Screenwriting : Professional coverage and proofreading by Johan Tebelius

Oh, I'm so following this as I am thinking about the same! I just think I need people to read my scripts so I can get some good feedback to help me grow as a writer!

I just submitted one of my scripts here, in fact, not 10 minutes ago.

A colleague of mine paid for coverage of his script through Inktip. He got some well thought out critique from multiple reviewers for a reasonable price. ($100 to $200 range? Not sure the exact number.)

The critique reflected mostly the same issues I had with the screenplay, but it helped him to see it from other sources. I liked seeing the structure of the coverage document itself, the approach to take in critiquing writing.

Getting a professional, outside-in review of a maunscript is invaluable. The writer is too close to the text. I've found several who have helped me improve my words.

I'm contracted by a private script consulting service and script consult privately. Obviously with different companies, you can be unsure of who is actually reading your script and what their credentials are, but overall, going with a company gives you a better sense of assurance since they've vetted their readers. Going with someone private as opposed to a company may lend you more trust since you have a face to the script coverage report. Either way, professional script feedback is invaluable for taking your work to the next level.

I have faith in some, lost faith in others. I would imagine anyone contacting you to offer their services may not be worth considering. I think some reliable places are: S32, Shore Scripts, Scriptapalooza, and Barnstorm. (IMO).

Yes it seems to be a growing business. I think I found a list of the to best services Matthew has mentioned a few that see to be helpful-- I don't want to spend that kind of money only to find spelling errors or format errors!

Big nod Alexia Kosmider. One of my UGH moments was when a coverage reader said, and I quote, "You misused 'piledriver. A piledriver is a move in professional wrestling'. Not much value from Junior's input there ;-) I don't use this service anymore ;-)

You can proof it yourself without an issue... convert the PDF into a word file, toss it into Grammarly, and you're there

I pay the same person to proof & look over my weird formating. She charges $1 a page. I trust her corrections 'cause my eyes & brain are tired of staring at same pages again & again.

I haven't used a proofreading service, Johan Tebelius. I'll rather proofread my scripts myself, but proofreading services are great for writers who don't wanna proofread their scripts or writers who want extra eyes to check for typos.

Script feedback is really helpful. Sometimes readers see things in scripts that writers don't see, and sometimes readers give notes/suggestions that make scripts a lot better. And sometimes readers point out things in scripts that are unclear/confusing (things that writers thought were clear).

I mainly get script feedback from other experienced screenwriters. Most of them are writers that I've gotten helpful notes from over the years. I've also used script feedback services. One of them is Blue Pen Notes (Stage 32 member Jill Godley's company). Incredible service! I plan on using Blue Pen Notes and Stage 32's feedback service once I'm done with my feature spec script.

Johan, I do my own proofreading...and one tool that's helped me a lot is something from WriterDuet, https://readthrough.com.

I upload one of my scripts to Read Through, and I can hear the script read back to me. Helped me correct lots of typos and helped me shorten some of my screenplays.

Thanks for reaching out...and here's to tremendous success in your screenwriting career!

Johan Tebelius I'm glad I stumbled upon your post and would love to offer my insight on the professional reader coverage and proofreading services. I find them sov beneficial as we are always trying to seeing what works and what doesn't and with all the great services Stage 32 has to offer, a good stepping stone for you and your project would be to receive coverage and see what kind of feedback you received from out industry professional readers! And what's really nice about about proofreading orders is being able to see what you missed or what may have not caught your attention that first couple of passes! Check out he different kinds of coverages we offer here!>>https://www.stage32.com/scriptservices/coverage

The minutia can take up a lot of time that not everyone has. I believe the link was shared in another comment but that is one of the services offered here at Stage 32 and it definitely merits consideration.

Johan Tebelius a writer absolutely needs a fresh set of eyes on their work. One gets too close to their writing, and that external feedback usually yields some interesting results. It can clarify areas that need work, confirm some of your own concerns and maybe even surprise you as well in terms of gleaning something that you had not considered before. Very worthwhile to solicit that type of feedback for sure. And Stage 32 offers transparency as to who is reading your work, which is incredibly important for the writer and to the S32 team as well.

Thank you all for valuable advices and insights. Now I know a lot more.

