“How can I sell my screenplay?” Is a question I frequently get asked at screenwriting seminars and even in general day-to-day conversations.
“Do you have an agent?” I typically respond.
This is an important question for many reasons. First, without an agent, a screenwriter will have a hard time dealing with or even meeting the real power-brokers in Hollywood.
Agents are Gatekeepers
Second, agents are, in many ways, like the gatekeepers to Hollywood. It’s a similar system to the publishing world. You have all these screenwriters who have written a screenplay and that’s great.
But if all these screenwriters had direct access to the decision makers in Hollywood, then it would be very hard (due to time constraints) to separate the good screenplays from the bad.
This is what a screenplay agent effectively does. Like a publishing agent, they act as a filter. Agents are not only deal makers but they usually have a very keen eye and they can tell when someone has written a good screenplay and also when someone has written a bad screenplay.
How do you know if you have written a good screenplay?
Good Screenplays Sell
It’s simple. If a screenplay agent and their screenwriting agency is willing to represent you then you have written a good screenplay.
Hollywood studios and producers use the services of a screenwriting agency because they make life easier. They bring only the best screenwriters and screenplays into Hollywood.
Sure, there are cases of good screenplays being overlooked, but these cases are so rare that if a screenplay was overlooked by one screenwriting agency, then another agency would surely recognize the writer’s potential and offer to represent them.
Agents Are Always Looking For Talent
Bottom line. The job of a screenwriting agency is to make money. But not to be too cynical about this, isn’t that the goal of every business?
So, it’s no surprise that screenplay agents are also working toward this goal, although not always in an overt way. The job of a good agent is to spot talent. Then help that talent develop product (in this case, screenplays) that can make money—so everyone profits!
The screenwriter and the agent have similar end goals. We both want the writer to succeed and be successful.
Selling Your Script
So, onto the business of selling the screenplay. Once a screenwriting agency decides to represent a writer, they will do their best to develop the writer’s work and sell their screenplay.
They will negotiate deals with the studios and source work for the writer. If a screenplay agent wants to represent you, then the truth is: they feel that their agency and you can have a mutually beneficial relationship.
In essence: they believe that you have talent and they believe that you can succeed!
An agent will sell your screenplay by getting your work to those people they feel will be most interested. If your work was exclusively in the horror genre, they wouldn’t try to shop your work to someone like Pixar or Stephen Spielberg.
They would get your screenplay into the hands of those people who were exclusively interested in developing horror movies.
A screenplay agent knows who and where to direct a writer’s work because if they don’t, they won’t be able to make the sale!
Once the agent has delivered your work into the right hands—they will then wait to hear back from the interested parties. And from this point, how much a writer can sell their screenplay for depends entirely on demand!
The more in demand your screenplay, the more it will sell for. If it’s a well written script with a great story, then the skies the limit!
The screenwriting agency can assist the screenwriter as much as possible, but ultimately success comes down to the writer and the quality of their work.
*Jennifer Sloane has worked as a screenplay agent in Los Angeles and Nashville for the last five years. Jennifer loves good movies, music and animals. A former television and movie executive, Jennifer currently heads business development at Script Mailer (a company that connects screenwriters with agents and producers in Hollywood).