Online play publisher

How can they respond so quickly to all submissions? Do they even read them?

Having giving the site a quick once over it seems that if somebody decides to use your script you get no payment only royalties which the company take a chunk of.

There are payment guidelines in place for producing plays as well as associated rights for the writer in terms of a writing fee, attendance, rewrites and copyright. None of which seem to be mentioned here. Unless I am missing something you are giving your work and rights away for peanuts.

Tread very carefully unless you do amateur dramatic pantomimes where payment doesn't come into it, in fairness the site seems to specialise in this type of work but seems happy to take anything else.

The website sets off a lot of alarms for me.

Endless rewrite: Thanks for bringing this to everyone's attention. You just saved someone a lot of time and heartache.

AADIVER

I don't think you have to be any sort of an expert to see that the website and services you recommended as a publishing source for plays has some issues. And in answer to your rather defensive question as to my experience, though I am no expert I have had several plays commercially produced, BBC radio plays based on a couple of my stage plays, and recently had a TV series optioned but almost all my writing experience has been for the stage. I have a reputable and established London agent, I had a play tour last year which was also published (hard copy, not online) and my latest play was developed through a paid residential attachment at the National Theatre in London. That is not the sum total of my writing credits but hopefully enough to allow me to offer an opinion without it being dismissed. However, I have not gone to the trouble of uploading my plays details on Doollee. Perhaps that negates my experience, who knows... as far as I am aware anyone can upload their details if they have written a script. I don't link my details online but am happy to pass on my full name to one of the mods here who can verify the above on Google easily enough if you need proof that I have a little experience and perhaps a worthwhile opinion.

I have had another look at the site and have not changed my original opinion.

If I have got it right (going by the submission guides) if a theatre decides to put on your play they pay Limelight a royalty fee per performance (under £50) and you get part of that. If your play was commissioned by the same theatre directly or through an agent either as a new work or a repeat run you would get a commission, a writer's fee as well as having your rights protected as the contract is between you and the theatre/production company and not between the production company/theatre and a third party. So right here you would be selling the rights for anyone to do your play for a few quid, no writer's fee, no rehearsal attendance and no say in how or where you play is produced. I cannot see how this is anything but an appalling deal for the writer in both creative and financial terms. You are not just giving Limelight the right to publish your play but the right to offer it up for production on their terms. You are out of the negotiation loop completely.

It is a bad idea to give away rights to your plays for a small royalty online when the Writer's Guild set rate for a full length play is just under £7000 for a smallish theatre plus royalties where appropriate. You do not have to be a member of the guild to benefit from these rates which are negotiated with the theatres on everyone's behalf. I would advise anyone to be careful about handing over their rights as well as the chance to negotiate with whoever decides to stage their plays IF they think they have a commercial chance with a script. I also run the steering group for my local Writers Guild branch so I am keen on writers retaining their rights and getting paid for their hard work.

Congratulations on the acting credits (the link only took me to the main webpage), I have none of those. I only want people to tread carefully when it concerns their writing, their rights and websites that offer so little and take a great deal. I am sure everyone here has the good sense to check out the site thoroughly if they are considering giving their work over to it and to weigh up the pros and cons themselves. Each to their own.

I would be interested to hear anyone else's take on the site and its services. The link is supplied in the first post.

Frank,

Sorry I was adding more (very slowly) to my already huge post when you replied. Congratulations on the interest on the plays. It's good you can get out of the contract at short notice if you need to. Would you be able to do that if you got a firm offer to produce so you could get a contract between you and the theatre sorted out? Wouldn't want to see you missing out on a fee because the theatre could get the right to produce your script online for much less!

As for the worse independent film, that's quite a cool accolade. Most people never get their film scripts made let alone a cult following. Plus a credit, is a credit.

Hope you hear good news soon about your plays.

BTW How is the WG over there for playwrights? The Guild president here is a playwright so we get a fair amount of attention to our needs.