Amazon Studios drops the curtain on open-script submission program (2024)

FAQs

Amazon Studios drops the curtain on open-script submission program? ›

Now, Amazon Studios' crowdsourced-script program is dead, a tacit acknowledgement by the ecommerce giant's entertainment division that it will only produce stuff greenlit the traditional, Hollywood way. As of April 13, 2018, Amazon Studios is no longer accepting unsolicited submissions.

How much does Amazon pay for a script? The WGA reports that the median pay for a screenplay deal with Amazon in the past was $300,000, and the highest salary was reported as $5,000,000. Rewrite deals are the second most common screenwriting for traditional studios and streaming platforms.

Submitting your script to Amazon Studios is as simple as going to the Storywriter dashboard and clicking the three dots on the script you want to submit and choosing, “Submit to Amazon Studios”. Does Amazon want to hear your story, idea, and script even if you're not a professional?

You'll need to have a WGA signatory agent or producer with the appropriate relationships arrange the meeting for you. But there's a big caveat here; neither company loves to develop material. They much prefer to have completed, packaged projects brought to them. Which means finished scripts with name talent attached.

Amazon MGM Studios, formerly Amazon Studios, is an American film and television production and distribution studio owned by Amazon launched in 2010. It took its current name in 2023, following its merger with MGM Holdings, which Amazon had acquired the year prior.

Now, Amazon Studios' crowdsourced-script program is dead, a tacit acknowledgement by the ecommerce giant's entertainment division that it will only produce stuff greenlit the traditional, Hollywood way. As of April 13, 2018, Amazon Studios is no longer accepting unsolicited submissions.

That means, for a single draft of an original screenplay, Netflix pays $42,138 for a script, with compensation only going up from there.

Selling a script takes a lot of hard work, loads of planning, and little luck, but the good news is that people sell scripts every day. Hollywood is hungry for fresh voices and new stories. And while it can be challenging to get traction for your screenplay, there is a market for your script.

First and foremost, thank you for your interest in Netflix content! Unfortunately, we cannot and do not accept or review any materials (whether manuscripts, treatments, scripts, drawings, ideas, pics of rainbow-colored unicorns, etc.) that we do not specifically request.

If you have an idea for a show or film, you may be curious how to send it to Netflix. Netflix only accepts submissions through a licensed literary agent, or from a producer, attorney, manager, or entertainment executive with whom they have a pre-existing relationship.

How do I get my script made into a movie? ›

Jennifer Salke - Head of Amazon Studios at Amazon | The Org.

In film, Amazon Studios produces and acquires original movies for theatrical release and exclusively for Amazon Prime Video.

A tech newsletter writer recently described quitting Prime and realizing the service is "mostly unneeded." Some members say new ads on Prime's video streaming service are a deal breaker, the Wall Street Journal reported this week.

As of I can tell, they don't pick the scripts, they buy the ready product with high (as of their buyers opinion) commercial value. Their scouts (buyers) hunt at the movie festivals and AFM each year.

For those who didn't know, Amazon recently announced that they will be reducing their payout rate to filmmakers to as low as $0.01 per hour of streaming (1 cent), starting January 2020. Their current payment was $0.04 to $0.06, which is already low, but now they're going rock bottom.

The typical selling price for a spec script is approximately $110,000. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) sets distinct minimums for various projects, such as brief TV episodes, movie script sales, and high-budget feature films, ensuring that compensation corresponds with the nature and scale of the work.

Royalty for eBook sales

Your royalty will be 70% of your list price (excluding) sales tax, less delivery costs. Your royalty will be 35% of your list price (excluding sales tax) for each eBook sold.