130 query letters, 4 request for the script, no responses, waiting for that email to come, working a shitty job and feeling pretty useless and the winter blahs. Just ranting and emotionally exhausted.

Ugh. That sounds very discouraging, but I think that's pretty common for this business. Keep going. That's the only way.

What Pia said.

And,I’m so discouraged that don’t do query letters. I just gave up. So, you’re well ahead of me and the likes and I’m glad for you. In fact it’s sort of an encouragement.

Quoted from khamanna What Pia said. And,I’m so discouraged that don’t do query letters. I just gave up. So, you’re well ahead of me and the likes and I’m glad for you. In fact it’s sort of an encouragement.

I used to take the responses as encouragement too. Now it’s just amazing they even respond. They’re so hesitant to listen to what u have to say unless you’re repped.

It's a pointless exercise. If you have a great script, then pay a reputable company for coverage. Get a pass, then send it out, maybe even use it to try and get an agent and then get them to send it out.

It's something I keep meaning to do, but I haven't written a feature in a long time. Since getting paid to write, I find it hard now to write a spec. It causes physical pain.

Good advice, though. I’m sure I can pull down their ala carte menu and for an extra fee get exactly the reader I want who’s into the genre.  I dunno. Just ranting. Tired I guess. Not that my problems really add up to a catastrophe.

YOUR movement must & will continue forward, just as George Washington crossed the Delaware river in the dead of night against all odds of victory. Stay the course Steven & folks, keep the faith... Andrea

Quoted from ghost and_ghostie gal YOUR movement must & will continue forward, just as George Washington crossed the Delaware river in the dead of night against all odds of victory. Stay the course Steven & folks, keep the faith... Andrea

Yeah yeah. I know. Just wondering if the script itself is good enough. It is really hard to judge these Hallmark type scripts because I literally cannot compare it to anything because you cannot find a Hallmark frickin Christmas script ANYWHERE!

However, on a positive note … I spoke to the woman who bought my Christmas script last year, and she's been tying to sell this new one to a contact of hers over at Lifetime. No word on that yet, but... She's agreed to call all of the people who responded to me regarding my new script, acting as my representation... For a fee, of course, if she actually sells the damn thing.

See, you've got a contact there already!

Steve, there's no doubt your script is good enough. I feel your frustration re Hallmark scripts - you'd think they were gold. We can get our hands on Oscar winning scripts... They want to get over themselves. Once you're a part of the secret club I hope you'll share.

Sounds like your day job is getting you down. I know the feeling...

"A watched pot never boils"

Write another one, and then another one - Get your script out there as much as you can, coverage/listings/queries/social media/comps that show placements to the industries, heck I have even seen people make fake trailers for their script to gain some buzz.

But after doing these things, forget them - focus on the next great script - and when you get that call, you will have more scripts in your locker to show them.

Rejected by 12 publishers before being picked up - Harry Potter
Delivered in a dump truck of 5,000 rejected scripts - Dirty Dancing
Rejected by 27 publishers, ready to burn his manuscript until a friend read it - And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, Dr Seuss
"The worst thing ever written. It makes no sense. Someone's dead and then they're alive. It's too long, violent and unfilmable." - Columbia TriStar Executive - Pulp Fiction
Rejected 44 times, with Disney saying that a film alluding to mother-son incest was not right for them - Back to the future

Keep the faith!!

Quoted from SAC 130 query letters, 4 request for the script, no responses, waiting for that email to come, working a shitty job and feeling pretty useless and the winter blahs. Just ranting and emotionally exhausted.

How about 890 query letters, 12 requests. Two months go by and no responses follow.

Welcome to the game my friend.

Shit, I don't even know what a query letter is!  

I feel your pain.

I've pretty much stopped the effort. My fault really. I didn't Google How to write a screenplay until I was 55. Like many peeps here, had a desire to write when I was young, but a marriage at 20, two kids by 25 didn't really provide a lane for trying to make a living at it. BUT - I don't bemoan that. I love writing as a hobby, get a kick out of competitions and enjoy reading scripts. So while I don't have a career as a writer, I have a great hobby.

My personal opinion (note this is only based on 8 years of writing, doing the query grind we all do, etc.) is that the most likely way to make money as a writer is not to start the journey writing specs and hoping for that great discovery. I think you need to take writing assignments, writing related jobs (interns, script reviewers, etc.).  Be around the type of people where you will here - you know, I know this guy at BLAH BLAH that's looking for a spec script dealing with BLAH BLAH.  

