Screenwriting challenge of the day:

Producer:  I'm looking for a family friendly Christmas script with at least some Christian element, it needs a strong female lead and a role for a pastor.  It would be an added bonus if one of the characters plays a musical instrument.  Would also greatly prefer a setting in the South or Midwest U. S.

Me:  Family friendly  - Check!
        Christmas        - Check!
        Christian element - Check!
        Strong female lead - Check!
        Role for a pastor  - Check!
        Character who plays musical instrument - Check!
        Set in the South - Check!

Me:  Submits

Producer:  Thanks but this isn't really what I'm looking for.

Do you ever just want to throw your keyboard out the window and quit?
I'm sure most everyone here can identify - gotta love it, right?  ::)

Kathy,

I know how you feel. Haha. Now, was that all the producer offered? Just that one line? I’m curious if this was from what Anthony had posted a while back. I’m also curious what production company this was — you don’t have to answer that here, or at all, but if you do I’d be interested to know. I don’t have a script with all of those elements, just interested to see if I know who they are.

About quitting — I’m not quite there yet, but it feels like where there once was an open door is now a window. A window turns into a keyhole, a keyhole into I don’t know what. Happy to have you onboard the Emotional Rollercoaster.

Steve

Steve, the lead was via "Inktip".  I've been a member there several years.  I just cancelled my subscription last month because I feel they are more expensive than other sites and don't seem to have near the traffic of producers browsing scripts as they used to.  Anyway, not a week after I cancelled this request pops up - so like a sheep, I ponied up the subscription fee again, basically because I had a script that met every detail they were looking for.  As for the response, it is a canned reply email that is sent out if they aren't interested in your script.  I've received the exact same message on multiple occasions "Thanks for your query.  This isn't quite what I am looking for.  Good luck with your writing".  And to your other question, no, it wasn't the link Anthony posted - I had another script I submitted for that one too - that particular request was for a Christmas script featuring very little snow.  Guess what?  I have a script in which the primary premise is the lack of snow.  I haven't yet received the "thanks but no thanks" email, but have only gotten crickets on that one.  

Ah yes, the emotional rollercoaster.  I am a frequent passenger.  

So, you got a hit as soon as you cancelled? Wow. That smells fishy. And bogus. Like they’re stringing you along just to get your money. You cancel and then — boom! We got something for you. Bullshit.

I subscribed to Master Classes for a few years. When the renewal came up this spring, it was $180 for one year. I thought, no I don't need it that bad, so I canceled. A minute later I got an email asking me if I would come back for $90... Instead of feeling happy about that, I felt like I had been cheated when I paid full price.  :-/

Quoted from Grandma Bear I subscribed to Master Classes for a few years. When the renewal came up this spring, it was $180 for one year. I thought, no I don't need it that bad, so I canceled. A minute later I got an email asking me if I would come back for $90... Instead of feeling happy about that, I felt like I had been cheated when I paid full price.  :-/

That's just rude. 50% off yet they would have taken your full amount and didn't even pre-offer an existing subscriber the half price? Bad business.

Quoted from LC That's just rude. 50% off yet they would have taken your full amount and didn't even pre-offer an existing subscriber the half price? Bad business.

All these crummy places do that stuff.  Phone provider, internet provider.  When the phone guy offered my dad a deal at half the price, and my dad asked him why wouldn't they just give him the better deal as a long-standing on-time paying customer, the guy said they weren't allowed to just do that 'by law.'.  What a load of BS.

In fairness to Inktip, this lead wasn’t a ploy to lure me back. It was just one lead from their weekly list that they email out to all members. It just so happened to be a slam dunk match for one of my screenplays so I signed back up specifically to submit to that request. I’m in for another month so we’ll see how it goes. I may be right back out if nothing else interests me or they don’t pick up more traffic viewing scripts.

Quoted from kcranford In fairness to Inktip, this lead wasn’t a ploy to lure me back. It was just one lead from their weekly list that they email out to all members. It just so happened to be a slam dunk match for one of my screenplays so I signed back up specifically to submit to that request. I’m in for another month so we’ll see how it goes. I may be right back out if nothing else interests me or they don’t pick up more traffic viewing scripts.

Make your own luck.

Discounts to not cancel, or come back, or extend are commonplace in most industries, welcome to capiltalism ;-)

Submitting your script that is exactly right for the producer, because they've said what they're looking for and your script matches on every aspect is massively frustrating, and is also commonplace - unfortunately!

Next time one of these leads comes up I'm tempted to submit something that specifically doesn't meet the criteria and see if I get a read request ;-)

Chin up everyone, no one said this was gonna be easy!