Writer's Literary Screenplay Agency, Screenplay Writers' Agency,The Screenplay Agency

Mac H.

Board Visitor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 16, 2005
Messages
2,812
Reaction score
406
James D. Macdonald said:
What you can post up here is the name and author of any screenplay that The Screenplay Agency has actually gotten optioned by a legitimate producer.
You might want to be careful - anyone can get a '$1 option' that means nothing. (I can say 'anyone' with confidence, because even I've had one)

A REAL option is one that pays at least in the ballpark of the Guild Minimum.

Mac
 

Max_payne

Registered
Joined
Apr 27, 2006
Messages
10
Reaction score
0
Location
The land of the blind
Sure guys i'll keep u posted...
I did create a free e-mail account and sent them a screwed up logline but I don't wanna mention it her because they're "on to us" U know ;)
And as for the writing and critique groups the problem is that I can't because I'm living outside the U.S. and i'm not even A U.S. citizen but I don't wanna mention my nationality just now because as I said be4 they're "on to us".....LOL
 

Tilly

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 19, 2005
Messages
746
Reaction score
160
Location
UK
There are online writing and critique groups that you might find helpful, and there's a share your work area on this forum.
 

sherryfine

Registered
Joined
Apr 9, 2006
Messages
16
Reaction score
0
Company reply rk

Dear Message Board Citizens:

The company has asked me to tell you, in my own words, what I do and to let
you know just one aspect of what they do to help writers sell their work.

I work with Sherry Fine, our director of acquisitions, and I am using her
login for speed and efficiency with this post. One caveat, I'm in phone
sales, so if there are grammar or spelling errors in this post, please
realize that you are the writer, and that's your job to write 100%
correctly, not mine.

My job is to constantly expand the company's relationship of buyers. As you
know buyers in large companies change jobs and titles on a regular basis.
I've found that about 25%, that's 1/4 names that you can find in Writers
Market, or various public sources are INCORRECT.

So, my job is to live on the phone and email. I am paid to call buyers for
our authors and for our database of contacts.

Basically what I do is take a manuscript and a potential list of 30 buyers,
and get on the phone and qualify the list. I call, I make sure that we have
the right buyer's name, I check spelling and address, and most importantly,
I confirm what they are 'Looking For Now'. When I find a qualified buyer
with a need, I immediately communicate that to the Agents, and they
aggressively go into our roster of authors to find matches for the buyer.

Our materials are very well received by the buyers. Our buyers have learned
that we posess one of the most qualified groups of authors in the industry.
They know that all of our authors have been formally critiqued and edited.
Our buyers know that they can trust what we send them. Our buyers know that
we have filtered out the hobbyists from the authors that will do what it
takes to succeed.

Yes, we tell our authors that they have to reach industry standards.
Doesn't every agency do that in one way or another? I can tell you from
personal experience how frustrating it is to hear from a buyer that the work
we are trying to sell isn't as good a the competing works they are looking
at. So, if anything, our agency is becoming MORE demanding that our authors
take their work as far as they can from a quality perspective.

So, I hope that I have helped you see one aspect of an Agents job. The
company spends a lot of money paying me to do nothing but find buyers and
qualify them. And when I read this ongoing thread with all these bad words,
written by people that have only sour grapes to say, I just wanted to let
you know that "it ain't so".

Also, I can assure you that this company isn't a scam. I've known the
principals for years and they do the best they can for their authors. They
also pay their bills on a regular basis and they are beginning to acquire
other companies in the industry.

Here's a question.. if a literary agency buys a publishing company so that
they can publish or partner books they believe in, is that a conflict of
interest?
========================================
I can tell you right now that the company is participating in a new business
model. We're promoting a joint venture where we have put up $2500 in
partnership with the author and the publisher to get the book out the door.
That's unique! And that's how much we believe in what we are doing. The ad
is in the PMA newsletter and has been for 4 months.
A copy of the ad can be seen using this link.
http://www.theliteraryagencygroup.com/pma-literaryagencyad.pdf
This really is important for you to think about. We think that we are the
ONLY LITERARY AGENCY that has stepped up to put our own money behind
certain authors that we represent. If you can find any other agency that
has done this please let me know. This, to me, is brilliant, out of the box
thinking, that shows beyond a shadow of a doubt that our company is behind
our authors.

