Screenwriting : E-QUERY SERVICES: Real or Scam? by Jack Firestone

They are 100% Scams! save your money!! none work and no one reads them. do the legwork or do Virtual Pitchfest or something.

Hello Jack. From what I understand most of these services will blast out your pitch to hundreds of Hollywood agents and managers and others. Which sounds good but...the agents and managers and others on the receiving end don't want these emails. It goes straight to their junk folder. What you could do is research which managers, producers, etc. currently have, or have had, projects or writers that are similar to the type of script you have ready, and then email them with a great pitch and logline. You can find who does what at IMDB Pro or at Virtual Pitchfest or other services. There is a cost to these but it allows you to target who you want to send your query to, making for a better chance to get read. Hope this helps.

Why pay someone to do what you can easily do yourself?

The email blast by Ashley Scott Meyers seems credible. There's info about it here: http://www.sellingyourscreenplay.com/ I've never used it myself, but I've listened to a number of Ashley's podcasts and he seems genuinely sincere in his purpose of helping screenwriters launch careers.

Thank you, JT and WM, for your comments, as your they have caused me to spend the past few days writing (and rewriting and rewriting) what has turned out to be an awesome printed pitch for my script, for email purposes. I will find the right people and query them... yes, of course I will do it myself. Thanks for the site recommendation, PC, and I may or may not check it out... rather, I think I will ultimately avail myself to the S32 skype pitches, as my pitch letter has given me renwed focus of how to market and sell my screenplay. I am psyched! Again, grateful to all, for the positive vibes, at Stage 32. JF

Jack, Here's my two cents on the topic. I would agree that doing your own research and finding companies that fit your project is the way to go. But when you cold query you run the risk of being passed over or thrown into the trash bin just as much as the next guy. You're taking a chance by trying to make an impact on a complete stranger, hoping to get their attention. If you have no connections this is one way to make those connections. There isn't a high success rate doing it this way but it does occasionally work. I cold queried over 800 companies on my last screenplay on my own and got very little response. I thought, maybe my concept was just way too...out there, nobody wants to see this. After months of getting nowhere I decided to use Ashley Scott Myers' service. Joey, Danny and myself have all been guests on The Selling Your Screenplay podcast and I'm sure they would agree that Ashley truly is looking out for the best interests of his fellow screenwriters. He's the real deal. The emails go out looking just like a query you would send to a producer. It even looks as if it came directly from your email address. I ended up using his service and within a week I received many script requests which eventually led to the script being picked up by a producer and we start production this Spring. There's nothing wrong with casting a wide net. If you do decide to use a blast service, I'd consider Ashley Scott Meyers. This guy is no scam! Even if you don't use his blast service, check out his site or listen to his podcasts or check him out on YouTube. The guy really just wants to share his knowledge and help people. Good luck to you!

Question: My script is ready to be pitched but I am not repped by agent or manager. Does it makes sense to pitch producers now, or does it make sense to pitch an agent or rep first? Your opinion, please? Thanks. JF

Jack, Most agents and managers want a client with some body of work. If this is your first screenplay, I'd hold off on going down that road. I was very lucky to find an agent on my first script but we eventually parted ways. If you end up finding a producer and he wants to work with you, get an attorney to look over the contract before signing. Hope this helps.

Hello Jack, Just as a sidenote, if whomever you send it to likes it, their first response to you is going to be "What else you got?". They want to make sure you have somewhat of a track record of writing scripts (even if none have sold or got you repped). So I you don't have anything just as good as you're present script, you may want to think of the answer you'll supply. Also, I never look at a query as getting my spec script purchased. I look at it more as my resume, something that shows my writing style. A rep may not like your spec, but if he/she sees you're a good writer, you could be repped for OWAs.

Great response, Jason. I have an atty in place, so you nailed the answer in for me. Thanks, man! Best, JF

Tom, Thx! Just like in reverse "Jeopardy", I have prepared my answer. Thx for your input, man! Best, JF

I have never once responded to a blaster service. Those always get the "I cannot accept unsolicited submissions" response. However, I've read other comments claiming good results.

Why pay for something you can do yourself for free?

Mr. Martell is certainly right. But to me, it's not just about the money. If a writer doesn't care enough to personalize his/her approach, then why should an exec take her personal time to properly consider it. To me, that person isn't putting his/her best foot forward. He/she is not showing that he/she cares enough to do the best possible outreach for him/herself. Unsolicited submissions face a high hurdle. To me, blast services aren't the best way to rise above the hurdle. But again, I'm being genuine when I say that this is only my read of the sitch.

All that said, I have never heard of a blast service that is a "scam" though I wouldn't be surprised if there is a scammer out there.

No luck with Virtual Pitchfest. They advertise a guaranteed response. That is not the same is a guaranteed read. There is virtually no assurance that anyone really read your query. The response process is so automated that all they have to do is hit a button with a predetermined rejection and they are done. I wouldn't waste the money.

I read every single pitch letter when I was on VPF. I recently de-activated my account, but I requested the first 10-15 pages of about 10-15 scripts over about 4 years. I'm a believer in their platform. My friends also participate and request scripts via VPF.

For anyone who is still reading this thread. I know people who have gotten requests and scripts produced from both VPF and the ashley scott email service. I know you can do it yourself, but for the ones who don't take unsolicited material, its one way in! Don't be too skeptical of everything, it can slow your career down to a screeching halt.

Chiming in late as well (2 years late apparently, lol) to say I've had very good luck with VPF over the years. I've not only gotten read requests, I've developed relationships and met execs in person. If you can create a good pitch and have a great story, you stand a decent chance of getting read. And at $10 a pitch, it's very affordable.

I see it is old but thanks for this post,Jack . I am very suspicious of these sites also, but I keep hearing of success with screenwriting staffing by screenwriters I know and trustKnow anything about them? Or any services that send querys to a targeted audience?

I've heard that Screenwriting Staffing query letter e-blast went well for a writer on here. He had several read requests w the two logline option and sold one, although not sure if it was through SS

Thanks, Sam. Yes, we've had over 14 success stories in under 2 years for the e-blast. One was by an Oscar Award-winning filmmaker. https://www.screenwritingstaffing.com/query-letter-blast