Hello!  I know it has been quite awhile since I last posted and that there are so many new members that don't even know me.  I hope I am still welcomed here.    This community is so great.

I've been so busy exploring the way to gain rights to shows based on popular children's books.  I am happy to report that I have been successful with two books thus far.  BOY is it a lot of work!  So here is what I am talking about in case I lost anyone.  I perform puppet shows based on the books.  My good conscience won't allow me to perform these shows publicly and receive payment for stories that are not written by me.  So, I decided to go on the "adventure" of figuring out how to gain these rights.  Here's how my journey went:

First, I had to look at the book for the publisher's information.  Seems easy enough except that often times when I would contact the publishing company, I would be sent around to many different regional offices.  It was quite frustrating and it took a couple of months and too many emails to count going back and forth to finally figure out who I should finally talk to. 

After finding the correct publisher, they contact the author in my behalf notifying them of my request to use their story in my performances.  Most will be happy to say YES because it's a great way for them to market their books.

Then comes NEGOTIATIONS.  Phew!  This is actually the most nerve wracking part.  You have to stand your ground and stick to your budget but you also don't want to blow the deal completely.  You must keep in mind that you are trying to make money from your performances, too.  We don't just get paid in smiles.    Unfortunately, smiles don't pay for more puppet gear for future shows.

Finally after a price has been accepted by both parties and publisher, you then have to submit payment (royalties).  This actually took some time, too.  I had to wait for a request for payment form from the publisher and since I live in Singapore, it takes even more time for the banks to successfully transfer money due to currency exchanges. 

What a headache!  But I will say...it was worth it!  I have a clear conscience to perform two popular stories.  I can't disclose my deal but it doesn't come cheap.  It is a business investment.  I still have many negotiations of other books/stories ahead of me.  It is appealing to use Public Domain stories but since I teach in International schools, I have to use curriculum based stories as well.

My advice to anyone starting out in puppetry is to go with Public Domain stories or original works by you.  That is my next step....getting my own original stories published...OI VAY!  Here we go again with all the emails.  I'm gonna need a lot of coffee. 

Hope my post helps!

xoxo,
N

Forgot to mention:

The publisher is going to ask a lot of questions from you.  They are going to want to know how many times you would be performing.  They will ask your audience size and how much you charge per person or per performance.  So gather as much information about your business before contacting the publishers.  Have it all ready and it will save you a lot of time in the end.  It took me off guard and I had to do a lot of quick calculations and estimates that I wasn't prepared for.  Had I had more accurate numbers and costs, I might have saved more in royalty payments.

Also, keep in mind that these rights are very limiting.  You will gain the rights for a short amount of time and have to renew should you continue to use that book/story.  And you guessed it...RENEGOTIATIONS! ugh.

Thanks for the overview of the process it takes to gain rights to use a published story Nikole!

...And yes you are still welcome here... you always are.

Forgot to mention:

The publisher is going to ask a lot of questions from you.  They are going to want to know how many times you would be performing.  They will ask your audience size and how much you charge per person or per performance.  So gather as much information about your business before contacting the publishers.  Have it all ready and it will save you a lot of time in the end.  It took me off guard and I had to do a lot of quick calculations and estimates that I wasn't prepared for.  Had I had more accurate numbers and costs, I might have saved more in royalty payments.

This is normal for any kind of copyright issue. You have to give them that sort of info so they can calculate the profits you're expected to make and how much of a cut they get out of it.

Thanks for posting your experiences though. I've never thought about going through the processes and it's interesting to see how it's done.

Just a thought: this website is full of info about plays and has a lot of contact details for who to ask about copyright permissions. I know it's not necessarily applicable to you, but since many playwrights also have books published, it might be useful (and to others here as well).
http://doollee.com/
There are links on the page to literary agents and publishers too, listed by nationality.
Even Ronnie Burkett is listed, as he's published several of his plays:
http://www.doollee.com/PlaywrightsB/burkett-ronnie.html