How to Hire a Screenwriter: The ULTIMATE Guide (plus THE solution…)

Hiring a Screenwriter: An Overview

What do you do when you can’t push through writer’s block? You’ve been working on a screenplay for months or years and you can’t make progress on it. You know you have to improve it but you’re not sure how to. Well, many in this situation will turn to external help and hire a screenwriter to get them over this hump.

Collaboration is the key to a healthy and successful screenplay. Hiring a screenwriter or script doctor is, therefore, a way to fast track such collaboration. It puts you into contact with a professional specifically selected by a specialist screenwriting organisation (such as Industrial Scripts) who will know how to get the best out of your work. They’ll show you things that you can’t see yourself.

What is a Script Doctor?
“A script doctor is the theoretical love-child (!) of a) the screenwriter and b) the script consultant. This type of screenwriter is a disciplined creative, able to stick to an exact brief, with experience of both sides of the development fence, and the fusion of skills to match.”

It’s important to not be too precious over your work. You can’t let your ego get in the way of the script’s progress. Instead, you have to seek collaboration with a screenwriter who will share your skills whilst bringing new ones to the table.

Industrial Scripts’ Screenwriters for Hire

Industrial Scripts is a decade-old, specialist screenwriting and script development company, founded by a former Warner Bros and Paramount Pictures script consultant.

One of the biggest challenges for those new to – or outside of – the industry is how to discern who is right for you and your project. Equally, in a sea of shady, fly-by-night screenwriters operating on the very periphery – at best! – of the industry, it can be really tough to separate the wheat from the chaff.

We are the only screenwriting company out there with over 1,500 client testimonials, all verified as genuine by 3rd party reviews sites. Here’s an example of one from Reviews.io, below:

Industrial Scripts employs a crack team of screenwriters, script doctors, script editors and script consultants: script development is What We Do, all day, every day!

We’re also rare in terms of the stature of our industry relationships. Sceptical? Check out the stellar roll call of names on our exclusive Insider Interviews series, or the video below for our TITAN Screenwriting Contest, featuring (among other luminaries) mega-producer Patrick Crowley ($5bn of career box office):

The TITAN Screenwriting Contest - Judge Patrick Crowley ($5bn Box Office Producer)

You see, there are plenty of lone wolf screenwriters (usually without agents, managers or meaningful industry connections), who’d be more than happy to help you part with your fees. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!

Hire a Screenwriter Vetted by Industrial Scripts

Use the buttons to get started within the decade-old Industrial Scripts screenwriting and rewriting system, or read on and then get in touch!

How much does it cost to hire a screenwriter?

Ahhhh, that old chestnut. If you’ve landed on this page, you’re likely curious how much it costs to hire a pro screenwriter. The answer is, like everything in life, there are tiers. Firstly, for all but the most deep-pocketed independent producer or screenwriter, the heavily credited screenwriters who write your favourite movies or shows are out of bounds, fiscally speaking. These people earn hundreds of thousands of dollars, are in serious demand (many are booked up months or even years in advance), and are being courted all the time by major directors, studios, executives, and actors even. Unless you can pay an insane day-rate, for a gig that won’t require much of them, the odds of even getting their attention are slim.

However, all these screenwriters had to start somewhere, right? Once upon a time, their names meant nothing in the Netflix and Amazon corridors of power, and they’d work for….less. This is where Industrial Scripts has an advantage: due to our track record and vast bank of writers and script consultants we’re able to isolate and identify the Jonah Nolans, the Steve Zaillians, the Shonda Rhimes…..before they’re even on any agents‘ or managers‘ radars.

But, back to the point: how much does it cost to hire a screenwriter? The answer, very broadly speaking, is: thousands but (sometimes) not tens of thousands of dollars. But if you’re paying in the hundreds of dollars, those spidey senses should start tingling and the nerves jangling, because you are paying peanuts and therefore in all likelihood: getting monkeys.

A “proper”, if not vast, budget is inevitably required to get any individual or company worth their salt to drop everything else they’re doing, and get fully invested in your masterpiece.

But how long’s a piece of string? So much hinges on your project, your idea, how far advanced it is, how involved you want to be, how many revisions you’re looking for, how specialised the subject matter is, how much research said specialised subject may require etc etc.

The variables, as they say, are considerable. If you have a script already, just use these links to take a look at our script doctoring and re-write service, or make an enquiry regarding our out-and-out screenwriting services (if you just have an idea, pitch, treatment etc).

