Do any writers get paid a salary?

Yes.

Those who work on sitcoms, those who work at places like Disney. If you get a 9-5 job as a writer, you get paid a salary. Gaming writers get paid a salary and so forth.

The writing jobs are mostly in LA.

Some websites, like Monk, have video bites of the writers at work in different stages of the pojects.

There are lots and lots of them in LA for TV shows. The WGAw has an apprentice program for new writers to break in.

Agencies hire readers, assistants, etc. from screenwriting ranks as well.

Of course, there are contract and salaried writers on many productions.

I have an acquaintance who was a paid writer on the Star Trek series.

She was a "technobabble" writer. Whenever the script called for some technical jargon, she wrote it to fit in the story universe. The script writers just had to say "insert technobabble about heat death of the universe" and it would happen for them.

She was also a continuity writer - rewriting scripts where they conflicted with the past and scheduled shows. If writer "A" blew up a planet, she made sure that it wasn't resurrected by writer "B".

Given the size of the writer's bible for that show, it was easier to have someone keep up with the bible than expect all the screenwriters to learn it all.

And studio writers. Don't forget about studios that put out pictures that are all developed in house. Disney, pixar, and so forth are done in house with in house writers. There are also several writer internships, but yes, the majority of writers I know about who are salaried are TV writers because it's the only steady demand, where as movies fluctuate.

There's also a world full of salaried magazine writers out there. Open any mag and look at the credits page. Half the staff listed are guaranteed to be salaried not freelancers.

And how much are those in-house writers paid?

Let's see.

First level Disney: $30K plus health and 401K. Second level, meaning you are a rung below producer: $45 to $65K plus health and 401K. If you're a writer recruited by Disney for a fulltime post: $75K max plus health and 401K.

And what's the firing rate of writers in Santa Monica? I know a writer who always claims to me that she doesn't know of a single writer employed more than five years, and that most are employed for two cycles of programming before the suits fire 700 people, as happened at NBC/Universal the other day.

You're better off working as an assistant editor for Mining Regulation & Productivity Report at McGraw-Hill's newsletter center!

One of my best friends has just got the greenlight at AMC for a new series. He thinks something will go wrong before shooting starts in April. He's sure there is a competing series in place, and that the AMC execs are fighting over which series to showcase, since AMC only does one original series per season. He was paid a salary during a short-term contract; almost 40% of his income went to agent, manager and lawyer, with some also held for the IRS. (People are always astonished that writers get dunned in advance by the IRS, and advise them to get "better" tax attorneys; too dangerous to have a writer with tax liabilities of over $200K since there is no way a writer can begin to claim enough business costs to avoid a hefty tax, so the IRS is right there, on the money.)

And look at how many writers who are bestsellers still hang onto other gigs. George Pelecanos is probably the number one thriller writer right now; he's very intent on producing movies, since that's where the canvas (and the cash) is. I met him when he was the manager of Circle Releasing (Coens' "Blood Simple"), and even then it was apparent that the movies was where the future was. Not as a writer. As a producer.

Well Seanie,
That's why I plan on never working for salary as a writer and if I get enough money from it putting what I don't need that year in a tax deferred account so instead of paying the tax rate on say 200K I can pay it in a much lower incriment at like 20k a year since we live rather simply.

There are way too many paying jobs to list for screenwriters in LaLa.

They pay ain't great in tv, but you get first shot at your stuff, or your collaborated stuff getting made. If it does, you get WGAw scale (or higher, depending on position). You can check the WGAw webside, union contract section for rates. Yes, you can make really good money at a basic rate of 30Gs a year, with perks.

Are you going to be fired? Yes. A screenwriter is only hot for a year or two after a sale, unless more sales are forthcoming. You might milk another year or two of work if people like working with you. Then they need to make room for the next hot writer.

That's the cycle. It's not really a bad deal because new blood gets a shot. And you can use your credentials to land another job with another show, possibly. You get two years to wow them or you are back at spec.

