Before I get started, I just want to introduce myself to the ThinkHero audience. I am the author of seven published novels which have been translated into eight languages. The newest are PULSE and INSTINCT, published by Thomas Dunne Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Press. You may have seen the ThinkHero review of PULSE earlier this year. I got my start as a novelist by starting my own small press, Breakneck Books, and self-publishing three of my novels along with novels by ten other authors. Before I was a novelist I was a screenwriter. I wrote thirteen screenplays, a few of which were optioned, and am the author of THE SCREENPLAY WORKBOOK. I have worked on short films, read for literary agencies and produce free audiobooks of my work. In short, there are very few aspects of writing, publishing or film I have not worked in (aside from a major studio production). With all that in mind, I invite you to contact me and let me know what topics you might like to see me cover in this bi-weekly, sometimes weekly blog column on ThinkHero.com. You can hit me up via Twitter: JRobinsonAuthor or e-mail: info@jeremyrobinsononline.com.
On to the delicious meat.
A lot of people who write these kinds of articles, about breaking into one creative field or another, are typically upbeat and hopeful. You can do it! Perhaps that’s because they are still trying to break in. Perhaps they’re insecure and want people to like them. I prefer to be honest about the odds. And they’re not good. Are the pearly white gates and gray air of Hollywood (or is it Burbank now?) completely unattainable? No. But you might be more likely to walk in space or be attacked by a shark. And you’re certainly more likely to be struck by lightning.
How many movies are produced each year? I’m talking studio movies. The kind most screenwriters dream about. The kind you get paid for. Three hundred? Give or take. How many screenplays are written—scratch that—are registered with the WGA every year? Last I heard it was something like 40,000. Every year. And that doesn’t include the slews NOT registered with the WGA. You people who mail your scripts to yourself are screwing up my numbers!
Ahem. I’m no good at math, so you work out the odds. All I can tell you is that they are abysmal. And they’re made even worse by how the movie industry finds new material. Which brings us to the first and biggest way to break into the biz.
Know somebody. It’s a simple fact that if Joe Producer has an great script from a total stranger and a average script from his best friend’s parakeet he’s going to sign on the parakeet and line the bird’s cage with the better story. You, like most of us, probably don’t know anyone in the movie industry. So you’re screwed, right?
Well, yes, and no. If you stay in Nebraska shucking corn, yeah, you’re pretty much done for. If you move to Los Angeles, maybe not. Before moving to Los Angeles I wrote and tried to pimp eight screenplays with not even a nibble. I lined a lot of bird cages in those days. But within two months of moving to Montrose, CA, sandwiched between Glendale, Pasadena and Burbank things quickly changed.
I became a reader for a literary agency I had previously submitted to and been rejected by. After a few months, I was signed with a manager and the doors to many production companies opened. I became friends with a woman who worked for Icon (Mel Gibson’s production company) and got scripts in without a problem. My wife’s doctor, who became our friend, was also the doctor for Ralph Winter (producer of X-men) and got my script to him just by asking (He rejected it, but marked it up for me and sent it back–personal notes from RALPH WINTER!). You get the idea. Living in LA resulted in making friends who were either in the business or knew people in the business. Doors were opened. Scripts were optioned. THE SCREENPLAY WORKBOOK got published.
So why did I leave Hollywood behind to become a novelist? Aside from needing fresh air, quiet and rest (a full day of entertainment here in New Hampshire is dinner and a movie–in LA it’s closer to dinner, a movie, Universal Studios, dancing and then drinks). There is another reason of course, and that brings us to the second way to break into Hollywood: become a published author.
How often do you see an original story at the movie theater? Let’s look at some recent big budget cash cows. CLASH OF THE TITANS? Remake. IRON MAN 2? Comic book and sequel. A-TEAM. Seriously? ROBIN HOOD? Again?? THE LOSERS? Comic book. PRICE OF PERSIA? Video game. SEX IN THE CITY? TV series and sequel. KICK-ASS? Comic book. The list goes on and on. Sure, there might be a few original stories, but most of them are the dream children of the producer or director in charge (AVATAR). The point is, Hollywood like to retell stories more than it likes to test drive them. And Hollywood loves novels. SHUTTER ISLAND, REPO MEN, HARRY POTTER, ALICE IN WONDERLAND, DEAR JOHN, TWILIGHT, THE GHOST WRITER, NARNIA, etc…
Since becoming a published novelist I have discovered that production companies are coming to ME! There hasn’t been a deal yet, but imagine my surprise when I get e-mails, from production companies I couldn’t access before, asking for my books. My novels have been read by more studios and production companies than my screenplays ever were.