In other words, yes - have those great specs ready for when the opportunity rises, just don't expect those great specs to provide the opportunity.  And look for writing assignments if you want to be paid as a writer.

Just my opinion.

Thanks all for the feedback. Good to know I’m not alone. I guess this is all a culmination of a lot of things going on right now, with this script writing business being a particular sticking point. I guess I’m just frustrated all around.

Also when you query, try to think internationally. There are a lot of Scandinavian production companies. I think according to the Bollywood union, the minimum pay for a script for a low budget movie is something like 25-30K. So, if you're looking to get paid, that's an option.

I try to personalize the first line and then copy my already written letter to that. Mention them by name and mention a previous project I was a fan of.

In my experience, It doesn't matter if you personalize them. The chances of people responding are slim. I've tried all kinds of approaches. A query letter with a poster. A query letter with a 30-40 page visual pitch book. One with a 6-page presentation. Ones with custom illustrations. I didn't see any change in the rate people responded to them. So, now I just make them generic. Send them out and forget about them.

One thing I've noticed is that it really makes a difference what your subject matter is. My most requested script was about Hollywood types. Also, high-concept, micro-budget pitches do better.

I've built up my own database and email off that. I also look to open a new email address for each new script I want to send out because some will mark you as spam, while others might block your email entirely after only one email. That they didn't even respond to. It happens. I know. I've checked.

But you never know. I've had an instance where I got emailed back by a famous Hollywood actor, without even personalizing the first line. Just a generic crap email. We exchanged like 3-4 emails, he requested the script and that was the last I heard of him.

A few years back one of the producers from the Hunger Games movies wrote back to me for a quick chat. I've been able to contact some major producers. A few have even requested a script or two. So, you really never know. I've emailed assistants, then I got emailed back by heads of development a few times, telling me they're excited to read the script.

However, I wonder how many of the scripts that get requested actually get read. My guess is not a lot. As other scripts have priority and things get put aside... probably forever. If you do some heavy research into assistants, employee database, you'll also see that most of the scripts get read by people in their early 20s, straight off college. I've even noticed that some name US production companies employ script readers that are foreign students, that are part of some exchange programs.

It really is a roll of the dice and luck plays a massive factor. My advice to anyone would be, not to get too excited if they get a request. Just email, respond and forget about it. If something happens, great. Don't dwell on it.

I don't get frustrated because this is just a hobby, and I'm probably way too lazy to attempt to turn it into anything else. The thought of doing 130 query letters alone does my head in. I commend the effort.

For me, the kick is in the creation.

My query letters are brief and to the point. And I do research of production companies, and I do address emails to development heads, specific producers, etc, when I can. For a while I wrote each query one by one, not wanting to cut and paste. I've felt it helps you to refine the actual letter. However, after 80 or so it gets tedious, so I revert to cut and paste, but still take the time to address the person I'm writing to by name.

And for those of you who this is a hobby then that is fantastic. What a hobby it is. To me it may be becoming clearer that it is no more than a hobby right now for me as well, and that is frustrating to admit, but may be more realistic.

There is nothing more I want to do in life than to write my screenplays for a living. Buoyed by the sale of my first feature last Summer, I thought, well this is the start. Coincidentally, it happened just as we were leaving for vacation. So, here I am, sitting poolside in the sun, setting up my PayPal account so I can get paid and feeling very validated. Here we go, I thought. This is it.

That feeling of accomplishment, rightfully so, lasted only about a week before I bore down into my follow up. I realize how quickly this comes and goes, and knew that I could not let myself be too happy for too long.

And here I am now, my old miserable self, wanting so much for that validation again. And it sucks when you don't get it. My happiness depends on certain variables, this being one of them. It's not the end all, be all, but it wouldn't hurt.

So maybe this is all just a hobby. Maybe not. I just honestly don't know anymore.

