This thread might not have had much activity in awhile, but I just thought I would add my two cents in regards to my experience. It’s long, but here goes:
I submitted a screenplay to Abbot in January 2008. When I got my initial review from a reader, I agreed with everything they had to say, down to the minute detail. It was helpful and constructive. The overall score I received from this person was 1/5. Luckily, I have learned much since then. After receiving that initial and only review, I made my screenplay invisible in the database--in other words, I didn’t want anyone else reviewing that terrible draft because I had planned to change the entire screenplay and the direction of the story. But as the months passed, I decided that it wasn’t worth it. The story was too unoriginal, the characters too blah, not exciting, and predictable. I realized how bad it was and I just didn’t care anymore. By mid 2008, I asked to be removed from the database, screenplay, info and all. Something I was assured, by email, would happen within thirty days.
Fast forward to December 2010, and I receive two emails from this company. As you can imagine, with so much time passing by, I completely forgot about them. The emails stated that I had gotten two more reviews for that horrible draft, though I was clear in stating nearly three years ago that I wished for all materials to be removed from the database. When I looked at the two latest reviews, I noticed that they had both been written by one person, separate from the person who had read and reviewed the screenplay in 2008.
Despite no longer being interested in the screenplay, I took a look at what was said. Once again I agreed with the latest sentiments in regards to this person’s first review. While it pointed out problems and was clearly constructive, their second review rubbed me the wrong way entirely. Not only was it written a day later, but was just downright rude, as if they had forgotten all of what they said the previous day, and just thought they would add in a few personal insults this time around for fun. From calling me an ‘unskilled, unoriginal, poorly written amateur’ who ‘needs more training in learning the English language’ as well as how to ‘properly construct a sentence’, to basically telling me that I was ‘living a pipe dream’ in regards to writing anything within any capacity, period. It goes on and gets worse, but I will stop there. I kid you not, I’ve read less scathing Am*zon reviews from those who hated Twilight with a passion.
Looking online and on their website, no matter how many clients they claim to have, they have yet to sell anything to anyone. That’s not to say they won’t in the future, but they haven’t yet. And I have yet to see any proven credentials. That said, I’m not exactly sure who the ‘qualified’ readers are for this company, but the reviews from screenplay to screenplay seem pretty schizophrenic, and I don’t mean that to be funny in the least. If one minute a critique is constructive and the next, within days or hours of each other, the same person tosses in a few more scathing remarks for kicks, how does that encourage one to enhance their writing skills? There's more and I could go on, but it all seems a bit schizophrenic. All I can say is luckily, I didn't sign anything and am not in any way legally bound to this company. But again, the method behind the madness is a bit troubling.
(If what I have written above is in any way confusing, I apologize. It’s nearly 3:00 a.m. here and I just wanted to let others know my experience as well, considering I received those emails from the company today and was taken aback by the timing and content, especially when I was assured by them years before that I had been removed from their database. I feel as if they’ve been holding that terribly written draft hostage, unnecessarily so, perhaps hoping someone would see through the enormous flaws and plot holes and love it anyway. (They won't.) And I don’t appreciate them passing that screenplay around for others to read since I had long made the work invisible and was assured by the 'president' of the company that no more reviews would be given. Again, this was in 2008. Even if they hadn’t removed me as they said, that draft was not meant to be read by anyone else after the initial review. I admit, I’m ashamed of it. It’s that bad. I have since sent the company an email asking once again to be removed completely, screenplay and info. If/when I hear back, I will update.)
but it makes sense a management company would be more interested in working connections than tooting it's horn to the general writing public.
