"Typical" writer-manager contract?

[acquaformosa]

Is there such a thing, as someone mentioned by referencing the book "The Writer Got Screwed (But Didn't Have To)" by Brooke A Wharton?

I ask because a manager (might be starting out on his own and haven't met him face-to-face yet -- yes, I know I should) is sending me a contract and all I know so far is from the following email transmission:
". . . a 12 month contract . . . standard 15% for selling a script and a producers fee for any packaging (again, around 15%."

He read one script and supposedly really liked it. Admittedly, I don't know all the relevant details about the contract yet, but if I could boil it down to a few simple, key questions, what might I pose to get a warm-fuzzy feeling? Because for some reason, I've got warning bells going off in my head, but it might be because I'm generally paranoid anyway.

P.S. I live on the West Coast but not in LA.

[JakeSchuster aka Ostroff]

I signed a standard contract with my manager, but all he wants is 10%, more or less the going rate for managers. Might want to run this by him.

[elephant1978]

10% for my manager, as well. On sales, staff gigs, residuals...as far as I know that's all standard stuff.

I'm just not sure why you're jumping into this without looking into the guy first. I was in a position where I could've had a manager a year and a half sooner, but the guy was new to the biz and just seemed like he was signing people to build a client list. So I passed. A year contract is a long time, you should make sure you're not wasting it with a bozo.

Ele...

[acquaformosa]

Thanks to both of you for the input. And I promise to do proper due diligence and won't jump in carelessly. In my gut, I felt this and now reading your responses reinforces this notion. Sometimes, you bang your head against the wall for a long time, and suddenly you're being courted and you want to throw caution to the wind.

I'm just not accustomed to the sudden attention I've been getting lately. Just don't know who to trust and what to believe.

[BROUGHCUT]

I only opened this up to refer you to that book!

15% is excessive. Most (all?) legit lit managers charge 10%. Also, if they get one at all, a manager will receive his or her producing fee from a studio for actually setting a project up. This will be negotiated with the studio, not the writer, so I'm not sure what place producing fees has in a writer-manager contract, if not to make clear that if the manager receives a producing fee they will refund the writer their commission, which is standard practice anyway. In context, mention of "15% producing fee" (15% of what, exactly?) gives the impression that you are expected to pay it from your own earnings. This probably isn't the case, it would be absolutely outrageous if it were, but you shouldn't agree to give a manager a red cent for work on "any packaging," I don't think.

Wharton's book has a detailed writer-manager contract as a sample and advises what revisions you should make prior to agreeing to it (eg. an unmodified contract may forbid you from signing with an agent without the manager's consent.)

Doesn't writersstore.com stock it? If you are having difficulty I got my copy from a seller on Amazon.com's 'Marketplace' (may turn up via a "new and used from..." link after a search on amazon).

[JakeSchuster aka Ostroff]

Also look at Breimer's The Screenwriter's Legal Guide.

[filmcarver]

10 percent is what managers charge. I would not pay fifteen, and I would question him about what agents and agencies he stays in touch with on a regular basis and check it out.

[Jack0902]

My manager gets 10%. I think there are some managers who take a bigger cut, so it's not unheard of, but you should be wary when so many others will rep you for 10%.

[elephant1978]

I remember years ago when I got into this while writing thing, every book I read would say agents get 10% and managers get 15%. So I can see why somebody would still try to get away with it. But apparently things have changed quite a bit since I read those books 6-7 years ago.

Ele...