In terms of selling a script, reaching out to production companies can be a surprisingly effective strategy in terms of how to sell a script. It’s an often overlooked strategy because, to be honest, most people don’t know where to start. A copy of the Hollywood Screenwriting Directory would be particularly helpful in this endeavor, because if you have the latest edition, it’s full of up-to-date listings of production companies in New York and California, which are a great place to start by selling a script. and what are the best ways to get in touch with them.
Here are several important things to keep in mind if you are going to use this strategy to sell a script:
Research the company before calling; make sure the production companies you call have a history of making the kinds of movies you want to make. Know who you’re dealing with and who you’re selling a script to before even picking up the phone.
Post your speech as quickly as possible; Contrary to popular belief, a writer’s greatest enemy isn’t writer’s block, it’s the words “We don’t accept unsolicited materials.” You should try to introduce the idea to them before they can tell you.
Don’t give up, this, again, is self explanatory. If you stay even for a short period of time in this business, you’re going to hear a lot of no, that only comes with the territory. However, eventually, if your speech and script really have something, someone will want to work with you.
Stay calm – remember, the person answering the phone is just an employee of a larger company and is a person who is simply doing their job. If you seem aggressive, manic, or overly excited, you will scare them off and end up right back where you started.
Pay attention to how they respond – no matter how the tone goes, good or bad, there is always something to stand out from the experience. It is important that you take (or at least mental) notes and try to find out why your proposal was received the way it was.
In short, there is a lot of variation in using this particular method, and it takes some time, but it’s never a bad place to start, so keep that in mind as you go through the process.
