Part 86: Why SHOULD I Hire a Ghostwriter for My Adaptation?

As a screenwriter who makes a living writing spec script, ghostwriting for others and adapting novels into screenplays, this is a common question I get from clients and potential clients when they are considering having their novel adapted into a screenplay.

Here are some steps to take in helping you to make that decision on

"Why SHOULD I Hire a Ghostwriter for My Adaptation?"

• Because you’ve never written a screenplay before…and you’re not good at it.

• Because you understand that writing an adaptation is MUCH MORE DIFFICULT than just writing a screenplay. Writing a screenplay is extremely difficult EVEN WHEN you have the working knowledge of the craft, you have writing talent, and when you know certain people in the industry that can help you. It’s virtually IMPOSSIBLE to do when you don’t know how to write a proper screenplay. Not even experienced screenwriters all know how to properly write an adaptation.

• Because you’ve determined this is the best and most cost-effective “move” for your project. Generally, I speak with clients who have written novels that they think would make excellent screenplays or films. They’ve spent several months or years writing this novel that sprung from their own creative juices or borne from their own life experiences. Most are self-published and have had a modicum of success in marketing and/or selling the book through Amazon or other sources. With a screenplay, you can introduce a potentially WHOLE NEW revenue stream with contest earnings, an option or a script sale, or even future paid writing assignments. Having a successful screenplay will also INCREASE sales of the original source material (your book) as well as other books you have written. You will also more than double your network, which will improve books sales as well.
• ?You also realize that “you get what you pay for” when hiring a professional ghostwriter. Retaining a professional ghostwriter is relatively expensive. You should understand that a professional screenwriter works towards earning and amounting “screenwriting credits”. When a ghostwriter writes, he/she is giving up those credits. In other words, we do the writing, while YOU get the all-important credit, which, in turn, gives you instant credibility in the industry.

You will get a MUCH different screenplay from a ghostwriter charging $1,000 than a ghostwriter charging $10,000 - and you should. Your goal, as the client, is to get that $10,000 - or more- writer. Why? Because they have the chops, the experience. They probably also have the connections and strategy to DO something with it once it’s done, and that's REALLY what you’re paying for.

• You’ve determined what separates one ghostwriting service from another and realize that “least expensive” is NOT always the best choice! When you hire a professional screenwriter, you don’t just want to end up with a script, do you? You want that script to have a fighting chance in the marketplace, and possibly, make a dent in the contest world with the idea of making a name for yourself or your project.

Now...

Why I Should NOT Hire a Ghostwriter for My Screenplay Adaptation?

(For the sake of this discussion, a “ghostwriter” and “screenwriter-for-hire” will be considered one in the same).

• Because I have no money to spend on the project. Number one reason, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s also why not everybody drives a Tesla. Please do not commit to an agreement with money you do not have! It is not our place to ask if you have the funds, or where the funds are coming from; that’s none of our business. There is a certain amount of assuming that must take place- we ASSUME you have the money, or you wouldn’t be committing to the project. Hiring a ghostwriter is often less expensive than you thought it might be, but not so inexpensive that everyone can write a check on the spot. In most circumstances, we can work within your budget, and with payment plans, when necessary.

• Because you haven’t thought your story all the way through yet. If you consider these points first, you’ll save yourself a lot of time, money, grief, and ill will. Do NOT shop screenwriters to write your “movie idea” that you haven’t thought all of the way through.

• ?Because you haven’t done your due diligence first. You HAVE TO find out with whom you are dealing if you do not know this person personally. A Google search will give you some basic things, and you can drill down from there. If you’ve had a good relationship with the person up to the point where you are seriously considering on hiring them for this project, THEN find some questionable history about them- ask them. Either they have an explanation, or they don’t.
• ?Because you’re not reasonable in your expectations. You are NOT going to get a WGA writer for $1500, but neither should you pay $85,000 to a screenwriter who has but two shorts to their credit list. Do NOT expect a 100-page professional, final draft screenplay, in five days. You’re probably not Steven Spielberg, and neither are we.

• ?Because you forget that we are the professionals. Chances are you’ll be hiring a writer with some background and history of success. This didn’t happen overnight, or by chance. For some of us, this IS our livelihood and how we put food on our table. We’ve studied and worked on the craft for YEARS.

In the end- believe it or not- we want to see YOUR project be successful as much as our own work. There is a sense of pride when writing for someone else. It doesn’t matter if our name is on the title page. Just knowing I wrote your screenplay that went on to win these three competitions and was read by forty producers until one chose to pay you to option it; this is why we write in the first place. The screenwriter and the client are partners throughout the process and, if done well and they work together well, the project has a much higher chance of being successful.??

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WRITER'S BIO:?Mr. Scala spent 24-plus years in the Hollywood community and was the?Executive Director for the?72nd Annual Academy Awards,?as well as?The Soul Train Awards,?The Grammys,?The Blockbuster Video Awards Show?and?The Saturn Award Show.?He is writing the biopics of early rock pioneer?Jimmie F. Rodgers,?Motown star?Tammi Terrell?and iconic folk singer and philanthropist?Harry Chapin- all while continuing to mentor new writers and self-published authors. Currently, he is working on a project scheduled to be filmed in the spring,?starring?Liam Hemsworth and Samuel L. Jackson.?Geno has three produced feature films:?"Assassin 33 A.D.",?"Black Easter"?and?"The Tombs".?All are currently available on Amazon Prime and Tubi.