Ready, Steady... Wait a Minute.

This is about jumping the gun again. In preparing to market my first screenplay, I came across some very helpful advice in the books "Breakfast With Sharks" by Michael Lent, and "The Screenwriter's Bible" by David Trottier (I highly recommend these books to every aspiring screenwriter). These guys have very practical, step by step advice to follow before I or you tell ANYONE about your script.

Because once you start talking, other people start asking questions, and you'd better be ready to answer in a way that exudes confidence and originality. In other words, you'd better know what you're talking about! The only way to do that is to be prepared. As every business person must know how to promote themselves, so any aspiring screenwriter has to have MARKET themselves.

What am I trying to say? Who am I trying to reach? What will that individual respond to? What's the ultimate distillation - the logline - of my story? Does it roll off my tongue when I say it out loud, or does it trip me up? I have to sound excited about my story, not confused by it. Who SPECIFICALLY am I going to send my screenplay to? Why?

The answer to these basic questions (and many others) must be known before I start talking to anyone. It's a waste of time, money and opportunity to send my romantic period drama to Silver Films. Do YOU have a marketing plan that considers all these issues? A coherent and interesting logline you can say simply; a "phone script" to guide you during calls when you may be flustered for whatever reason; a story synopsis; not one, but several query letters coming from different angles; lists of possible representation, producers, prodcos and talent to query; lists of resources to use in tracking down said information (IMDBpro, Done Deal Pro, screenwriting contests, etc.); lists of other applicable resources like screenwriting communities, fellowships etc. that will help build you network & get your work seen?

If you're serious about a career, all these factors must be considered and are just as important as your writing -- who cares what you're writing if no one will ever see it? All those resources serve that sole purpose: getting your work seen. All of these subjects are covered to varying degrees in the aforementioned books. It is our job as aspiring writers know the marketplace and our place in it. Whether you check out the books or not, pay attention to how prepared you are to sell your story to others, because in most cases we're only going to get ONE shot to impress someone.