How to Sell a Screenplay

Selling a screenplay means a producer takes the rights to make your script into a film or series from you by contract. The road goes like this: finish the script and rewrite it at least once, put together a package with a logline and synopsis, pick producers and directors who have worked in your genre, ask first in a short email whether they'd like to read it, and keep a record of what you sent to whom and when. Competitions and funding are the second door on the same road. In most countries registration isn't needed for copyright; before you sign, though, you always ask which rights you're handing over, and for how long.

What does selling a screenplay mean?

The script isn't sold as a stack of paper; what's sold is the right to turn it into a film or a series. A producer acquires that right by contract, or takes a licence to use it. Sometimes an option is signed first: the producer gets priority on your script for a set period and tries to develop the project and find the financing within it. How long that period is, and what happens when it ends, is written in the contract.

Sometimes the most realistic return on a first script isn't a sale but an introduction to a producer: “We won't make this, but what else are you writing?” is a door too. That's why having more than one finished piece of work shortens the road.

What should you have before you send it?

A finished script: not a first draft, but a text that's been rewritten from the start at least once and read by someone other than you.
The right format: a script whose pages aren't laid out in the standard way is often rejected unread.
A logline: the sentence that tells your film in one line. It's the first thing a producer reads.
A synopsis: the whole story on one page, ending included. Hiding the ending suits a promotional blurb, not a producer.
If needed, a treatment and a pitch document: the characters, and why this film now and why from this writer.
A second piece of work: another script, a treatment or a short film you've shot. Be ready for “What else have you got?”

Where can I send my screenplay?

Production companies: choose the ones that have worked in your genre. The producer names in the credits of films you love are the best list.
Directors: especially those who started with short films and are looking for their first or second feature read scripts.
Screenwriting competitions: a jury reads, and even if you don't win it brings visibility. Before you enter, read in the rules who keeps the rights.
Funding and development support: script and project development funds open periodically; you have to keep an eye on the calendar.
Project markets and pitching sessions at festivals: the direct way to sit at the same table as producers.
Most large streaming platforms and broadcasters don't accept unsolicited scripts; scripts usually reach them through a production company. If a platform is your target, go first to a producer who works with that platform.

How do you pitch a screenplay to a producer?

If the company has a submission route (a submission form, a submissions address), use it; don't invent your own door.
If not, a short email first: who you are, the logline, genre and length, and why you're writing to this company. Ask whether they'd like to read the script.
When asked, send a PDF with the script's title and your name in the file name. An editable file (a Word document, for instance) can be changed and looks different on every computer.
If there's no reply, send a single reminder after a while, then move on to the next name on your list. Persistence doesn't open a door, it closes it.
Write down in a table who you sent it to, on what date, and which version of the script. It's both a way to keep track and, later, evidence of dates.

Can my script be stolen, and how do I protect it?

In most countries a screenplay is protected by copyright the moment you write it; registration isn't a condition for protection. Optional registries exist — in the US, for example, the Copyright Office offers registration and the Writers Guild runs a script registry. They don't create the right; they tie the work to a dated record showing it was yours. For fees and current requirements, check the official page of the registry you're considering.

Copyright protects not the idea but the expression of the idea: two different films can come from the same idea. What protects you is the text you've written. So knock on doors by showing a finished script, not by describing an idea; keep your drafts, your dated versions and your submission records.

This page is practical advice, not a legal opinion. For your specific situation, ask a lawyer.

Questions to ask before you sign

These questions aren't a list of answers; the answers sit in the contract itself. If you can't find the answer to one of them in the contract, don't sign without asking it.

Which rights are being transferred: only this film, or also a series, sequels and other adaptations?
Is the transfer limited in time, or to certain countries?
If it's an option: how long is it, and what happens to the rights when it expires and the film hasn't been made?
When and how is payment made: on signing, on the shoot, on release?
How will your name appear in the credits and in the publicity?
Who will do the rewrites; can another writer be added without your knowledge?
If the script is changed, is your approval required?
What happens if there's a dispute?