=======================================


Furthermore, all this talk about who owns what is rubbish. This is
business, and it's a lot like a Darwinian evolution. You either grow and
prosper, or you go out of business and you die.

If we can sell your work, we do. If we can't, then we will tell you why we
think it isn't selling. Usually this means more work, and really, that's
what most of the whining on these boards is about.

So, in conclusion, the company is real, they've paid me a regular salary for
years, and we're putting our heart and soul (and our money) behind our
authors.

Well, that's all the time I have for this post. Best to you and your
writing career. I don't have the time to monitor this post so
unfortunately, all the carping that will occur will be ignored. I have a
real job to get back to.


RKForever
 

Max_payne

Registered
Joined
Apr 27, 2006
Messages
10
Reaction score
0
Location
The land of the blind
Hey RkForever thanks for the explanation but I want to ask you,,, where do u live? and where exactly is your work place?? do you have an office there in the company and what's your real name? and your department name?
 

Roger J Carlson

Moderator In Name Only
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 19, 2005
Messages
12,799
Reaction score
2,499
Location
West Michigan
Max_payne said:
Hey RkForever thanks for the explanation but I want to ask you,,, where do u live? and where exactly is your work place?? do you have an office there in the company and what's your real name? and your department name?
Good questions.
 

Max_payne

Registered
Joined
Apr 27, 2006
Messages
10
Reaction score
0
Location
The land of the blind
James D. Macdonald said:
Yo, Max -- what did your friend who was visiting New York City find in that building where Bobby Fletcher claims to have an office?

my friend checked it out and he found that it was a mail drop but he sent me this e-mail a few days later
(hey man,

i had the place checked out at the Better Business Bureau here in NY. The company has had no complaints filed against them so far. That means that the company is legitimate but I cannot tell you they will get you what u want meaning a contract, etc.)
so what do you think guys?
 

James D. Macdonald

Your Genial Uncle
Absolute Sage
VPX
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Messages
25,582
Reaction score
3,785
Location
New Hampshire
Website
madhousemanor.wordpress.com
As discussed here many times, the BBB is useless, particularly when it comes to literary scams.

I'm aware of fraudulent agents who had unblemished records with the BBB the day the cops came by to box up everything in the agents' offices for evidence.
 

Max_payne

Registered
Joined
Apr 27, 2006
Messages
10
Reaction score
0
Location
The land of the blind
aka eraser said:
I think you should read this thread from beginning to end.

And just because a business doesn't have a complaint registered by the BBB doesn't mean it's legitimate.
OK ppl maybe you're right but I'll just continue walking down that road and see where it leads me...The moment they ask for money i'll walk straight out:flag:
i'll keep you posted
 

broughcut

I Can't Get Started
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 6, 2006
Messages
187
Reaction score
20
sherryfine said:
Here's a question.. if a literary agency buys a publishing company so that
they can publish or partner books they believe in, is that a conflict of
interest?

Uh, yeah, dumbass.

Or was that a rhetorical question?
 

Roger J Carlson

Moderator In Name Only
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 19, 2005
Messages
12,799
Reaction score
2,499
Location
West Michigan
Max_payne said:
OK ppl maybe you're right but I'll just continue walking down that road and see where it leads me...The moment they ask for money i'll walk straight out:flag:
i'll keep you posted
Max,

I hope you don't think we're ganging up on you. We're not. But you have to realize that Fletcher and his gang send sockpuppets to these forums every once in a while. We've become suspicious of anyone who supports them.



If you read through all of the threads:
New York Literary Agency, The (Sherry Fine)

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=729

Stylus Literary Agency (formerly ST Literary Agency, formerly Sydra Techniques) (Robert Fletcher, Jill Mast, Mark Bredt)

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=929
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=529

you'll find numerous posts from people who have sent them money and received nothing in return. You will NOT find a SINGLE post where someone claims the agency has actually sold a book for them. Even if they're not a scam (which they ARE) would you really want an agent who can't show a single sale?
 
