How do I sell a screenplay?

Hey everyone.

I was wondering if anyone here actually knows how to sell a screenplay—who you're supposed to pitch to and what the whole process even looks like?
What kind of money are screenwriters in the US actually pulling in these days, anyway? Is there even a real living in it?

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Karen Jackson98 said:Hey everyone!

Does anyone actually know how to sell a screenplay? Like, who do I even talk to... and how does the whole process work?
And what's the pay actually like for screenwriters here in the States? Just curious...

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selling it on the street corner.. 🤣 five bucks a pop!

Karen Jackson98 said:Hey everyone!

I'm wondering if anyone knows how to actually sell a screenplay—who do I reach out to and what’s the whole process like?
Also, what kind of money are screenwriters even making here in the States?

👍

give it to me. i make movies😁

:trljaruke: how am I supposed to swipe her script and sell it for crazy money as my own... 😈

Karen Jackson98 said:Hey everyone!

I was wondering if anyone here knows the best way to actually sell a screenplay? Who should I even reach out to, and what does the whole process look like?
Also, just curious—how much do screenwriters typically make here in the States? What kind of income are we talking about?

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1. You basically have to be a global superstar.
2. You need a massive amount of connections.
3. You absolutely need to know someone on the inside.
4. Honestly, that doesn't really work in this industry.
5. And even abroad, it's tough because people know you're coming from outside the major hubs.

Good luck!

...so they actually helped her out, how wonderful is that 🙂

@Karen Jackson98/">@@Karen Jackson98
...I'm afraid I might not be much of a help myself, but here's my two cents... keep your eyes and ears peeled for competitions (granted, they're rare, but hey—it's something. I know there was that one recent one that just wrapped up...), copy the details, and send them over to production houses. Be smart about it and take advantage of all those film industry panels at festivals; pull some of those "big shots" aside and ask for advice. If you can handle hanging around Lawrence at the Sundance buffet all day, it won't cost you anything but maybe a cup of coffee 🙂 to grab a drink with him—it doesn't mean he'll hand you a career on a silver platter immediately, but you might at least walk away with advice that's more useful than what we're getting here 😉... unfortunately, formal routes for pitching scripts are pretty much non-existent in America, though maybe things will shift in a few years...

...anyway, just stay persistent 🙂

Karen Jackson98 said:Hey everyone!

I was wondering if anyone here actually knows how to go about selling a screenplay—like, who am I supposed to reach out to, and what does the whole process even look like?
Also, just curious, what kind of money are screenwriters actually making in the States these days? Like, what's the realistic income for people in that field?

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There’s this book by Tudor Eliad called "How to Write and Sell a Screenplay," so you might want to give that a read...

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Why not just ask Jelen Veljača? 😬

Honestly, you’d have a better shot at selling a brick on Craigslist. I’m pretty sure doing business here is basically impossible; you could probably try to give one away for free and still find nobody willing to take it off your hands.

If you’re a writer who also happens to be a journalist—someone who’s actually managed to get on TV once or twice—it definitely smooths the path when you're trying to pitch a screenplay. Otherwise, I honestly feel like it’s nearly impossible around here. You have these competitions and whatnot... But still, it seems like some totally regular guy actually won one of those screenwriting contests recently... Just an average Joe... He works over at Congress... No, he’s not a politician or anything, just a staffer at Congress.

Karen Jackson98 said:Hey everyone!

I was wondering if anyone here knows the actual process for selling a screenplay? Who am I supposed to reach out to, and how does the whole thing work?
Also, what kind of money are screenwriters actually making in the US? Just trying to get a sense of the reality here.

👍

I heard that HBO is looking for new scripts for upcoming series. It seems like Jelen Veljača has finally run out of ideas. 😬

AVA has had contests on her website forever, though I honestly can't recall ever seeing anything actually get filmed through one of them. Maybe it was February, Majetić, or Ivanda who wrote something... who knows? 👎
The real issue is that here in the States, there just isn't enough production happening to make selling a script that easy. I even know some people who write absolute masterpieces, and there’s this one guy with a few killer scripts, but he still can't move them because he just doesn't have the right connections.