A book I'm reading by Syd Field says that agents typically get 10%. The book was published in 1995. Is this still true? And if so, is there a way to bypass these agents?
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if you can get a publisher/prodco to look at your unagented work, you'll have bypassed the agents... but, before you sign any deals, you'll be smart to get yourself one!
agents are worth their 10-15% commission [difference depends on what you write and where you/they are]... they don't get paid till you do, so it's nothing out of your pocket... and a good one can get you a much better deal than if you go in without one, with that 'newbie' sign stamped on your forehead...
agents are worth their 10-15% commission [difference depends on what you write and where you/they are]... they don't get paid till you do, so it's nothing out of your pocket... and a good one can get you a much better deal than if you go in without one, with that 'newbie' sign stamped on your forehead...
it is more difficult is you don't have an agent. but getting an agent is not easy. to get an agent you have to prove yourself a potential success. (it's almost a catch-22 situation) how do you do that? you have several market ready scripts. you win a major screenwriting competition. you have a script produced or a major producer ready to purchase your script.
but an agent is not necessary to sell a script to a producer or to get interest from a manager (who incidentally takes 15%).
Bill Martell is the screenwriting internet master of selling scripts without an agent. He has 17 produced flicks under his belt and most of them done without an agent. check out his site here: www.scriptsecrets.net/
but an agent is not necessary to sell a script to a producer or to get interest from a manager (who incidentally takes 15%).
Bill Martell is the screenwriting internet master of selling scripts without an agent. He has 17 produced flicks under his belt and most of them done without an agent. check out his site here: www.scriptsecrets.net/
"it's almost a catch-22 situation"
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I see. Seems like a bunch of folks are waiting to get cuts from one's relatively modest screenwriting profits. Vultures or friendly helpers? Both, perhaps!
I'll have to consider this carefully. No easy decisions here!
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I see. Seems like a bunch of folks are waiting to get cuts from one's relatively modest screenwriting profits. Vultures or friendly helpers? Both, perhaps!
I'll have to consider this carefully. No easy decisions here!
there are vultures in this business but the industry calls them sharks
see: Swimming with Sharks
however, most agents are not the people who are out to make money out of overanxious wannabees
a reputable agent can get a studio or established producer to consider your material. they work on commission only so they make absolutely no money unless they sell your work. that is why they will not waste their time with mediocre and unproven writers. if a reputable agent is interested in you and your work the jump at it. giving away 10% of your sale will seem like peanuts to the elation you will feel when you do make a sale.
write on!
see: Swimming with Sharks
however, most agents are not the people who are out to make money out of overanxious wannabees
a reputable agent can get a studio or established producer to consider your material. they work on commission only so they make absolutely no money unless they sell your work. that is why they will not waste their time with mediocre and unproven writers. if a reputable agent is interested in you and your work the jump at it. giving away 10% of your sale will seem like peanuts to the elation you will feel when you do make a sale.
write on!
OK, I'm new to all of this screenwriting business so here's what I've found out in the last couple of days.
1. # of scripts registered w/WGA on an avg year: 18,000
2. # of scripts made into a movie or TV show per year: 100
3. Say you make 3% of the proceeds of a $100,000 film, that's $3,000
4. Agent's cut is 10% so that leaves you $2,700.
5. Taxes, of course: $1,800
6. Misc expenses like registering it, copy fees, postage, etc are $100 so $1,700
7. If you produce 2 or 3 of these "hit" screenplays a year, I'm guess that you'd be eligible for food stamps.
1. # of scripts registered w/WGA on an avg year: 18,000
2. # of scripts made into a movie or TV show per year: 100
3. Say you make 3% of the proceeds of a $100,000 film, that's $3,000
4. Agent's cut is 10% so that leaves you $2,700.
5. Taxes, of course: $1,800
6. Misc expenses like registering it, copy fees, postage, etc are $100 so $1,700
7. If you produce 2 or 3 of these "hit" screenplays a year, I'm guess that you'd be eligible for food stamps.
Frankly, I'm suspicious of your #2. Only 100 movies and TV shows made each year? Most hour dramas do 22 to 24 episodes a year - that number (100) would be reached with only 5 or 6 shows. Where did you find this number? It seem really low to me.
Change #3 to: Say you make 3% of the budget of a $50,000,000 film. That's $1,5000,000
And your numbers change!
A lot a writers are writing scripts for $100,000 features. I have - but we usually don't have (or need) agents. And very few of us are doing only that for our living.