Quoted from SAC My query letters are brief and to the point. And I do research of production companies, and I do address emails to development heads, specific producers, etc, when I can. For a while I wrote each query one by one, not wanting to cut and paste. I've felt it helps you to refine the actual letter. However, after 80 or so it gets tedious, so I revert to cut and paste, but still take the time to address the person I'm writing to by name. And for those of you who this is a hobby then that is fantastic. What a hobby it is. To me it may be becoming clearer that it is no more than a hobby right now for me as well, and that is frustrating to admit, but may be more realistic. There is nothing more I want to do in life than to write my screenplays for a living. Buoyed by the sale of my first feature last Summer, I thought, well this is the start. Coincidentally, it happened just as we were leaving for vacation. So, here I am, sitting poolside in the sun, setting up my PayPal account so I can get paid and feeling very validated. Here we go, I thought. This is it. That feeling of accomplishment, rightfully so, lasted only about a week before I bore down into my follow up. I realize how quickly this comes and goes, and knew that I could not let myself be too happy for too long. And here I am now, my old miserable self, wanting so much for that validation again. And it sucks when you don't get it. My happiness depends on certain variables, this being one of them. It's not the end all, be all, but it wouldn't hurt. So maybe this is all just a hobby. Maybe not. I just honestly don't know anymore.

Sincerely hoping you figure out the lane for yourself. Don't envy you the decision making.

Is the feature you sold last year going to get produced? I've sold three feature-lengths and a TV Pilot and none of them have been produced. I heard from the producer for the TV pilot recently in regard to more work on it, but then nothing since.

People like your work, Steven. Whether you look at it as a hobby or not doesn't make any difference. Just keep writing and keep trying to sell. You'll get there... and so will I, hopefully.

Good luck.

Quoted from DustinBowcot Is the feature you sold last year going to get produced? I've sold three feature-lengths and a TV Pilot and none of them have been produced. I heard from the producer for the TV pilot recently in regard to more work on it, but then nothing since. People like your work, Steven. Whether you look at it as a hobby or not doesn't make any difference. Just keep writing and keep trying to sell. You'll get there... and so will I, hopefully. Good luck.

Sound advice

Quoted from DustinBowcot Is the feature you sold last year going to get produced? I've sold three feature-lengths and a TV Pilot and none of them have been produced. I heard from the producer for the TV pilot recently in regard to more work on it, but then nothing since. People like your work, Steven. Whether you look at it as a hobby or not doesn't make any difference. Just keep writing and keep trying to sell. You'll get there... and so will I, hopefully. Good luck.

Yes, the feature was produced and will probably hit some streaming service at some point near Christmas next year. It's a strange thing, but probably not all too uncommon - the feature I sold and the one they made are basically two different animals, so much so that I got the rights back to the initial script. They asked for a rewrite on the original script - a complete rewrite. That's the one listed in the contract. Then they sent it off to their writers and it got further changed. So, yes it got sold and made. However, my writing credit, probably the most important part, is still up in the air. I'm waiting for them to update the IMDb page, as there aren't any writers even listed for it yet, but it is in my contract. Further complicating things, the person I sold it to and the production company had a falling out, so it's just a lot of nonsense going on now.

And that's not to mention that the only reason this script got sold in the first place was because some shlub stole it and passed it off as his own work! Thank god the person who bought it had the presence of mind to do some research after a few red flags were raised regarding the script and it's seller.

So when they say there's a lot of luck involved in selling a script, ain't that the truth.

Quoted from SAC Yes, the feature was produced and will probably hit some streaming service at some point near Christmas next year. It's a strange thing, but probably not all too uncommon - the feature I sold and the one they made are basically two different animals, so much so that I got the rights back to the initial script. They asked for a rewrite on the original script - a complete rewrite. That's the one listed in the contract. Then they sent it off to their writers and it got further changed. So, yes it got sold and made. However, my writing credit, probably the most important part, is still up in the air. I'm waiting for them to update the IMDb page, as there aren't any writers even listed for it yet, but it is in my contract. Further complicating things, the person I sold it to and the production company had a falling out, so it's just a lot of nonsense going on now. And that's not to mention that the only reason this script got sold in the first place was because some shlub stole it and passed it off as his own work! Thank god the person who bought it had the presence of mind to do some research after a few red flags were raised regarding the script and it's seller. So when they say there's a lot of luck involved in selling a script, ain't that the truth.

What a horror story!

If it were me, I'd be relentless on the writing credit unless the revised version is something that you do not want to be part of.

- You didn't return the money for the sale I assume. So - you know you were paid for YOUR script.

- You sold it with a contract that said the writer's credit was yours and in good faith did some re-writes.

- There is no reason that the falling out with the production company changes your rights.

So, if you want the credit - fight on.  I'd send a letter reminding them that they do not have permission to release the film without you credited as the writer. Hell, I'd even throw some money at an Attorney to get it on legal steno.  They apparently don't give a shit about writers, so probably don't give a shit about the writers who did the re-write either.