Although selling a script is a lot like selling anything, the details are unique to the industry. Consider the buyer’s emotions, motives, and impulses. First, who would buy a script? More commonly, a director or financier and even an actor would buy a script. Ultimately, they have a goal and a reason why they would buy a script, often to make money, produce a specific type of movie, minimize work, advance an acting career, and more.
As renowned self-help author Napoleon Hill teaches, you should never ask someone to do something unless you’ve given them a motive, a reason, to do so. So what motivates or reason has he given someone to buy his script? Does it promise to be a commercial success? Would it be a great option for the buyer? For example, will the buyer be able to film it relatively easily? Does it fit the buyers budget? Is it a different subgenre that the buyer specializes in? Does the main character in the script fit the style of a specific actor?
Artistic license and creativity are key to writing screenplays. At the same time, you’ll be doing yourself a favor by recognizing that screenwriting, and the film industry in general, is a business. As such, people expect to make a profit. A wide range of talented people are responsible for making a movie or TV show and it all starts with the script.
If someone is going to buy and produce a new movie, they want to be sure that it will be worth all the effort and that they will eventually be compensated for all their efforts. To make that determination, they conduct and analyze reams of data. As a screenwriter who wants to sell a script, you should at least know the basics of what makes a screenplay a potential financial success.