You've finished your play. You've probably rewritten it more times than you care to admit, and now you're wondering: how do I get my play published?
The good news is that there are several ways to get a finished play in front of publishers, theatres, producers, and audiences. The trick is finding the right route—and legitimate opportunities worth your time.
1. Make Your Finished Play Submission-Ready
Even if your play is production-ready, don't assume there's nothing left to do.
A staged reading or workshop can be incredibly useful. Hearing actors perform your words often reveals things that aren't obvious on the page. You may discover that a scene needs tightening, a character needs more depth, or that the play works exactly as it is.
Before you submit, have a clean script, short synopsis, playwright biography, and submission letter ready.
2. Decide Where to Submit Your Play
There are several routes to consider when looking for where to submit a play:
Play publishers publish scripts and often license them for theatrical productions, schools, and other uses.
Theatre companies may accept unsolicited scripts, commission new work, or run new-play development programs. Some opportunities can lead to a production rather than publication.
Playwriting competitions and festivals can offer readings, productions, prizes, or industry connections.
Workshops and development programs are worth considering if your play could benefit from another round of development before publication.
Self-publishing is another possibility if you want more control over the process and are prepared to handle editing, design, distribution, and promotion yourself.
3. Learn How to Find Legitimate Play Submission Opportunities
This is the part I wish more new playwrights spent time on.
When you find an opportunity online, don't immediately send your script. First, investigate the organisation.
Visit its official website. Read the current submission guidelines. Look at its history, staff, recent productions or publications, fees, eligibility requirements, and—most importantly—what happens to your rights if you're accepted.
Then search beyond the organisation's own website. Look for independent theatre coverage, reviews, and experiences from other playwrights.
Be cautious about anyone promising guaranteed publication, production, or representation. Also be wary of unexplained or unusually large upfront fees.
Directories such as Play Submissions Helper can be useful for discovering opportunities, but always verify the details with the organisation itself before submitting.
4. Submit Your Play Strategically
Don't submit your play to every publisher or theatre you can find.
Research what each organisation actually wants. Does it publish your type of work? Does it accept unsolicited submissions? Is your play the right length or genre? Are international writers eligible?
Follow the submission guidelines exactly. It sounds obvious, but it's one of the easiest ways to avoid an unnecessary rejection.
Keep a spreadsheet recording where you've submitted, when, deadlines, responses, and any rights or exclusivity requirements.
5. Keep Looking for the Right Home
Getting a play published can take time. A rejection doesn't necessarily tell you everything about the quality of your writing; sometimes a play simply isn't the right fit for a particular organisation.
Keep submitting selectively, look for workshops and productions as well as play publishing opportunities, and continue meeting people in the theatre community.
Your finished play doesn't need to go everywhere. It needs to find the right place.