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i have an idea for either a movie, a tv series or a book, i wanna know what i should make it into

2007-09-04 16:08:43 · 5 answers · asked by derek bertha 1 in Arts & Humanities Books & Authors

5 answers

I can only give you information on how much you can make selling a book to a major publisher. Beyond that, it is entirely up to your agent how much she can make a deal for tv or movie rights for.

A book's sticker price is determined by the cost of producing it times 6. The average price today is around 24.99 which means your 10% royalties per book is 2.49.

The average first print run for a new author is usually 15,000 copies. A publisher will offer you 50% of the entire royalties for the print run as an advance. Your agent may be able to get you more. But figure 50% is standard.

So that means your advance will be about 18,750 less about 2800 for the 15% agents fee. Or about 15,874.

If you sell 7,500 books, you start earning royalties on #7501 = 2.49 minus 15%.

Now comes the bad part. If your book doesn't hit that magic number of half plus one, you likely have to return part of your advance - depending on your contract. So many authors have to take that advance and use it to hire a marketing firm to promote the book. A publisher - even a very large one - will do very little in the way of promoting a first time author.

So you will spend all or most of your 15,800 bucks trying to sell the books. If it sells the whole print run out, you may get a better deal on the second print run. If you don't sell out the whole print run and your books wind up on the bargain tables for 6.95, your royalties are ZERO.

So you have to spend money to make money. You want to avoid having an overrun on that first 15,000 books.

Quite honestly, no tv or movie production company is going to talk to you until after that first print run. If you are successful, you can expect a paperback run in about 8 months to a year. Then producers may contact your agent. But until they see whether or not the first print run is going to tank, nobody will talk to your agent. And if it does tank, it's likely your publisher won't even bother with paperbacks.

Hope that helps. Pax - C

2007-09-04 16:30:30 · answer #1 · answered by Persiphone_Hellecat 7 · 0 0

The skill sets involved in writing a marketable script and a marketable book are actually very different. First consider what format your writing is most powerful in (and if you really understand the specific lingo and formatting required of a script).

Book authors MAY get an advance and may get royalties from anywhere from 10% to 40% per book (this varies--DRAMATICALLY--and is also based on whether the publisher pays royalties by retail or wholesale).

You might make money with a book. You might not. Will your potential book be made into a movie and will you be around to see it (and reap the spoils)? Probably not, but who knows. While J.K. Rowling was fortunate with her circumstance, many other critically acclaimed authors wait a decade or more before a production company starts to truly move on an idea they like. And if they buy rights to your book, you may not get much say in the script treatment--they will most likely bring in a script writer they already have "on the books."

Unfortunately the same sort of scenario can be said for scriptwriting... What the author gets paid is generally a pittance compared to the time they put into it (remember you've got to pay for special effects nowadays ;-) . And, with a script, you either get to pitch it and get contracted or you don't.

I'd advise writing it in book format first, finding a good agent (who works well in publishing and cinema venues and has a sparkling reputation) and then wish for the best.

Good luck!
~Saoirse

2007-09-04 16:32:03 · answer #2 · answered by Saoirse R 2 · 1 0

Have you ever written a movie script? Or a TV script? There are a number of conventions that you need to know before you try either.
You would be better off to write your story as a book, and try to get it published. Once it is published, your agent, or your publisher, will try to place it with a production company.
As to the money writers make - it ranges from pathetic to unbelievable. Look at JKRowling and her Harry Potter series. She is now one of the richest women in the world. Not everyone gets that lucky - most writers are lucky to make 50-100,000 on a decent book.

2007-09-04 16:19:07 · answer #3 · answered by old lady 7 · 0 0

Screenplays sell from $5,000.00 up to 6 million. Most good scripts sell from $200,000 to $400,000 it all depends on how bad Hollywood wants the screenplay.

2015-11-02 09:17:43 · answer #4 · answered by ? 2 · 0 0

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2016-10-04 00:16:02 · answer #5 · answered by ? 4 · 0 0

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