The Winner: The Official 2013 GITS Spec Script Sales Prognostication Contest!
Every January, we do something fun where I invite readers to predict how many spec script sales will happen in the upcoming year. We’ll do that again for 2014, but first I want to announce the winner of the 2013 contest. About a year ago, I posted the final tally of guesses here. That list was as follows:
75: Teddy Pasternak
77: mbgsfv
83: Joe_Giomboni
84: John Geraci, William Mandell
85: Sean Z P Harris
86: cnvwriter, ChrisB
87: @EricTruy
88: Dean Scott, Mike Wire, William-Michael Taylor
89: Brendon Bouzard
90: David Proenza, Brandi nighteyes18jp@yahoo.com
91: eugeneramos, thejakk2, David Hutchison
92: JakeLasker
93: IamChrisBradley
94: Elissa Matsueda, rcmwill
95: GITSfan, David Laudenslager
96: reuben_whakamoe
97: fakesteph
98: wereviking
99: cpayers1
100: Chris Westfield
101: TheQuietAct, DomSalvaggio
102: Static, PlucharC, MsWriterChick, Ryan Decaria, jannagummo, A2Jason
103: Virat Pal, northchavis, Lukas Fauset
104: dw, Alan D., Kristin Kroeger, Rodney92
105: Shaula Evans, Debbie Moon
106: johncostatv
107: paul.younghusband, AntoBlueberry, Huqleberry, DJ Mighty
108: Traci Nell Peterson, Karen Hemmerle
109: Alex Carl, Natespeare, skyhighsmile
110: @propagandery
111: KenjaminBantor
112: moviegirl13
113: rdlln, Turambar
114: daniel_warner
115: brianb18
116: April Austin
117: 14Shari
118: CameronAlxander
119: churnage
120: plinytheelder_t
121: cjevy
125: David Joyner
126: SlackerSteve
150: GregontheMark
The total number of spec script sales in 2013 — by my count — was 100, which means Chris Westfield is the winner. The prize: A free script consultation with me.
A quick note about the nature of determining spec script sales. If you follow the various sources online who track these sorts of things, you will notice a disparity between the totals. That’s because this is an inexact science.
Sometimes studios or financiers choose not to go public with deals. For example, I know of at least two writers personally who sold specs in 2013, but the details have not been announced yet.
Sometimes deals get announced which are super low or even free options. When I can confirm those details, I do not include those as sales.
Sometimes a project has been in the works for months, writer working on a script with a production company or talent without pay, but a tacit agreement in place.
In other words, the meaning of the term ‘spec script’ is a nebulous thing.
Because my numbers are always lower than other sites, apparently I take a more conservative approach in how to determine an actual spec script sale. I would rather to that route than provide inflated and — in my view — inaccurate totals that can give a false impression of how many legitimate deals there actually are.
In any event, here are the sales totals I have come up with since 2008 when I started this blog:
2008: 87
2009: 68
2010: 55
2011: 110
2012: 99
2013: 100
Interesting to note the last three years have been both solid and consistent. That’s a good sign for writers, even if an increasing number of deals are with financiers, not major studios, and therefore, almost always, for less money up front.
So next week, I’ll be posting something where you can enter your guess for 2014.
Also by the end of January, I should have my annual analysis of spec script sales for the year per five areas: Agents & Managers, First Timers, Genres, Studios and Financiers, Top Sales. That will include details and links for each of the 100 deals.
Finally if you haven’t checked out The Definitive Spec Script Sales List (1991–2012), now’s a good time to do that. Some wonderful GITS readers have taken on the task of breaking down sales by genre, year to year since 1991. I hope to be posting that analysis by February.
I sold a spec script in 1987 and have been following that segment of the market closely ever since. It’s unlikely you will find a better source for perspective and analysis about spec scripts than you will here.
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