“Spec Script Sales Explode in October — Highest Mark in 5 Years”
Finally one of the trades wakes up. Per The Wrap:
After three years of reboots, sequels and prequels, the market for original scripts is finally sizzling again in Hollywood.
No fewer than 18 spec scripts — screenplays written without a contract — were sold in October. That’s the highest monthly tally since before the Writers Guild strike in 2007–2008.
I’d excerpt more, but faithful GITS readers already know this information, even down to the number of spec scripts the article cites that have sold thus far this year — 86 — which is exactly the same as my total. So two things:
(1) The spec market really is rebounding which means it’s the best time in years to be writing original screenplays.
(2) If you want to track the spec script market, you will not get information anywhere else that can duplicate what I offer: I track spec script deals daily. I have been doing that since 1991. And the kicker: I have actually written and sold spec scripts. There is nobody else around providing information to the masses that I know of who can make those claims.
I don’t toot my virtual horn that often, but this is a case where GITS has been in front of the story way before the trades. In fact I have been pushing the fact the spec market has been on the rebound this year since March. It only took Hollywood’s mainstream media until the end of October to catch up.
One more thing to announce: I am going through all my files dating back to 1991 to create a master list of spec script sales over the last two decades. Why? To provide a greater context in which to understand the current spec marketplace. I will be rolling that out either some time this year or to accompany my annual spec script sales review in January. It just depends on carving out some time to go through the thousands of deals that have transpired during that time.
As a screenwriter, you can work in a vacuum, oblivious to what studios and producers are acquiring in terms of spec scripts. By doing that, you decrease your odds of success in actually selling your script. Believe me, professional screenwriters track what scripts go out and what sells. That should serve as a clue to what aspiring screenwriters should be doing as well if they are serious about wanting to break into the business.
For example, if you didn’t follow GITS, would you know that Thriller has replaced Comedy as the #1 genre in terms of spec sales? That ‘found footage’ scripts have picked up where ‘contained thriller’ left off?
Information is power in Hollywood, and that’s true with the spec market. There are a number of excellent fee-based online resources including It’s On The Grid, Tracking Board, and trackingb.com. And there’s this humble little blog where I will continue to track the spec script market, and post information and analysis.
By the way it’s not just spec scripts. Anecdotal evidence suggests acquisitions across all fronts — pitches, novels, non-fiction — have increased this year. If you want to stay on top of that information, there’s an easy, free way to do it: Follow @ScreenwritingMC on Twitter, which covers all Hollywood lit deals on a daily basis.
The buyers are active. They want great stories. Somebody is going to write and sell them. Is that somebody you?
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