Ice, on the tax bit:

You can income average back seven years. Wait until you hit a big payoff to use it. You can 'gift' family members a significant amount each year. Roth IRA for your kid's college goes off the bottom line, as to a large portion of your IRA contributions. The IRS wants its cut, yes, but you can legally minimize the impact.

Joe270 said:

Ice, on the tax bit:

You can income average back seven years. Wait until you hit a big payoff to use it. You can 'gift' family members a significant amount each year. Roth IRA for your kid's college goes off the bottom line, as to a large portion of your IRA contributions. The IRS wants its cut, yes, but you can legally minimize the impact.

Click to expand...

Yep, there are tons of ways to get around the very high tax rates on the upper income levels, you just have to have someone who knows what they are doing and can help you develop a portfolio that will help make those big payoffs stretch, possibly for your whole life.

Like for instance if you get one million dollars on a script or on several scripts. (this is for folks living outside the really expensive areas!) you don't spend any of that one million until after the first or second year. Put it into an account or CD that pays 5-6%. That's 50-60 grand a year without even touching the balance. I can certainly handle that.

As mentioned, only TV and animated writers (including Features) are on salary.

But you don't have to be on salary to have an office at a studio. You get one when you're working on a major project (for the length of the project - your office is usually part of the more general 'production office') and/or for your personal production company. A lot of writers/directors/actors have their own prod cos. that have certain deals with certain studios and they have their offices there.

Ze -- I am always fascinated by your location, Unfortunately LA. Isn't that the title of a great small movie? Only tangentially about the biz, of course. More specifically about a dream missing a wheel?

I hope to not dive too deep into the tax waters here.

Frankly, I'm suprised Seanie's friend only paid 40%. Agents take ten off the top. Don't know about the mgr and lawyer take. But the IRS takes 38% of "windfalls", be it $1000 or 100 mil. I used to earn big bonuses, and it really ticked me off. Basically, anything a spec writer earns is a windfall.

You don't need a money mgr to keep more than the 38%. The IRS itself will help you, seriously. I imagine turbotax would really help, then there are plenty of websites with pointers.

If you can develop, write, and sell a screenplay, I think you could research your way into a pretty nice savings there. With your 20g income, you can income average that 38% bracket down to 22% without anything like IRA or self employment retirement plans, gifting, etc. All is not lost.

Well I don't have that right now, but my husband does, and yeah if I did get that where I could withdraw it steady without dropping the balance.

You could also start your own non-profit . . . Utah Outback. Better than sundance.

That's how sundance got started, a nice tax break, a salary forever, doing what ol' Robert wanted to do. That's what Spacey's website is all about, too. They get to spend some of that windfall on 'charity', which they run and draw salaries from. Beats giving it to the church so they can abuse little boys, I suppose.

seanie blue said:

And how much are those in-house writers paid?

Let's see.

First level Disney: $30K plus health and 401K. Second level, meaning you are a rung below producer: $45 to $65K plus health and 401K. If you're a writer recruited by Disney for a fulltime post: $75K max plus health and 401K.

Click to expand...

This isn't entirely true.

Disney has their Writer's Program (not the Fellowship) that hires a few new scribes a year @ 160K (plus full benefits) the first year with an option to renew @ 180K the second year. There are production bonuses on top of that salary if any credited work is greenlit.

The writer gets his own office on the lot. During the year, he works on two specs (Disney doesn't own the work but has first look) and might do rewrites or brush-ups on their existing projects. It's an amazing opportunity to jumpstart a career.

As a screenwriter, it behooves a new writer to get a job as a screenwriter - even if it's not the fantasy job she's dreamt about.

The 30K a year writing job at Disney, for instance, is 1000X better, IMO, than a 50K/yr job at a bank or as a magazine editor.

Being in the middle of the industry is the best place for any new writer to be. I've seen scores of assistants (where I work) land careers as writers, producers and directors (who earn a living) from contacts they made at work.

Any opportunity for a newbie to be seen as a working screenwriter - even at 30K a year (doing what he loves to do) - and be ensconsed in the industry - meeting people, making friends and contacts - increases the odds, exponentially, of landing more work in the future.