Tapping a Literary Agent to Sell Your Script

When you’re first starting out in scriptwriting, it’s doubtful that an agent will surface and ask to help sell your script. You might one day get to that point, but most beginners have to explore the literary agent world and seek by themselves representation – if indeed they can get any. For those writing for film or television, representation usually comes in two forms – literary agencies, and packaging agencies. If you are sending query letters to attract agents to read your original pieces, knowing the difference can be very helpful toward selling your script. There are, of course, differences in the types of representation you can get.

Literary agents, or literary agencies, represent writers. Sometimes called “boutique” agencies, these entities can focus on film and television writers. Others might manage any kind of writers, including novelists, playwrights, etc. Packaging agencies represent all talent involved with a motion picture or television show, including writers but also directors, actors, and producers. Packaging agencies can charge a television or film studio a “packaging fee” for delivering everything needed for a production project, including the star or stars, in one nice “package.” While selling your script, understand that literary agencies focus on the script as the star, while packaging agencies might have the tools to transform your story into a bigger production than imagined.

Advantages to Engaging a Literary Agent to Sell a Script

Advantages to engaging a literary agent is this person, for a fee, can handle almost everything involved in selling a script and taking care of tasks that come with it, like overseeing contract negotiations or subsidiary rights to your material. Literary agencies can exert more energy to help you build a career, and therefore hopefully a longer and more lucrative relationship with them. This might mean taking extra time to sell you, the yet unproven writer, or even scrubbing scripts or stories to help make them stand out. Engaging a literary agency to help sell your script can be beneficial, as long as you can convince them to represent you.

Positive aspects of packaging agencies include just how helpful they can be if they believe in you as a storyteller. Access to talent that can convert your script into a shooting script and eventually a film is nearly priceless. Experienced packaging agents can link stars, directors and producers to your written word, and help nurture the process into fruition. Several packaging agencies are mentioned in Hollywood publications, including the Creative Artists Agency (CAA), and The William Morris Agency. The challenge in getting a packaging agency to sell your script is whether or not they will take a chance on a newcomer.

Securing and Paying an Agent to Help Sell Your Script

There are a couple of important items for a fledgling scriptwriter to know about initially engaging an agent to help sell a script: how an agent usually is secured; and how they are paid. Usually, agents are contacted by writers via querying, or sending a proposal seeking representation. Though you may meet an agent at a conference or through a conference, sending a query package is most typical. Such packages usually contain a query letter, one to two pages in length, explaining the project’s aim and your qualifications. Recipient agents may ask for an outline or synopsis, or for you to send several pages of the draft work. Almost always you include a self-addressed stamped envelope, for responses.

In terms of compensation, agents are paid a percentage, usually 10 to 20 percent, of the proceeds they negotiate when selling your script. Some states, like California, require licensing for agents of books. California even limits the payment percentage to no more than 10 percent. But in the motion picture industry, anyone can be a “manager” without a license or limitation on fees. The typical take for a literary agent in the scriptwriting world is 15 percent. This is important to understand going forward to get help in selling your script.