Saturday, October 27, 2007

Q. I always thought a query was supposed to "entice" the potential agent with a small taste of what your spec script is about. Is it better to just state the facts - (I have spec of [show] called [title], can I send it to you?)

It can't hurt to include a phrase of hook. I've sent people a spec West Wing "about a new Cuban missile crisis," for example.

Q. How do you get their email? The WGC doesn't give it out.

You can try calling them. You can also sign up for online access to the Hollywood Creative Directory Online Costs a few bucks, but you can sign up for a trial period and it'll save you a lot of time. (Anybody know other ways to get an agent's email address?)

UPDATE: Josh asks:

Q. How useful is it to put contest placements and wins in a query letter?

I'm of two minds about this. It depends on the contest, for one thing; and there's a big difference between a win and a "placement." If you won the Nicholls, that's huge. If you're a semi-finalist at one of the many contests that seem to run amok on the Internet solely for the sake of having a contest and garnering entry fees, less so. I have skimmed some really bad scripts that got awards; and why should I be reading your semi-finalist script when I could be reading the script that won?

Still, if you got close to winning at some contest that people have heard of, it suggests you can at least tell a coherent story. So while I wouldn't recommend spending a lot of money entering contests, if you already have, you might as well mention it.

Labels: agents, queries

9:12 AM

3 Comments:

How useful is it to put contest placements and wins in a query letter?

By  Josh, at 11:05 AM  

imdbpro will often get you an agent's email, in addition to a list of his or her clients, so you can decide who at an agency might be most interested in you.

By  glassblowerscat, at 3:49 PM  

It appears that the Hollywood Creative Directory no longer does the free trial. Now they offer a week for $24.95. Still, much better than $249.95.

By  Tim W., at 5:24 AM  

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