Why we say no thanks: One book editor’s top ten list
It seems to me many of the same reasons book editor Marian Lizzi lists as reasons to pass on a book apply to Hollywood’s approach to screenplays. The ten reasons are:
1. Too much competition.
2. Too similar to a particular book already on our list.
3. Too small in sales potential.
4. Too narrow in scope.
5. Not enough author recognition.
6. Beyond the author’s capabilities and/or credentials.
7. Poorly written.
8. Too expensive to produce.
9. Outside our purview.
10. Not remarkable/surprising/ unputdownable enough.
Lizzi explains each in detail here.
Movie studios are hard-wired to say ‘no’ when a project gets submitted to them. It’s always a risk to green light a movie. A writer has to craft a story that not only excites them, it excites them enough to overcome their instinct to say no.