Selling a script can involve many of the same aspects that selling other things can involve. Let’s take a look at the psychological aspects of selling a script. When you’re selling a script, or anything, you don’t need to consider what you’re offering, but what the other person wants. For example, you can offer the best brand of banana ice cream, but it won’t be enough to sell it to someone who is allergic to bananas, hates ice cream, or is cold and looking for something hot.

In short, your script, like any other product you might sell, should focus on your buyer’s needs and wants. It can be an amazing script and at the same time not fit what the person is looking for. What should you do then?

When selling a script, it’s important to research your potential buyers. What movies/shows are they known for making, participating in or financing? Which genres do they seem to prefer? What tropes do you like and dislike in your work? A famous and quite humorous example of this can be found in Kevin Smith’s story about his experiences in Hollywood, when an executive kept demanding that the script include a giant spider. While forcing a giant spider into any script you write is a tough choice, you’ll do well to consider what genre, tropes, and character types your potential buyer favors.

Beyond this, the main need of the buyer is usually to create a financially successful project. What can your script offer that will make it a more likely financial success? How can you convince the buyer that the script will be effective? In short, how can you show them that your project fits their needs?

It’s important to consider your buyer’s motivation and find ways to respond to that motivation in the most effective way possible.