A much-hyped novel about a housewife who uses Tupperware parties to secretly smuggle erotic stories to her friends and neighbours is causing a stir in the television world, igniting a fierce bidding contest over the right to adapt it for the small screen.

Wet Ink, a novel by the 33-year-old London-based author Abigail Avis, is not scheduled to be published until the spring 2027, but industry insiders said a fierce auction between six major production companies had already taken place for the TV rights.

Those interested in the project have called the novel “Tupperware erotica”, and the frenzied interest is part of a recent spate of books by female authors to prompt huge competition for their TV rights as streamers and production companies search for bankable titles that can be sold around the world.

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HBO is expanding its Bill Lawrence business in the wake of Rooster’s breakout success. In a competitive situation, the premium brand has landed for development Alan Opts Out, a half-hour comedy from Suburgatory creator Emily Kapnek, Lawrence’s Doozer and Warner Bros. Television where Lawrence is under an overall deal.

Alan Opts Out is written by Kapnek based on the comedic novel of the same name by Courtney Maum, which was published last month. In it, after losing the biggest account of his career and his grip on reality, visionary ad man Alan Anderson decides to “live off the land” of his suburban Connecticut backyard in a comedy about the sticker price of privilege and one man’s determination to find his way back to a life less transactional.

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A24 UK has won the rights to adapt Fruit Fly, the debut adult novel from HappyHead author Josh Silver.

Silver will be an EP on the TV series, which comes following what we understand was a competitive bidding process.

Fruit Fly follows Mallory, a literary sensation who after years of struggling with writer’s block is desperate to revive her career before it slips into obscurity. Inspiration strikes in the form of Leo, a young addict sleeping under bridges and trading sex for survival, who is exactly what Mallory has been looking for. The book, which is already out in the UK and publishes in the U.S. and Canada on August 4, is described as a “provocative literary satire that explores privilege, modern queer identity, and the moral exploitation of pain in the publishing industry” by its publisher.

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A24 UK has won the rights to adapt Fruit Fly, the debut adult novel from HappyHead author Josh Silver.

Silver will be an EP on the TV series, which comes following what we understand was a competitive bidding process.

Fruit Fly follows Mallory, a literary sensation who after years of struggling with writer’s block is desperate to revive her career before it slips into obscurity. Inspiration strikes in the form of Leo, a young addict sleeping under bridges and trading sex for survival, who is exactly what Mallory has been looking for. The book, which is already out in the UK and publishes in the U.S. and Canada on August 4, is described as a “provocative literary satire that explores privilege, modern queer identity, and the moral exploitation of pain in the publishing industry” by its publisher.

Find out more