So what are the odds of breaking into the novel biz? Still poor, but much better. Far fewer novels are written every year (they’re much longer and require better writing skills) and many more novels are published every year. Of course, there are still only three hundred movies made every year, so the chances of getting your novel made into a movie are still slim, but you’ve improved the odds by creating a packaged product that is less of a risk.
Of course, if you want the one-two punch K.O., knock down those seven degrees of Kevin Bacon to one or two by moving to LA and get your published novel passed on to him. Now that’d be the Willy Wonka (novel first!) golden ticket. You’ll still have to eat a crap-load of chocolate (it’s a metaphor for something else you may need to do, not actual chocolate) to find the ticket, but the result will be an instant movie deal.
That’s a lie. I just lied to you. You’re still more likely to end up being the fat kid stuck in a tube of chocolate. But if you like chocolate, go for it. I did. I still am.
Good first article, Jeremy. As someone who has been here in Hollywood working (mainly as an editor) for the past nine years, it is important that people are realistic about their chances of "making it" because there are a lot easier ways to make money in this world than slugging it out here.
I'm curious, though. I'm not someone who considers himself a writer, and I can't imagine how daunting it must be to write a novel. What's the process, in a nutshell? How long does it typically take you?
Thanks Chuck.
To answer your question, first, it depends on the author and the genre. A lot of authors spend a full year writing a novel. Some even longer. I'm far more impatient and can churn out two novels along with a slew of other projects (audiobooks, viral videos, short films, web upgrades, illustrations, etc). I spend about a month doing researching and daydreaming the major plot points of the story. Then I give myself a deadline and write like a madman to hit it. I work on side projects and marketing in the morning from 9 – noon. Then write until 5pm five days a week. On a slow day I write 1500 words (one chapter). On a good day I write 5000 words. The most I wrote in one day was about 10,000 words (a tenth of the novel). 3 months is my average for writing a novel, not including edits or rewrites. Kind of a big nutshell, but there you go.
That is amazing, man…
I know you're probably the wrong guy to ask, but which novel of yours would you recommend to someone unfamiliar with your work?
I would absolutely start with PULSE. A lot of people think INSTINCT is a little better, but PULSE is the first in the series and INSTINCT is second. So readers may just like the second book more because they've already gotten to know the characters in book 1. Of course, you could just buy them both and be done with it.
PULSE is out in mass market paperback right now (and hard cover). INSTINCT just came out in hard cover. The other books are older, and are still good, but not as good as the new series.
Man, I've been writing about 4000 words a day this week as I approach the end of my new novel. Might top 5000 today.
Hope you enjoy the books!
Chuck, things you need to make a commercially successful novel
1. Vampires 2. Wizards 3. High School 4. Geeky kids who are years smarter than their peers and make sure they listen to indie music. 5. most importantly, it has to be a trilogy or max 7 books.
you do this= winner winner, chicken dinner!!!
Thanks Jeremy! Great article! It’s funny Dennis and I were talking today about these very same issues. I have friends who are screenwriters and have really amazing scripts and agents and meetings and optioned scripts and yet the majority of their scripts have not yet been produced. Whats great about other mediums is though you cannot guarantee that they will be produced on a mass level, you can guarantee to get your work out there and make it available by self publishing and so forth as you did. How about television? Did you do any work in TV?
Thanks!
Roth
Thank YOU!
Yeah, self-publishing has become easy. Though perhaps a little too easy. I self-published, and got my start that way so I can't fully knock it, but so few people understand all the different skills required to publish a novel. Being a good writer is just the beginning. Graphic design, editing, illustration and marketing sense all need to be there too. Most slap a cover together using an old pic from some vacation and then add a title in Word and expect to become bestsellers. The result is a very ugly market. On the plus side, all that crap makes those that do try look amazing. I suppose the equivalent would be making an indie film, but that requires so many more people and a lot more time and organization, and there is no way to get around spending money on equipment, even super cheap equipment. So I think less people try it. FYI, I miss the MegaShows. Will we ever see one again??
As for TV, I tried pitching to Star Trek while I was out there with a guy who had done a few episodes, but it never took off. And I wrote a Dexter's Lab/PowerPuff Girls cross over script, but never ended up sending it out. I think the shows were off the air by the time I was done. But the closest I ever got to actual TV was an indie short I did was on a local channel in Massachusetts…but that hardly counts because I think I could have filmed my dog taking a dump and they would have aired that just the same. I've never had a passion for TV. Movies, absolutely, but never TV.
– Jeremy
This article proves that you are a fantastic writer.
Why, thank you.