How do you find an agent who will accept script submissions?

You wanna sell a screenplay. Yeah, you and everyone else! If you’ve spent any time on Google, you’ve probably learned that you need an agent to sell your script.  

If you don’t have an agent—and don’t know how to get one—you think, how can I get in touch with an agent? Let’s get into it. 

How do you submit my script to an agent so they’ll consider trying to sell it on my behalf? This will be a short article because the answer is straightforward: You usually can’t submit a screenplay to an agent. The Hollywood system is designed that way on purpose! 

Almost every agency and production company that is actively developing projects will have a “no unsolicited submission policy.” That means if they don’t ask you to send them anything, you can’t send them anything. If you try to, they’ll delete it or shred it as soon as they open it. 

Yikes, that sounds harsh. Why do they do that?

It’s just not worth the time or potential liability for them to look at your work when you’re not in the system. I talk more about how that works in this free masterclass up here. 

Finally, while agents do work to acquire favorable deals for their clients, it’s more important to have a manager instead of an agent. If you want me to explain the difference between the two, let me know in the comments. 

I know this sounds like another dead end — how do I submit to an agent? Well, you can’t. Thanks, Carl! However, it is still possible to sell your screenplay WITHOUT an agent, or a manager.

How?

I cover that in my next article. Read onward to learn how that works and how often it happens!

If you want to learn my three keys to doing this — without having to move to LA first — then watch my Masterclass on how to launch your screenwriting career!