In this week’s previous post, I wrote about the necessity of how a writer needs to enjoy the actual writing part of being a writer.
A few colleagues piped in, saying while that part of it holds true, they also find the business aspect (i.e. the marketing of YOU) to be significantly harder and much more challenging. Taking it one step further, lack of progress on that front adds to their frustration.
I can’t argue with any of that. I’ve experienced it firsthand many times.
Friend of the blog Phil Hardy had this to say:
“…this should resonate with most of us that are doing the same thing as you are. However, one of the keys in trying to be a successful writer is spending a fair amount of time crafting query letters, answering ads or attempting to make contact with industry people anyway you can. Many writers fall flat in this area. One should definitely spend as much time as they can trying to promote and sell their work, as well as taking joy in the act of writing it.”
Simply put, marketing and promoting oneself is a necessary evil that a writer has to be willing to undergo and endure as many times as it takes if they want to succeed. Sucks, but it’s the truth.
After working on a couple of scripts and building up my arsenal of materal, I’ve decided to take the plunge again.
I’ve put together what I consider to be a pretty effective new draft of the query letter. Gone through the list of managers, agents and production companies, researching who might a good match for each script.
A few queries have been sent, so the waiting and hoping for a positive response begins yet again. All the while, working on more scripts. It’s all I can do.
My efforts to improve my networking skills have also paid off. Every once in a while, a colleague will send me a listing that seems tailor-made for one of my scripts. Even though none of them have worked out, it’s made me aware of more opportunities than I would have been able to find on my own.
We all know this is not an easy path. It’s extremely tough and really puts your endurance to the test. The question you have to continually ask yourself is “Am I willing to keep working at this until I get the results I want, no matter how long it takes, how frustrated I get, or how impossible it seems?”
I can only speak for myself.
Yep.
-You might find these older posts somewhat relevant and worth a read.
Maximum Z 
I need to get the information on production companies for my screenplay. How do I go about doing this? I’m just starting on this process and lost.
If you’re not subscribed to IMDB Pro, do so. Find the production companies and producers who’ve worked on films similar to yours. Compose a solid query letter and send it to as many as you can (not everybody has an email address listed), with your title as the subject line.