Cover to Coverage
Reading books for film and TV adaptation
one-on-one courses by an industry insider
Every production company needs books. Every book needs a scout. Every scout needs readers. And every reader needs to know how to write brilliant coverage.
Learn how to write industry-standard book reports, build up samples, and get a peek into the world of book scouting, all via an insider who began exactly where you are.
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Choose from our basic and bespoke options.
Basic: suitable for those wanting to improve on their coverage or learn how to write it from scratch
Bespoke: suitable for anyone serious about a career as a book scout
“I have worked with Alex for over five years, and in my 15-year career she is by far one of the best - if not the best - reader I've ever worked with… She is also a wonderful, patient teacher and I've watched her help countless external readers rapidly improve on their reporting skills. I couldn't recommend her more highly.”
Cecilia Campbell-Westlind, Forage Literary
“When I first spoke to Alex, she was hugely informative and encouraging, unveiling so much of the fog around the film/TV scouting industry that I had struggled to understand for months. Her advice led me to the opportunity to read for a lead scouting company, which gave me invaluable experience across the industry.”
Olivia Brass, Milk Publicity
“Alex was an invaluable mentor to me at the beginning of my book scouting career: encouraging, communicative, and deeply knowledgeable (and so generous with this knowledge)! She has a sharp editorial eye, and a distinctly comprehensive, logical approach to coverage that has massively informed — and improved — all my reports since.”
Martha French, MTLS Literary Scouts
“Alex is always a joy to talk to or work with, I couldn’t recommend her more highly to teach this course. She has the very rare ability to communicate both what a book is on the page and what it could potentially become in adaptation.”
Kate Myers, Ridley Scott Associates
“I have known Alex since 2021, her knowledge and insight into the publishing industry have been invaluable. I trust her judgment implicitly - she also has fantastic taste.”
Caryl Benee, Two Cities Television
Alex Chaney
Despite having studied film and TV at university, I had no idea the world of book scouting existed until around seven years ago, when it was introduced to me during an internship. Slowly but surely (and with a rabid desire to prove reading for a living was possible), I built up a portfolio of contacts and samples, before being asked to come aboard a scouting agency full-time. As well as being fortunate enough to now have my own writing projects in the offing, I still work as Head Reader at Forage Literary, where I’ve operated in various guises for the last five years, building relationships with some of the world’s top film and TV production companies, and now, helping a new generation of readers find their feet.
We Zoom
You read
You report
I edit
Basic / Bespoke
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one zoom
Be introduced to the world of book-to-screen and the tenets of a good book report. And ask me any questions you have about the industry at large.
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three zooms
An introductory call, a call explaining my edits, and a wrap-up call for any more questions, concerns or ideas you may have.
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one coverage edit
One piece of guided book coverage edited to industry standard, with notes you can follow along for next time.
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two coverage edits
Two pieces of edited coverage, one longform (four-page) and one shortform (one-page). Or, we can work on two longform pieces. It’s entirely up to you.
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result
One coverage sample to send to scouts and production companies, and a greater understanding of how to write effective longform book coverage going forward.
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aftercare
Email me any time with questions, or for advice and references, and I’ll always let you know about any reading or job opportunities that come my way.
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result
Two coverage samples to send to scouts and production companies, an in-depth understanding of both shortform and longform coverage, a better grip on the industry, and a useful contact for as long as you need one.