Interesting article on Screenwriting sites:

[Willie Goldman]

New Sites Help New Screenwriters (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=599&ncid=762&e=9&u=/nm/20031024/media_nm/online_scripts_dc)

-Willie

[Cyfress]

In the end I still think it comes down to the concept and script.

[wcmartell]

No mention of Done Deal? No mention of free sites at all!

- Bill

[UserName]

The thrust of the article is on the sites that attempt to get writers' scripts read by the industry. DD would've been mentioned for sure if the subject was general screenwriting sites.

[Pandoraisme]

They mentioned scriptsales.com, said it was the place to go to get feedback on paid sites via the messageboards.

[roscoegino]

Thanks for the link.

Script Shark's pretty steep. $155 + ten percent finder's fee?

Anyone have feedback?

[UserName]

They mentioned scriptsales.com? I gotta work on my skimming skills.

[MorganTS]

They mentioned these two in the article, and said that ScriptPimp is cheaper and doesn't have the 10% finder's fee. However, according to my little wealth of knowledge, I think ScriptShark has been much more successful with helping writers. So, I guess the aged old, "you get what you pay for" applies here. Thoughts?

[wildgrace]

My research indicated ScriptShark was the better choice, even though it was a bit more expensive.

ScriptShark with it's 10% has a vested interest in getting your script sold.

Grace

[Joe Desmond]

It depends on what you want to do. For 145 bucks Script Pimp gives notes - and if you're paying for notes, you're not ready to take your stuff to Hollywood yet. I got notes for two scripts from Script Pimp, one was 4 pages, one was eight pages.

The notes were encouraging and generally helpful, if not particularly insightful. But I was sending them essentially first drafts plus a polish. I have a thing where when I get a solid first draft done I want professional feedback, just to sort of point the general direction it needs to go.

The 155 dollar service with scriptshark isn't notes, it's just coverage. I would go there when I have a fully re-written script that I *know* is the best I can do. If you send them a weak script and they say pass all you get is a few paragraphs (I've never sent them anything but I'm assuming this).

[creativexec]

Interesting article.

The "success stories" these sites offer
are always vague and shady.

And one of them has been milking THE
DEVIL'S KISS ever since ICON acquired
it. I wish that company had fifty other
titles to boast.

I actually saw the 22K ABC FAMILY film
(that is mentioned in the article). It
was quite good. In the end, the scribe
ended up with STORY CREDIT only.

The article also mentions Daniel Faraldo
(a playwright), whose script was picked
up by a management company and was
produced with Faraldo as director (a first
timer), which leads me to believe that he
may have raised most of the financing
himself.

And of the scripts that get "picked
up," are the writers getting paid?
Are these lame options or simply
writers signing with managers that
no one on the planet has ever heard
of?

Most of the time when I read of some
acquisition from these sites, the
companies involved are ciphers that
will most likely never shell out a dime
to the writer and probably never move
his career along either.

INKTIP.COM is definitely operated by
a guy that seems to have some integrity.
But that doesn't mean the service will
advance anyone's career.

I think my ultimate qualm with these
services is the fact that they are
making more money OFF OF writers
than they are making FOR writers.


:D

[roscoegino]

That's usually the case. I'm also leery of these "pay to pitch" contests which I realize is a whole other thread.