TANGENT ALERT!!!
there are 3 kinds of writers:
1 - those who write what hollyweird wants just take make money
2 - those who write because they want and need to write for the sake of telling their own story
3 - those who combine 1 and 2
imo - #1 writers create the worst movies hollyweird has to offer
methinks - writers who are so focused on the money are these #1 writers. you count your chickens before they hatch and usually they never hatch. instead of spending money on screenwriting books and magazines you're buying sports car magazines and dreaming about something that will never come about.
BACK ON TOPIC:
about your #3 - did you know that the average "studio" flick costs from $82 - $110 million dollars to make? this throws all your numbers off.
but i think you should stop worrying about the numbers and worry about the content of your script. really at this point that's ALL THAT MATTERS.
write on!
there are 3 kinds of writers:
1 - those who write what hollyweird wants just take make money
2 - those who write because they want and need to write for the sake of telling their own story
3 - those who combine 1 and 2
imo - #1 writers create the worst movies hollyweird has to offer
methinks - writers who are so focused on the money are these #1 writers. you count your chickens before they hatch and usually they never hatch. instead of spending money on screenwriting books and magazines you're buying sports car magazines and dreaming about something that will never come about.
BACK ON TOPIC:
about your #3 - did you know that the average "studio" flick costs from $82 - $110 million dollars to make? this throws all your numbers off.
but i think you should stop worrying about the numbers and worry about the content of your script. really at this point that's ALL THAT MATTERS.
write on!
Whoooa, horsey...
Not worried. Just an observation. Also, not quiting my day job. I got my figures from the book I cited earlier.
Also, not wanting to get rich quick. Would love to eventually quit my day job and write screenplays full time, but would at least need to pay my food & mortgage. I'm not fussy.
Not worried. Just an observation. Also, not quiting my day job. I got my figures from the book I cited earlier.
Also, not wanting to get rich quick. Would love to eventually quit my day job and write screenplays full time, but would at least need to pay my food & mortgage. I'm not fussy.
reality check...
figure it will take several years for you to get good enough at writing for film or tv to even have a chance to sell anything...
then, figure it can take years more for you to sell your first one, if you're that lucky...
so then, it will take some more years for you to make enough of a name for yourself in the biz, that work comes in steadily enough, and for enough pay that you can pay the mortgage every month...
so, all the advice above to just learn the craft first and think of the numbers later, is the best advice available...
are we getting through?
love and hugs, maia
figure it will take several years for you to get good enough at writing for film or tv to even have a chance to sell anything...
then, figure it can take years more for you to sell your first one, if you're that lucky...
so then, it will take some more years for you to make enough of a name for yourself in the biz, that work comes in steadily enough, and for enough pay that you can pay the mortgage every month...
so, all the advice above to just learn the craft first and think of the numbers later, is the best advice available...
are we getting through?
love and hugs, maia
Re: reality check...
"are we getting through?"
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Loud and clear. Appreciate the advice. Under no illusions. Working on pure fun and adrenelin. By draft #3, I don't know if the fun & adrenelin will be quite as thick, however. :grin
"are we getting through?"
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Loud and clear. Appreciate the advice. Under no illusions. Working on pure fun and adrenelin. By draft #3, I don't know if the fun & adrenelin will be quite as thick, however. :grin
Re: reality check...
By draft #3, I don't know if the fun & adrenelin will be quite as thick
so here's what you do after draft#3:
1 - start another script, rewrite that one a couple of times then
2 - start another script, rewrite that one a couple of times then
3 - go back to your first script and determine (after now knowing so much more about how to write a script) whether it's worthy of your attention then
4 - write draft#4 OR laugh at yourself knowing now how crappy your writing was at that time
write on!
By draft #3, I don't know if the fun & adrenelin will be quite as thick
so here's what you do after draft#3:
1 - start another script, rewrite that one a couple of times then
2 - start another script, rewrite that one a couple of times then
3 - go back to your first script and determine (after now knowing so much more about how to write a script) whether it's worthy of your attention then
4 - write draft#4 OR laugh at yourself knowing now how crappy your writing was at that time
write on!
nikee is victory on the wing!!!
best newbie advice i've seen in a long time, kiddo!... should frame that... mind if i quote ya?... hugs, m
ps: better yet, would you do all there a great favor and post that over at imdb?... m
best newbie advice i've seen in a long time, kiddo!... should frame that... mind if i quote ya?... hugs, m
ps: better yet, would you do all there a great favor and post that over at imdb?... m
Re: nikee is victory on the wing!!!
Believe me, you make a lot more than $3,000 from a movie script. You make a lot more than that from a one hour TV script. Even in this business, there is a minimum wage, and it's huge.
