What is the single best piece of advice you can give to a novelist trying commercialize his work by hiring a screenwriter? What mistakes can you help me avoid if I end up as Producer? Many thanks in advance!
Producing : From Screenwriting to Producing - What is the single best piece of advice for a newcomer to the industry? by Ian Rodney Lazarus
Other topics in Producing:
Check out Trending Discussions
Register / Log In
Have a trust fund, and you get what you paid for. Want a top screenwriter to hire? The fee starts at $100,000.
2 people like this
Dan MaxXx Thank you for your feedback. I don't understand the first piece of advice and not sure I agree with the second piece. I've interviewed a dozen successful screenwriters (with multiple commercial projects including full length features) and none of them are asking anywhere near that fee. Even some WGA writers tell me they can go "off book" with WGA pay scale if they are writing for a screenplay that will be pitched to non-signatory companies and independent film-makers. According to them WGA tolerates these "one-off" gigs that often go on to be successful films.
1 person likes this
How much are you paying upfront? Give us a number$$$?
3 people like this
Most screenwriters are in the $10-25K range (with an upside if the work gets commercialized). However I'd like to return to my central question above and would love to hear from others on the "single best piece of advice" issue. Thanks.
5 people like this
Ian, Dan's point partly is, you get what you pay for. My best piece of advice is to understand this is a contact industry, and you are not on the inside. Period. That implies that those who will give you a cut rate are possibly just making a payday from you. As professionals they should still do good work of course. If you are hiring another writer, make sure you look at things from their viewpoint as a writer. What would YOU want and consider as a writer? Make sure, without fail, to have a proper agreement in writing that allows you to move forward with the script they produce without any problems.
6 people like this
"Screenwriting" world is frequently opposite of "Author" world in almost every aspect. If you're unaware of this, it will drive you crazy :)
https://www.ghostwords.com/adapting-a-book-into-a-screenplay/
4 people like this
David Santo Soooo true. I like screenwriting because it is punchy and concise. Novel writing drones on and has sooooooooo many mundane details (can you tell my preference)....which are both equally challenging to do well.
Best advice? Maybe get with an agency that typically incurs the book rights then they'd find the best team suitable for your project.
3 people like this
So much good advice here - my 2 cents - know your "why" for taking that route and commit to the decision, whatever it may be. Good luck!