Last edited:

DaveKuzminski

Preditors & Editors
Requiescat In Pace
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
5,036
Reaction score
859
Location
Virginia
Website
anotherealm.com
Max_payne said:
OK ppl maybe you're right but I'll just continue walking down that road and see where it leads me...The moment they ask for money i'll walk straight out:flag:
i'll keep you posted
Yes, but can you get back the time you wasted on them before finding out they can't do you any good as we've stated?
 

Max_payne

Registered
Joined
Apr 27, 2006
Messages
10
Reaction score
0
Location
The land of the blind
Quick question for you guys... If u're so sure that the agency is a hoax and scam why haven't anybody filed complaints or law suits or something if any of you did can you tell me where did you file it???

Thanks
 

Tilly

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 19, 2005
Messages
746
Reaction score
160
Location
UK
It's difficult to get legal action taken against literary fraud, and it takes time. Often, it takes years before anything happens. Literary fraud is not a high priority.

As to whether this company has been sued, perhaps it has? I don't know. But I can see that the costs versus what might be retrieved could be prohibitive for many people. Most seem to chalk it up to experience and search for an agent who sells books to publishers, rather than leeches off writers.

I highly recommend this blog for information, it's run by Victoria Strauss and Ann Crispin. Not only do they warn new authors, they have been involved in some of the successful cases against literary fraud:
http://www.accrispin.com/about.htm
 
Last edited:

LloydBrown

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 3, 2005
Messages
1,749
Reaction score
196
Location
Jacksonville, Florida
Website
www.lloydwrites.com
Max_payne said:
Quick question for you guys... If u're so sure that the agency is a hoax and scam why haven't anybody filed complaints or law suits or something if any of you did can you tell me where did you file it???

Thanks

You'd have to file the lawsuit in Florida. Most people are reluctant to admit they've been scammed. Of the ones that have, most of them haven't spent that much money. The filing fees for small claims courts would cost more than they lost.

However, I'm working on another alternative. Again.
 

James D. Macdonald

Your Genial Uncle
Absolute Sage
VPX
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Messages
25,582
Reaction score
3,785
Location
New Hampshire
Website
madhousemanor.wordpress.com
I have no standing to bring a suit, nor do most of us. Only someone who's had a business relationship with this guy can do that.

Much of what Bobby's doing is unethical, but may fall into the realm of barely-legal. You pay for a critique, you get a critique ... even if it may be useless.

There isn't any licensing for agents. All you have to do to be an agent is say you are one. It isn't like falsely claiming to be a doctor or lawyer or engineer.

Law enforcement isn't much interested in nickles-and-dimes. Until you start talking about millions of dollars (Edit Ink comes to mind) no one much cares. It took ten years to nail Dorothy Deering, and she was egregious.


Bottom line: If all you're after in an agent is "hasn't yet been convicted of fraud...." well, you'd still cross Fletcher off your list. If all you want is "hasn't yet been convicted of fraud while posing as a literary agent," there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, who will fit your criteria. Get your next-door neighbor to print up some letterhead as a literary agent and have him submit your material. It'll be just as effective as anything Fletcher offers, and a heck of a lot cheaper.

What you really want, though, is someone who has a demonstrated ability to sell literary works. If you put it that way why would you look twice at any part of The Literary Agency Group?
 

Max_payne

Registered
Joined
Apr 27, 2006
Messages
10
Reaction score
0
Location
The land of the blind
Thanks for the info guys.. but from what i've noticed you're all published and successful writers so why not help a brother out?:D

Maybe you guys can tell me where can I find legitimate agents or managers and how can I contact them please take in concerne that I don't live in the U.S. or europe but I live in the middle east so it's really hard to purchase an agent's directory or something so wat can I do??:Shrug:
 

waylander

Who's going for a beer?
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 24, 2005
Messages
8,276
Reaction score
1,566
Age
65
Location
London, UK
Look at Agentquery.com

Many agents will take take e-mail queries