About a year ago, I finished my first script (a romantic comedy about online dating). I spent a few months editing it and researching management firms/managers. (This forum was incredibly helpful during that stage, so thank you to all who have contributed. This is my first post.)
Over the next few months, I queried various managers via email (~15 total, all at "top firms" -- at least according to these threads!). About 75% of them requested the script; meaning (*hopefully*) that my logline/concept were solid. (To note: I am the author of several moderately successful young adult novels, and my previous full-time writing experience may have also contributed to the rate of requests). I sent the script to ~10 managers in total (one or two release forms scared me off with their overly stringent terms -- but perhaps that's another post for another time). Then, of course, I waited.
I received three rejections total (two from people who actually seemed to sit down with the script over the weekend after receiving a copy). The rest culminated in long silences. I checked in with everyone after a month or two had passed, and a few said they were going to get to it when they were less flooded with existing client material, but never answered my subsequent follow-ups. I'm bad at badgering people, but I did ask everyone who outright rejected me for feedback (particularly negative!) to no avail. (I understood that getting this type of feedback was a long shot in an industry where people hate to say 'no' and that managers are probably sick and tired of having writers use feedback as an opener to argue against the rejection, but I tried anyway.)
So my question is: what now? Specifically, how do you go about getting useful feedback?
I had as many literary-minded friends and family as I could find read my script before I sent it out, but sadly I don't really know anyone within the industry who could take a look. I'm aware of services like the Blacklist and contests like the Nicholl, but while I'm comfortable sinking my free time into the screenwriting dream, I'm less comfortable sinking in money.
I should add that my hope for this initial script was that out of ten managers, while nine might say "No," one might say: "Okay, you can write -- send me the next one." I could just query more managers but I'd rather get feedback first. It would be very helpful to know what I'm doing wrong, particularly as I continue tinkering with other works in progress.
Thanks for reading -- any and all advice/feedback(!) would be greatly appreciated!
Over the next few months, I queried various managers via email (~15 total, all at "top firms" -- at least according to these threads!). About 75% of them requested the script; meaning (*hopefully*) that my logline/concept were solid. (To note: I am the author of several moderately successful young adult novels, and my previous full-time writing experience may have also contributed to the rate of requests). I sent the script to ~10 managers in total (one or two release forms scared me off with their overly stringent terms -- but perhaps that's another post for another time). Then, of course, I waited.
I received three rejections total (two from people who actually seemed to sit down with the script over the weekend after receiving a copy). The rest culminated in long silences. I checked in with everyone after a month or two had passed, and a few said they were going to get to it when they were less flooded with existing client material, but never answered my subsequent follow-ups. I'm bad at badgering people, but I did ask everyone who outright rejected me for feedback (particularly negative!) to no avail. (I understood that getting this type of feedback was a long shot in an industry where people hate to say 'no' and that managers are probably sick and tired of having writers use feedback as an opener to argue against the rejection, but I tried anyway.)
So my question is: what now? Specifically, how do you go about getting useful feedback?
I had as many literary-minded friends and family as I could find read my script before I sent it out, but sadly I don't really know anyone within the industry who could take a look. I'm aware of services like the Blacklist and contests like the Nicholl, but while I'm comfortable sinking my free time into the screenwriting dream, I'm less comfortable sinking in money.
I should add that my hope for this initial script was that out of ten managers, while nine might say "No," one might say: "Okay, you can write -- send me the next one." I could just query more managers but I'd rather get feedback first. It would be very helpful to know what I'm doing wrong, particularly as I continue tinkering with other works in progress.
Thanks for reading -- any and all advice/feedback(!) would be greatly appreciated!
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