We’re here to help!

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How Do You Know if the Screenwriter or Script Doctor is Legit?

There are plenty of script doctoring and screenwriting services out there to choose from. And like anything, picking the right one requires due diligence. So here are three key headline pointers to look out for when hiring a screenwriter…

1. Don’t Trust Overpromising

Ultimately, hiring a screenwriter and script doctor is about making your script the best it can be. It’s about getting you through a rough patch and out the other side.

• It’s not about instantly getting your script to the next stage of development.
• Instead, it’s about getting your script ready for that next stage of development.

So be wary of script doctor services that seem to suggest they will help your screenplay pass into that next stage of development. This isn’t what a script doctor is for. It’s not their responsibility to throw in a kind word in order to get your script greenlit.

That script doctor is there to do a job. And that job is helping you better your script, whatever that might look like to you and the script doctor. Can a script doctor give your script a better chance of production? Well, yes, in that they can improve your script.

But can they grease the wheels and move your script into the next stage of development? No, that is out of their hands. Any service that says otherwise is overpromising in the hope that seeing your name in lights will convince you to go with them. So don’t trust script doctoring services that promise more than the job at hand – the actual work on your script.

2. Look For Hard Evidence and a Proper Track Record

This comes in the form of reviews. Is there a track record of satisfied customers? And are these reviews verified as genuine by any third party?

This is the same with purchasing anything online. But it’s especially relevant for such a personal and in-detail service as script doctoring. Can the service back up what they are selling with in-depth feedback on the nature and quality of the service?

Moreover, receipts also come in the form of experience. Does the service just say the script doctor has worked for “numerous film producers and film production companies”? Perhaps in addition to their numerousness, they are “award-winning”?

Anonymous script doctoring – the type which has seen many a major screenwriter‘s invisible fingerprints over many a Hollywood blockbuster – usually comes after a professional establishes themselves with the major players, and not before.

As Stephanie Palmer said: “Hollywood isn’t a town built on modesty”.

3. Look For Relevance and Credentials

If it’s all a little vague, and there aren’t companies of note worth crowing about, then draw your own conclusions about the script doctoring service.

If you’re seeking to get your screenplay to the best possible standard, you need to be working with writers who understand what makes a screenplay work in the landscape of contemporary film and TV. So be wary of old credits and companies you’ve scarcely heard of.

You need a script doctor who can realistically relate your screenplay to the contemporary market. This needs to be someone who is tapped into relevant companies and recent productions.

If a working studio/company trusts the opinions of that script doctor, it’s likely that script doctor is someone who understands what makes a screenplay work. And not just technically but as a sellable, viable asset.

Why Hire a Screenwriter?

Screenwriting can be an exhaustive and consuming process. And sometimes you need fresh eyes to tackle it and move a screenplay forward. This is the top-line benefit of hiring a screenwriter and script doctor.

But there’s more to the benefits of hiring a screenwriter than this simple fact of fresh eyes.

1. Screenwriting is a Collaborative Process

The idea of the screenwriter working alone at their desk in a fit of inspiration is appealing. But there’s actually little about screenplay writing that is or should be, solitary.

Screenwriting is a medium that thrives on collaboration. This will work all the way down the line, whether you’re working on a film script or a TV series. Collaboration will be an essential part of the process from early development to the final shot to the final edit.

And so to start this process of collaboration early on is essential. Screenwriters might like to think of themselves as lone creative geniuses drawing from the well of their own inspiration and nothing else. And certainly, this is how a lot of screenplay writing will take form. But it’s only part of the journey and will only get you so far.

• So hiring a screenwriter can be a great way of mainlining the best kind of collaboration.
• This screenwriter will understand the process and form of screenwriting just as you will.
• They’ll understand what you have gone through to get where you are.
• Furthermore, they’ll understand the best way to help you move forward.

Getting feedback and advice from all corners of the industry (and friends and family who aren’t in the industry) is essential. But nothing beats the kind of creative advice that will come from another fellow scriptwriter.

Moreover, working with another screenwriter will help develop and/or hone your collaboration skills. It will give you valuable insight into how to work with a professional writer and how to manage smooth, effective creative collaboration. This will be an indispensable tool for you moving forward in your career.

