John Robert Marlow
Author, editor, and screenwriter specializing in outline development, developmental editing, line editing, ghostwriting, screenplay adaptations, pitch writing, and independent publishing support.
John Robert Marlow is a traditionally-published (and soon to be indie-published) novelist and nonfiction author and an Academy-honored screenwriter. He has over 20 years’ experience as a freelance journalist and more than 15 years’ experience as a book and screenplay editor.
John’s sci-fi/tech-thriller novel Nano was published in hardcover and paperback by Tor/Forge (St. Martin’s Press), and he literally wrote the book on film adaptations—after extensive interviews with novelists, screenwriters, directors, producers, and others whose movies have collectively earned over $50 billion worldwide. Make Your Story a Movie: Adapting Your Book or Idea for Hollywood was originally published by St. Martin’s Griffin; an updated second edition will be indie published.
One of John’s action screenplays went into development with producer/director Jan de Bont, whose credits include Speed, Twister, Minority Report, and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Another action script is also in development. When John took a brief vacation, the producer of the Tom Cruise / Jamie Foxx action-thriller Collateral hired a private detective to track him down, so she could option his latest romantic comedy script before anyone else.
For the past two years, John has been researching indie publishing while writing and preparing to rapid-release a six-book science fiction/thriller series. He draws on that knowledge gained through hundreds of hours of research when consulting with TED clients who wish to self-publish.
John joined The Editorial Department in 2006. His client work has included editing, outlining, writing, revising and ghostwriting novels, screenplays, nonfiction books, book proposals, query letters, loglines, pitch sheets, synopses, screenplay treatments, and series bibles. He also analyzes novels, nonfiction works, short fiction, and nonfiction for commercial and screen adaptation potential—recommending changes to improve concept, plot, character, dialogue, narration, and marketability. He’s written screenplay adaptations of novels and nonfiction, and book adaptations of screenplays.
John’s first love is commercial fiction: novels and screenplays in the action, thriller, science fiction, fantasy, young adult, drama, and comedy (including romantic comedy) genres. Running a close second to these are “quirky fiction” and compelling nonfiction.