It's always great to get Coverage on your scripts to see what's working and what's maybe not hitting the exact mark you're aiming for. All the readers who give coverage at Stage 32 have a minimum of 5 years actual industry experience working in serious production and development offices, or at major agencies and management firms. The readers here are well vetted and have worked on some huge projects over the years to ensure the best perspectives you can find anywhere around!

Nothing wrong with professional help, but before you go the paid route, find some readers to check out your stuff and give you feedback at no charge. Trade scripts, review their stuff too. I am happy to read the first ten pages of anything and share my thoughts with no strings attached. If I like it I'll read the whole thing. Not in the market to buy or produce, though. Writers helping writers.

It’s a crapshoot. Even if you get “Development” notes from an “Industry Executive”, a service I recently tried out of curiosity.

Here’s my logline for my SciFi/Horror feature:

“Trapped on an isolated ranch in 1947 Roswell, New Mexico, a small family struggles to survive the night against a terrifying invader from another world.”

Here is the Industry Exec’s revised logline for my SciFi/Horror script:

“A rural family coincidently encounters extra terrestrials during the Area 51 crisis. The lone survivor, the daughter of the family, grows old as a renowned scientist with a plot of her own.”

Oh yeah. That’s much better.

Here are HER (Industry Exec) Comps:

“SIGNS meets HOME ALONE”

Did I mention this was a SciFi/Horror feature?

Here is her comment on Eli, a severely traumatized 4 year-old who just witnessed his parents killed:

“I enjoyed when Eli got smashed for trying to get his teddy bear. I would try to make that character more likable. If you're going to kill someone make them the audience favorite so the falls feels greater.”

And there are numerous other comments that certainly make it look like she skimmed, at best, the reading of the script part.

So my advice?

1. Find one or two people who can give you good, actionable notes. Read their criticisms. If both are similar, you may want to consider re-writing those parts of your script.

2. Believe in yourself. Because, often, even “Industry Executives” are flat out wrong.

Going to piggy back what Pat, Nick, and Sam have stated in their comments is that there is a lot of distinction with what Stage 32 has to over with our Script Services. The advocacy Stage 32 offers to writers is definitely special. A win for you is a win for us because what makes Stage 32 special across the board is that many of us are working or have worked in the business. So as an artist, you can feel confident that you're working with a group who gets it and who understands the grind and wants to see you win outside of just fortifying a bottom line. You've got this and we are all here to support you!

COOL , JIM BOSTON!

Script coverage and proof-reading are essential in my opinion. You don't have to agree with every note, sometimes disagreeing can strengthen your resolve about something in your scripts, but experienced feedback is a huge part of the process. I'd email the Success Team here at success@stage32.com and ask for your suggestions on who can give your projects the best feedback. It can work wonders in many ways.

Thanks, Jed!

Make sure you vet anyone's claims of experience, etc.

My attitude is "I read your screenplay and you read mine, and then we give each other comments". I have read screenplays written by others, never asking for money. Others have read my latest screenplay, without asking for money.

Asking one of your peers often results in few comments. Which means that you can actually consider all the comments. And after considering all comments from one peer, you revise, and then ask another person for comments.

So your screenplay gradually improves.

If I asked for payment, I would be encouraged to write comments such that the customer returns after revising. Even if the screenplay is hopeless. It is more honest to tell at once if the case is hopeless.

Göran Johansson Script swaps are a totally great way to meet and network with other writers. I will say sometimes peer comments sometimes fall short of the mark and swaps can turn a tad uneven given each writer's skill level and/or expectations. Swaps are very valid way to get feedback, but getting paid reads from industry professionals always helps as well. A balance of the two is always nice. Folks working in the industry can also often speak with more insight into current trends and marketplace. Think it's also a tad over-exaggerated that paid feedback will lead to nice feedback in hopes of return customers. I've often found the more brutally honest one is with feedback, while still being encouraging and providing clear suggestions for improvement, the more value there is in paid coverage. Because we're all mining for the truth of the matter with our stories. Theoretically paid reads could be incentivized to be overly rosy, but in practice and in my experience, that has not been the case the majority of the time. Writers want straightforward frankness and candor more than pats on the back.