2. It Demonstrates the Professionalism of Your Craft

There comes a time in your script writing journey when it’s important to get serious. This applies to how you approach your own work. But it also applies to the kind of signals you are sending out to the industry.

Whilst just the very fact of writing a feature film script or TV series pilot will demonstrate your ambition, showing that you take the development of that script seriously shows you mean business going forward.

And when you hire a screenwriter and script doctor you do just that.

• A screenwriter that is willing to develop their script in such a way is one that knows what it takes to develop a serious, industry-ready screenplay.
• It shows that you’re not just resting on your laurels as a script writer.
• Instead, you are taking charge of the project at hand, seeking to get it to the best place possible.

This is true for producers too. If a project has been workshopped by screenwriters for hire it has been through a rigorous proofing process.

It’s been stretched and examined and tested, with multiple rounds of creatives having their input. This is what it means to have a script that has been put through an industry-standard development process.

3. It Solidifies Your Screenplay From A Different Angle

When writing a screenplay, it can be easy to get lost in the world you are creating. So hiring an objective pair of eyes can help solidify your script into something that makes sense outside your own interpretation of it.

It’s a way of proofing your screenplay. You’re making sure it’s looking good from an angle that isn’t just your own.

And a professional screenwriter working on your screenplay and immersing themselves in it will give you a much more in-depth sense of this than just someone giving notes (although this is essential too at some point in the process).

This goes for producers working on the script as well. All those who have spent a significant amount of intimate time with the script will often be too close to it to see what the solutions to problems could be. And tackling the script as a writer is very different to just a reader giving feedback.

When you hire a screenwriter and script doctor you’re formally inviting someone to be a part of the project. You’re asking them to see what you see in the screenplay. However, they won’t see this straight away. They’ll be coming at it from a different angle and bringing what they see to it first.

This isn’t just about getting another objective view. Instead, it’s about seeing what the three-dimensional vision of the screenplay is. How does a creative see the screenplay, its problems and the potential solutions?

Screenwriters for hire will not only be able to give you an objective view but will have the time and space to try and think of the project in the way that you do, as the writer or producer.

What Screenwriters For Hire Will Give Your Screenplay

So we’ve outlined the key reasons why you should hire a screenwriter and script doctor. But what exactly will screenwriters for hire give your screenplay?

1. A Clear and Objective View of Where Your Screenplay Needs to Be Improved

The first thing that screenwriters for hire will give you is a breakdown of where your screenplay clearly and significantly needs to be improved. With our service, for example, this is first given as part of our script doctor’s quote.

It’s an overview and a first-read assessment of how your script is coming across. And it provides an important roadmap for where improvements need to be made and how this can be done.

• Where is your script weak?
• Where is your script working?
• How can the script better fulfil its potential?

These are the questions that will be at the forefront of the script doctor‘s assessment.

It will provide you with a window into how your screenplay is playing. But more importantly, it won’t just be a wall of criticism, it will be constructive criticism. In this, it will be a positive, inspiring start to this next step in your screenplay’s journey.

When you’re stuck, this kind of practical roadmap is vital. It’s an essential vision of the future where previously such vision felt clouded.

2. A Structured and Detailed Plan

The heart of great screenwriting is structure and discipline. And screenwriters for hire have this embedded into the way they work. Consequently, your script doctor will draw up an intricately detailed plan.

This plan will start off as a creative discussion and end in a beat sheet.

• This is an exact layout of discussed changes and how and where they will be executed within the screenplay.
• After a period of discussion and collaboration, the script doctor will filter everything you have discussed into an easy to follow plan.
• Here you will be able to see exactly how the new version of your screenplay will look. And all the changes will be worked out in fine detail between you and the script doctor.

There’s no room for error in this approach. It provides you with a concrete reassurance of exactly what will be done to your screenplay.

The exact how of it, well that’s where you can trust your screenwriter for hire. This is where the magic happens. But you can rest assured that there will be no surprises. You’ll know what will be done to your script before it is done.

Furthermore, there will be collaboration and feedback after this initial work. And again, this will be executed in a detailed and structured way. Ultimately, nothing is set in stone until you say so. The structured and detailed plan is there to make sure that nothing gets done to your script that you don’t want.

As every writer worth their salt knows, this is what structure is for – to provide a solid launchpad for creativity. It’s a safety net to allow freedom without straying too far off track.