Three signs on the table: go to a lawyer

If there's a text in front of you to sign, money being discussed and a deadline for a decision, the question is no longer one for a guide but for a lawyer. Have the contract read before you sign by a lawyer who works in intellectual property; paying that cost once is cheaper than carrying a badly signed transfer for years.

How much does a screenplay sell for?

There's no fixed rate, and we don't write numbers we can't verify. The price is negotiated according to the kind of work (short film, TV episode, feature), the budget, the scope of the rights being transferred and the writer's track record; sometimes it's paid in one go, sometimes split into stages such as signing, shooting and release. Learning current figures from writers' guilds and experienced writers is more reliable than the numbers circulating online.

Wrong / Right

Wrong email

“Hi, I have a script, it's a really different story. I'm attaching it — could you read it and get back to me?” — No who you are, no what the film is, no why this company; and an unrequested file attached.

Right email

A short email that tells the film in one sentence and asks whether they'd like to read it:

Subject: Feature screenplay
"The Last Watchmaker" (drama, 95 pp.)

Hello,

My name is Deniz Kaya and I
write screenplays. I follow the
small-cast family dramas you
produce, which is why I'm
writing to you.

Logline: An old watchmaker who
refuses to close the last shop
in his dying arcade is forced,
for the first time, to stop a
clock with his own hands when
his son arrives to move him
into a care home.

The script is finished and has
been rewritten twice. If you'd
like to read it, I can send it
as a PDF with a one-page
synopsis.

Best regards,
Deniz Kaya
phone · email

How to do it

Finish and rewrite — Show the script that's been read and rewritten, not the first draft.
Prepare the package — Logline, a one-page synopsis and, if needed, a treatment and pitch document.
Make your list — Producers and directors who have worked in your genre, competitions and funding.
Ask first — Ask in a short email whether they'd like to read it; send a PDF if asked.
Keep records — Write down who you sent which version to, and when; keep your drafts.
Read before you sign — Which rights, for how long, when you're paid: the answer must be in the contract.
Write the next one — While the script you sent is on its way, start the next one.

Checklist

Has your script been read by someone else and rewritten from the start at least once?
Does your logline answer who, what they want and what's in the way, in one sentence?
Has the company you're sending it to worked in your genre?
Have you recorded who you sent which version to, and when?
Can you find the rights being transferred and their duration in the text you're about to sign?

Download as Word and PDF

Open the Word version and write straight over it; the PDF looks the same on every device and prints as it is.

Logline template + exampleThe four parts of telling your film in one sentence, an example and a blank template.Word (.docx)PDF

Synopsis template + exampleWhat a short synopsis is, a complete example and a blank template to fill in.Word (.docx)PDF

Treatment template + exampleScene-by-scene prose: the rules, a sample treatment and a five-part blank template.Word (.docx)PDF

Frequently asked questions

Can you sell a screenplay idea?

An idea on its own isn't protected by copyright and is rarely sold; what gets sold is a written treatment or screenplay. If you think your idea is valuable, write it instead of pitching it: what protects you, and what can be sold, is the text.

Do I have to register my screenplay?

In most countries, no: copyright arises the moment you write the work. If you want, you can tie it to a dated record through an optional registry where one is available; that doesn't grant a new right, it makes proof easier. For your specific situation, ask a lawyer.

What happens to my rights if I enter my script in a competition?

It varies from competition to competition: some only read and assess, some ask for rights in the winning script. The answer is in the rules; before you apply, read the clause that says who keeps the rights.

I don't know anyone in the industry. Where do I start?

Contacts come after finished work. Enter competitions and apply for funding, shoot a short film yourself or work with a director who makes short films, and follow the project markets at festivals. Every finished piece of work makes the next door easier to open.

Finish your script: start the lessons