How to Sell Your Screenplay not only lets you in on the rules, but also lets you in on the secrets of winning the game. Written by two veteran screenwriters, How to Sell Your Screenplay was designed as a complete guide to getting your screenplay seen, read, and sold.

The book begins by giving you a clear overview of the process through which screenplays are reviewed and accepted so that you have an insider’s understanding of how the business works. It then guides you in putting your script into the proper format so that you can make the best--and, above all, most professional--first impression.

Later chapters introduce you to the "players," including agents, lawyers, producers, actors, directors, and writers; guide you in preparing a perfect pitch; provide you with the proven Square One System for query submission; and aid you in getting the best contract possible. Throughout, tips from experts help you swim with the sharks without getting eaten by them. Every screenwriter dreams of getting that lucky break. But the pros know that you need more than luck to succeed--you need to make all the right moves. How to Sell Your Screenplay tells you everything you need to know to help make your own dream come true.

Joan and Lydia Wilen, professional writers for over two decades, have sold three feature filmscripts, one CBS Movie of the Week, and one ABC-TV Afternoon Playbreak. The Wilen sisters have also written a number of best-selling books, including Chicken Soup & Other Folk Remedies and The Perfect Name for the Perfect Baby; as well as articles for a wide variety of magazines and newspapers, including the New York Daily News Sunday Magazine.

Contents

Introduction

1. You, the Writer
2. The Screenplay
3. The Players
4. Choosing Contacts
5. Preparing for the Pitch
6. Using the Square One System
7. The Deal
8. When It Doesn’t Happen

Conclusion

Resource List
About the Authors
Index

Introduction

This book may be one of the best investments in your writing career. Why? Because we know how much we’ve learned while gathering the information for it...and we’ve been in the film business for years.

Yes, this book has the all-important basics like how to properly format your script according to industry standards, how to protect your work and minimize your chances of being ripped off, how to write an irresistible query letter, as well as how to set up an efficient distribution system for sending out those letters. You’ll also learn who the industry players are and how to reach them, how to prepare for pitch meetings, and what you may expect when you get a deal.

As if all of that isn’t enough, we’ve gone beyond the basics. Throughout the book you’ll find interviews with industry professionals, from agents and managers to studio executives. At the end of each chapter, you’ll discover an exceptional collection of personal stories told by produced screenwriters. These stories will amaze, impress, and enlighten you. They will give you advice, ideas, and even leads. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself exhausted after reading what some of these writers went through to sell their scripts. Above all, these stories of successful screenwriters will inspire and motivate you. Without a doubt, they will heighten your appreciation for every “Written by” credit you see on screen. These true accounts also will leave you with the feeling that if these writers did it, you can too. And you can! Let this book be your guide.

Read everything in this book, even if you think it doesn’t apply to you. Trust us, if you’re a writer, it applies (or will at some point). There is useable, valuable information on every page. Even those of you who are currently working in the business will read these pages and find yourselves thinking, “I didn’t know that.” If you don’t believe us, just glance through “Show Biz Speak,” our extensive glossary found in Chapter 1, and see how quickly you learn something about the industry that you didn’t already know.

There are no hard-and-fast rules in the movie business. For every successful person who believes one thing, there is another successful person who believes the opposite. We present all of the possibilities in such a way as to help you decide what is right for you and your spec script. Important points are hammered home, many times in many ways. When you have finished reading this book, don’t be surprised at how savvy you are about the industry.

Think of this book as a treasure hunt. You never know which line, which approach, which tip, which name that’s mentioned, or which piece of advice may be the turning point in your career. So let the games begin. And let How to Sell Your Screenplay help you become a “player.”

Reviews

"The Wilens’ How to Sell Your Screenplay is the best book on marketing a screenplay I have ever seen ... this book is filled with features and sidebars that set it aside from everything else on the market ... This is a rare gem of a book; comprehensive and easy to read and use, honest and full of specific examples, an impressive A-to-Z handbook of marketing the spec script today. This book is an extraordinary achievement ... If you buy one marketing book, this is the one to get."

Creative Scriptwriting Magazine, July/August 2003

"How To Sell Your Screenplay not only lets you in on the rules, it lets you in on the secrets of winning the game."

The Buzz, Scr(i)pt Magazine, November 2001

"How To Sell Your Screenplay is a newly published book that gives any screenwriter, novice or pro, the trade secrets to winning the game. This is one of the most comprehensive resources of priceless information ever published for the screenwriter; written by two successful best-selling authors. Plain and simple, it is the ultimate weapon to getting your dream from printed page to big or small screen."

Reggie Resino, Reviewer, The Screenplay Scoop, September 2001

"This is a clear and well set out book that takes you by the hand to explore step-by-step the inside world of movie making."

Sherring Amsden, Alexandra Writers Newsletter, Spring 2002

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