How much does it cost to hire a screenwriter? Having a vivid dream of a screenplay doesn’t mean that you’ll automatically be able to articulate that same vision on paper for mass consumption. That’s why many visionaries seek out the help of a skilled screenwriter to bring that vision to life. The problem that many of these individuals run into though is how to find a screenwriter that matches their style, and how much hiring a screenwriter will cost them.
With screenwriting, it’s often hard to know if you are underpaying a creative, or being overcharged by one, and what the industry norm may be. There isn’t a “one-size fits all” approach in this industry which can be challenging to navigate, especially if this is your first script. That’s where we can help though.
If this sounds like your current situation, then you came to the right place. There’ll be no need to ask, “how much does it cost to hire a screenwriter?” This blog post will help you navigate hiring a screenwriter. We’ve included answers to the most common questions we hear on this topic below.
What Does The Cost Of Hiring A Screenwriter Include?
How much does it cost to hire a screenwriter? If you’re asking this question, then you also don’t know what it includes. The cost of hiring a screenwriter will vary based on a variety of factors. This may include factors like their years of experience, examples of their past work, and their genre specialty. Based on this, a screenwriter’s cost may be higher or lower than their competitors.
Screenwriters are those creative professionals who will write a movie or television script. The best screenwriters can even be in the running for an Academy Award one day. For top-notch writing, you’ll have to pay for that talent, but it’s an expense worth paying for. Beyond writing the script, screenwriters will also be tasked with traveling to different set locations, meeting with different movie and television executives and producers, and balancing their other work with your film or television show’sproduction.
How Much Does Hiring A Screenwriter Cost?
As noted above, the cost of a screenwriter will vary. Beyond the experience the creative has and what state you are hiring in, the price will be based on the project itself, whether it is an original script, a rewrite of an existing script, or a script that needs to be edited.
If you are looking for a complete, brand- new, original script, you should expect to pay the most amount of money. A script rewrite will often be half the cost of an original script, and an edit to a script will often be half the cost of that.
While it is hard to note exactly what price point you can expect to pay, this will at least provide you with a frame of reference to keep in mind.
How Frequently Do You Pay A Screenwriter For Their Service?
Like other creative professionals, screenwriters are typically paid on a milestone basis. Every screenwriter is different so it’s important to have an open dialogue with your hired screenwriter early on to determine the milestones and frequency of payments that make sense for both of you.
Sometimes this is based on increments of pages that are completed, other times it is based on when drafts are completed. Whatever is decided, when each milestone is reached, you can then send along the agreed- upon funds.
Can You Pay Screenwriters Not Based On Milestones?
In some instances, it may not make sense to pay a screenwriter based on deliverables at certain milestones. If you are working on a tight deadline and want a fast turnaround, it may make sense to set up a deferred payment agreement instead.
Unlike milestone payments, this payment agreement allows you to pay a screenwriter upfront for their services, and then you would pay them again once the script is completed.
This is a fitting payment structure if you have a quick turnaround time needed, but it does run the risk of not getting the best writing possible. When you pay a lump sum right away, you won’t have as much disposable money to spend on other aspects of your project.
How Do You Pay A Screenwriter?
Often with creative professionals, many different payment options can be explored – and the same is true for screenwriters. Using a credit card is one popular option. Credit cards are generally widely accepted, but if you are hiring an independent freelancer, there is a chance they may not be set up to accept a credit card payment. If you can use a credit card though, you’ll be able to pay instantly for the screenwriting and when you use it to buy a screenplay or script, there are no added fees you’ll endure.
A second popular option is money exchange apps like PayPal and Venmo. If you have either app on your phone or computer, you can send a one-time payment to a screenwriter, or you can set up automatic, recurring payments if that makes sense for your agreed-upon payment plan. Many people prefer to use one platform for all their bills, which means that an app like PayPal or Venmo would make the most sense in this instance.
Besides cash, a final way you can pay for this service is through a check, if checks are accepted by your screenwriter. This will allow for the money to automatically be deducted from your checking account once the screenwriter cashes your check. The only thing with checks though is that you’ll want to ensure you have enough money in your account until the check is cashed, to prevent the check from bouncing.
What Can You Do To Protect Yourself Financially When Hiring A Screenwriter?
Since you are hiring someone to complete a professional, creative service, it’s important to have a document outlining the details of your agreement. Beyond just you and the screenwriter, it’s important to also loop in another member of your team for feedback on the agreement, as well as to have another person who can be aware of the agreement.
This agreement should detail how long the working relationship will last. Typically, screenwriters will have a contract that lasts between three months and five years. It’s important to not neglect detailing this part of the agreement because it holds both parties accountable. Without this included, a screenwriter can take longer to provide deliverables and as a result, your budgeting for the project may be thrown off because the screenwriter is not reaching the milestones.
The next part of this contract should include details on the payment schedule. As mentioned earlier, there isn’t a cookie-cutter outline of what a payment schedule should entail. For some, this may look like paid milestones around deliverables, but for others, this may be an agreed-upon rate per page, which would likely include an expected number of pages completed each day.
A final piece of this contract to protect you and your project is a non-disclosure statement or agreement (NDA). By signing this, even if the screenwriter doesn’t finish your project for some unpredictable reason (or because they didn’t end up being a good fit), they won’t be able to take that project with them to
another producer or executive. This agreement details that the screenwriter is unable to share information about that script with others, for a designated amount of time.
What Can You Do To Set Cost Expectations?
Bringing an idea in your head to life doesn’t come cheap, but there are steps you can take to prepare financially. The first step you’ll want to take is setting a budget. You likely have an overall budget for producing a film or television series, but you’ll want to break that larger budget down to look at how much you are willing to spend on each component of production, screenwriting including. By sitting down to identify this, you’ll have an idea of what you want to include in a job listing, and what your limit is when negotiating, and will prevent you from falling in love with a screenwriter who is outside of your price range. That leads us to the second step you can take to help set cost expectations, spend time crafting your job description.
Writing a job description may seem easy at the surface, but you want to use language that catches the attention of talent and provides clues to the screenwriter about how much of a budget the project has, without explicitly saying what the budget is (that can wait until the contract negotiation). Be sure to include details about the level of experience you are looking for and what your specific needs are, as it relates to what you are willing to spend.
Throughout this article, we’ve detailed how you can best prepare for the financial cost that comes with hiring a screenwriter. While screenwriting comes at a cost, it’s a cost that is worth it and a cost that is essential in bringing your creative vision to life.
To get started with your next screenwriting project, post a job listing, network at events, or ask around. From there, you’ll be able to set expectations, negotiate, and end up with an end result that exceeds even your wildest script dreams.
Conclusion
So how much does it cost to hire a screenwriter? Ultimately, the cost to hire a screenwriter will vary greatly depending on the experience of the screenwriter, the intended project scope and timeline, and any other factors that would affect the price.
If you’re considering hiring a screenwriter for your project, it’s best to contact several different professionals in order to get an accurate price estimate.
With all of this being said, we hope this blog post has provided some useful insight into how much it costs to hire a screenwriter and how you can go about making sure you’re getting value for money while also ensuring that your dream project turns out great.
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