might not be exactly right for you, my write-ups certainly will help fuel your brainstorming. After all, sometimes all you need to get the juices flowing is to read a couple of other good ideas.
And I've got plenty of them. Whether it's a buzzy true-crime thriller, a dark academia fantasy, a Black-led reimagining of The Great Gatsby or a Thursday Murder Club for the social-media generation, the list of Optionist picks that have been snapped up for adaptation is extensive.
Which leads me back to the theme of the issue you're reading right now. The titles you'll find this week were all Optionist picks from earlier this year. And just as important, the rights for all of them are still available. For now.
These are picks I especially liked from the spring and summer whose rights are luckily still available. There are a couple of feel-good stories with broad appeal (including one that could be this generation's Northern Exposure), the latest novel from an ace crime writer who won't be undiscovered for long, and a fizzy romcom with a fresh spin.
The full lineup:
📬 A feel-good story that's ripe for a series about a guy who loses his corporate job and makes the life-changing decision to become a small-town mailman.
❤️ A screen-ready romcom that reimagines the caught-in-a-time-loop trope in an original and imaginative way.
🇺🇸A classic war novel -- in the public domain! -- that's set during the Civil War and is ripe for a new telling.
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