As for an agent, only amateurs begrudge an agent the money they make. And it's more often 15% these days. But an agent will make you far more money that you'll ever get without an agent. The real question is this: Do you want 85% of a lot, or 100% of nothing?
Only a fool or a hack works without the best agent he can find to represent him.
Believe me, you make a lot more than $3,000 from a movie script. You make a lot more than that from a one hour TV script. Even in this business, there is a minimum wage, and it's huge.
As for an agent, only amateurs begrudge an agent the money they make. And it's more often 15% these days. But an agent will make you far more money that you'll ever get without an agent. The real question is this: Do you want 85% of a lot, or 100% of nothing?
Only a fool or a hack works without the best agent he can find to represent him.
Re: nikee is victory on the wing!!!
Only a fool or a hack works without the best agent he can find to represent him.
not true!
Bill Martell has 17 unagented scripts sold and produced. if you have questions about selling without an agent he's the one to ask. find his website here:
www.scriptsecrets.net/
Only a fool or a hack works without the best agent he can find to represent him.
not true!
Bill Martell has 17 unagented scripts sold and produced. if you have questions about selling without an agent he's the one to ask. find his website here:
www.scriptsecrets.net/
FJ and G,
I think you are wrong about so many things that getting an agent is the least bit of your problems.
First of all, the number of scripts registerd via WGA is around 50 to 60K a year, I believe.
Number of scripts that get made into movies is far greater than 100. You are off by magnitudes.
There is no film studio that will pay a writer $3K. 3 percent of $100K? Where the heck did you get this figure from?
As far as making a living at it, A-list writers get paid $250K to $400K a week doing production rewrites.
I think you are wrong about so many things that getting an agent is the least bit of your problems.
First of all, the number of scripts registerd via WGA is around 50 to 60K a year, I believe.
Number of scripts that get made into movies is far greater than 100. You are off by magnitudes.
There is no film studio that will pay a writer $3K. 3 percent of $100K? Where the heck did you get this figure from?
As far as making a living at it, A-list writers get paid $250K to $400K a week doing production rewrites.
Re: nikee is victory on the wing!!!
For a TV movie, you're looking in excess of $30,000 plus a possible rewrite and polish fee, so even with commissions and taxes, you're making a decent amount of change. To get a feel for the minimum as outlined by the Writers Guild of America, check out www.wga.org
Linda
For a TV movie, you're looking in excess of $30,000 plus a possible rewrite and polish fee, so even with commissions and taxes, you're making a decent amount of change. To get a feel for the minimum as outlined by the Writers Guild of America, check out www.wga.org
Linda
Lots of those numbers are off.
Here's the WGA minimums for movies:
www.scriptsecrets.net/tips/wgamins.gif
Now take away 10% for agent and 15% for manager and 5% for lawyer and about 50% to Uncle Sam and maybe another 50% to your soon-to-be-ex-wife and what do you have left?
If you're in it for the money, you've got the wrong job. Not that there isn't lots of money to be made - but there's lots of work you have to do to get there.
At the Willamette Writer's Conference last weekend Fred Levy said something interesting - a script is equal to a semester of college...so you probably need to write 8 before you graduate to selling anything. I thought that was a good analogy. Be prepared to write a bunch of scripts that you will never be paid for... so that 10% to the agent may not matter at this point in time. You've got to have the script people want to buy.
- Bill
Here's the WGA minimums for movies:
www.scriptsecrets.net/tips/wgamins.gif
Now take away 10% for agent and 15% for manager and 5% for lawyer and about 50% to Uncle Sam and maybe another 50% to your soon-to-be-ex-wife and what do you have left?
If you're in it for the money, you've got the wrong job. Not that there isn't lots of money to be made - but there's lots of work you have to do to get there.
At the Willamette Writer's Conference last weekend Fred Levy said something interesting - a script is equal to a semester of college...so you probably need to write 8 before you graduate to selling anything. I thought that was a good analogy. Be prepared to write a bunch of scripts that you will never be paid for... so that 10% to the agent may not matter at this point in time. You've got to have the script people want to buy.
- Bill
Numbers! Numbers! You want numbers!?
I don't think you can handle the truth.
All kidding aside, where did I get my numbers?
Syd's book that I mention at top of post. I will have to take advice from books (and maybe forums) with a bit more grain of salt.:rofl
I don't think you can handle the truth.
All kidding aside, where did I get my numbers?
Syd's book that I mention at top of post. I will have to take advice from books (and maybe forums) with a bit more grain of salt.:rofl
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