The blurb of Jaishankar Krishnamurthy’s recently published book Farside reads, “Like the farside of the moon, everyone has a face that has never been seen.” Though alluding to the protagonist of his potboiler, these words ring true for Krishnamurthy as well. Till quite recently, this Bengaluru-based finance professional believed that his dream of being a published novelist was impossible to achieve. Yet, with the help of his writer wife who co-authored the book, not only did he achieve it, but also stumbled upon a first-grade business idea.
“As a result of my experience, I realised there are several individuals like me who may not have the time or skills to write, or the resources to convert their unique ideas into novels. This is why we launched Script A Hit in April 2021, which is a unique platform for individuals to realise their dream of becoming an author or the creative mind behind an audio-visual production like a film or web series,”
he explains.
To give life to his idea, Krishnamurthy partnered with others who had specific knowledge and creative skillsets relevant to this field. The first of these is his wife—popular fiction writer Krishna Udayasankar, who holds the distinction of having successfully optioned each of her novels to production houses such as Disney Hotstar and Phantom Films. She has also written screenplays for web series of leading OTT platforms. Neha Lamba Grover, another co-founder, formerly worked with Star TV and is currently with HCL Technologies in their media telecom sector in the US. Her large network and expertise in the sphere of audio-visual content production have boosted the platform’s work in its initial phase. The team rounds off with AK Srikanth whose experience of building sustainable businesses out of start-ups across multiple sectors and geographies makes him a valuable addition. One of his most successful projects was a creative arts start-up, where stories were performed through classical Indian dance forms.
At its core, Script A Hit is an intermediary that connects people who have good ideas but lack creative skills with those that have the talent but need extra work. Interested parties submit a detailed synopsis of their idea on the website. If the idea is selected, the team signs a legal contract with the person in question, who receives an amount of Rs 25,000 as consideration. Professional writers chosen to fit particular genres articulate these ideas into full-fledged manuscripts which are then pitched to reputed publishers. Since the written word holds less weight than visual mediums in the present age, certain manuscripts are simultaneously pitched to audio-visual content producers as well.
How do they decide which way to go? Grover responds, “We feel that a good story should first be written as a book and then made into a film or web series. This allows for detailed plot development and character-building. So the first step is to convert the idea into a book. In these competitive times, we believe the stories taken from books published by reputed publishers have a competitive edge over screenplays and are preferred by OTT content producers.”
Whatever the medium, the aim is to get these stories out in the market. A portion of royalties received from the publisher or content producer on successful conversion goes to the person who submitted the original idea, who is also awarded creative credit for the final product. The team at Script A Hit believes that content is now being consumed faster than it is being produced due to the pandemic-induced behavioural change in viewership and readership. This is evident from the platform receiving over 200 idea submissions in the few months since its launch. Three offers for publication have been made till now, with plenty more in the pipeline.
The most unique story received thus far was from a 17-year-old boy. Submissions have poured in from as far as Canada and Australia. “We have received ideas in a wide variety of genres from romance to crime, social drama, and fantasy fiction. These have come from across India and abroad, over a range of age groups as well as from different professional and social backgrounds. This clearly shows that the concept of Script A Hit appeals to audiences of all ages. It is truly exhilarating to see the untapped creativity out there!” beams Udayasankar. People have always had stories to tell, and Script A Hit gives them a mouthpiece with which to tell them.
How it Works
✥ People can submit a synopsis of their idea on the website scriptahit.com
✥ The best ideas are picked by the internal team and matched with a writer whose expertise lies in that particular genre
✥ A contract is signed with the person who submitted the idea, who receives `25,000 as an initial signing bonus
✥ Once the manuscript is ready, it is optioned to renowned publishers for conversion into a book or content producers as a screenplay for films or web series
✥ If the manuscript is picked for publication or production, the person who submitted the original idea receives a portion of the royalties earned, and creative credit for the story