In the previous post, How to Sell your Script Part 2, we talked about selling a script with an unappealing (less commercial) idea versus selling a screenplay with a great idea (more commercial) premise.
Now, let’s look at some other ways to put the odds in your favor when attempting to sell your script.
Adapt a Novel
If your screenplay is based on an already published work such as a book or comic, then you will definitely improve your odds of making a screenplay sale.
Hollywood is always looking to reduce risk and a producer loves it when they purchase material that already has a fan base. If you can secure the rights to an already published story, then you could be well on the way to selling your screenplay.
If you are attempting to adapt someone else’s work, keep in mind that the bigger and more successful the original material (for instance, Harry Potter or the Batman comics) there is no way you, as an individual, are likely to obtain the rights to such a work.
The rights will already have been bought up by the studios and production companies. On the other hand, you should be able, with a little bit of money, to purchase the rights to a lesser known work that interests you.
Also, keep in mind that published works that have existed for more than seventy years since the death of the author are considered to be in the public domain. So all those Bronte, Dickens, Shakespeare novels are yours to adapt and you don’t have to pay a dime (or penny).
Screenwriting Awards and Accolades
If you have won a competition or placed well in a screenwriting competition you should definitely mention this. If you’re trying to sell your script, placing well in a screenwriting competition will most likely convince an agent or producer to read your screenplay and this can lead to selling your script.
Now, if you haven’t won or placed well in a screenwriting competition, don’t sweat it. An enticing, well-written query letter should be enough to get your script read. But it certainly helps to have won some awards as it gives you an extra level of credibility.
Alternatively, if you have worked on other projects or had your work mentioned in a magazine or article, you should also mention this fact as it will certainly help shine a positive light on you and your work, and this reference can certainly help to convince a producer to purchase your script.
Attach a Star
If you are able to get your script read by a well-known Hollywood actor and the actor loves your screenplay so much that they want to endorse your screenplay and star in your move, then you’re golden.
It sounds like a long-shot, but it isn’t as difficult as you might think and it has been done successfully before. As an example, before he was famous Quentin Tarantino managed to get his script for Reservoir Dogs read by Harvey Keitel.
Keitel loved the script so much that he helped Tarantino raise funds for the movie and get other actors involved in the project. Now, I don’t expect most screenwriters to have a direct line to a famous Hollywood actor, so that’s where your agent comes in.
A good screenplay agent will be well-connected in Hollywood. And if they believe that your script is suitable for a certain director or actor then they will definitely send them a copy of the script.
Believe me when I say that directors and actors are desperate to get their hands on good quality screenplays. If the director/actor loves your script then it will be that much easier to convince a studio or producer to purchase your screenplay.
*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).