3. A Wealth and Diversity of Experience

The best screenwriters for hire and script doctors will come with wide-ranging experience across film and TV. And this is exactly the kind of experience you’ll want to look out for when it comes to hiring a screenwriter.

The script doctors we work with have worked for the likes of Warner Bros, Paramount, Lionsgate, Universal, Scott Free and Disney. So whether you’re approaching us with a feature film script or a pilot for a TV series, we have script doctors with the requisite experience to match. This is vital.

And this is important not just in terms of making your script good from a craft perspective.

• It also means that the screenwriter for hire will have great insight into how the industry will see your screenplay.
• And this will inform their perspective when it comes to fulfilling the solutions you want for moving your screenplay forward.

This isn’t about changing your screenplay or tailoring it to the industry in a way that doesn’t suit you. Instead, it’s about the screenwriter for hire finding out what your aims for the project are and then matching that to the industry in a practical way.

• They might demonstrate how to fulfil certain genre needs, for example. And this will be based on what studios/companies/funders will be looking for most.
• Or they might show you how to get the best out of certain elements of your screenplay. They might maximize a particular element (such as characterisation or themes) based on what is likely to stand out to experienced screenplay readers or executives.

Whether you’re already embedded in the industry or you are new to it, working alongside someone with a range of experience in script development across the industry is invaluable.

4. Space to Explore and Collaborate

The script doctoring process allows for a flexible and creative collaboration between you and the screenwriter for hire.

As mentioned above, there is a detailed and structured approach to how the suggested changes are pitched and executed. But within this structure, there is the space to creatively stretch and flex your muscles.

You’ll be able to discuss the screenplay and the story you are seeking to tell. Whether it’s the characters, themes, narrative structure, genre or tone – you will have the opportunity to ask your screenwriter for hire questions and engage in a creatively fulfilling back and forth.

This can be rare in the screenwriting world, such is the often isolating nature of being a writer. So having someone to bounce ideas off is key.

Script writing should only ever be a solitary process to a point. And in this, the screenwriter for hire that you will collaborate with fills an important role.

Sometimes when at a certain point with a screenplay, the writing brain can feel foggy. There often comes a time for a writer when it seems hard to recall the passion and creative ambition that kickstarted the journey in the first place.

By connecting to and engaging with another writer on your screenplay you will ignite that lost spark. This will be an opportunity to reconnect with the story and the reason you wanted to tell it.

Industrial Scripts’ Screenwriters and Script Doctors For Hire

To us, screenwriters for hire come in the form of our trusted team of script doctors. Our script doctor service exists to take your screenplay forward in a healthy, productive and simple way.

This kind of screenwriter for hire is a fusion of the screenwriter and the script consultant: he or she is a disciplined writer, one expert in sticking to a precise brief or objective.

If you’re at a roadblock with a project, if you can’t see the wood from the trees, or don’t have the time to make the changes you KNOW your script needs, our service is for you.

The Screenwriter For Hire – A Crucial Tool For Writers

To hire a scriptwriter and script doctor is to give your script a breath of fresh air.

Whether you’re working on a feature film or a TV show, hiring a scriptwriter can be an essential tool for blowing the cobwebs off and moving a project forward. It can be a lifeline for writers struggling to make headway with their story.

No writer should be an island. And no writer should seek the guidance of themselves alone. This can cloud or block a screenplay’s development.

When we see the writing credit of a film or TV show, it’s tempting to believe that this was the work of one writer. Their words flew from the keyboard to the screen in a fluent process. But this is a false idea of the development process. And it’s an idealised one at that.

The realistic truth is that the script development process can be long and complicated. And sometimes the process needs to be this long, putting the script through its paces and making sure it is truly production-ready.

Screenwriters for hire and script doctors are a vital part of this process. They have the ability to give a take on your script that is cordial, professional and incisive. There’s no one better for this job – someone who knows what it’s like to be a writer but isn’t personally connected to your script.

It’s that perfect mix of objectivity and problem-solving. Screenwriters for hire and script doctors are not there to just give you an opinion, they’re there to give you solutions. These solutions will be to problems you know you have and can’t fix and to those that are in your blind spot.

Script Doctor and Screenwriting Services

Need a screenwriter for hire? Look no further than our script doctor services. We have a range of screenwriters ready to work on your script, or develop your idea from scratch.

Moreover, our reviews speak for themselves, with testimonies from producers and writers who have used the service and found it invaluable.

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