How I Got My Screenwriting Agent

Ahhh the eternal question. Here I attempt to answer it by relating how I got my agent and giving you some advice about how you can work towards one too!

Before I had an agent, my first question for repped writers was predictably: “How did you get your agent?” I thought, maybe if I just asked enough people how it happened for them, I could figure out how to make it happen for me.

I’ve had my agent for over five years now and I must say that the volume of work I get has exploded. I went from having almost no work to working professionally as a screenwriter in this half decade.

Don’t get me wrong: I still toil away trying to get work for myself (that urge will never die), but the difference now is that I have someone with their ear to the ground who can actually find out about jobs and pitch me for them.

This is important since you will likely never hear about 95% of jobs available because they exist only in the realm of the agents and the people doing the hiring. That’s one of the many reasons they earn that juicy 10%.

What’s the relationship between screenwriter and agent like?

Screenwriters and literary agents (and yes, screenwriting agents are called literary agents) usually have a more familiar relationship than an actor might have with their agent.

So what do literary agents do exactly?

Give expert career advice

Part of a lit agent’s job is to provide their clients with career advice based on what’s happening in the industry. For example, if my lit agent knows that everyone is looking for the next Nosferatu, she’ll encourage me to write a script to fill that gap.

Read everything and give notes

Another layer of the intimacy between lit agent and screenwriter is that she reads everything I write and gives me notes and feedback. Her ultimate goal is to sell my work, so she’s highly invested in making sure it’s the best version of itself.

Know you and your work inside out

When you read every word pouring out of someone’s brain, you’re bound to know them on the deepest level. If you have a good lit agent, they’ll know you as a person and as a writer and will actively try and sell you or your wares to people or projects they know will be a good fit.

Negotiate contracts and protect your interests

When my agent secures me a gig, or I find one myself and bring it to her, she negotiates my contracts and makes sure I’m not just getting the best possible deal but that I and my work are protected. This isn’t just a money thing, but it could mean things like contractually securing and protecting your credits.

Handle administrative tasks

Honestly, she does so much for me, but this one is the one I am most grateful for! My agent handles all of the administrative tasks associated with my writing career: She sets up meetings for me, keeps track of my earnings, chases people down to pay invoices in a timely manner and so much more! THANK YOU.

Administers pep talks / reality checks

Your agent wants you to do well, because when you do well, they do well. Since writers are capricious and sensitive creatures, we are prone not just to flights of fancy, but dark bouts of self doubt. My agent administers the perfect doses of pep talks and reality checks to keep me on the right path.

They also probably do 100 more things in the background that we lowly screenwriters don’t even know about!

So how did I get my agent?

My agent and I have actually known each other for 20+ years. I know, I know. You’re probably rolling your eyes right now ready to call me a nepo baby. But there’s a lot more to it than just personally knowing an agent.

She was working hard to become a lit agent while I was working hard to become a screenwriter. When she finally became an agent, the timing couldn’t have been better because I had just had the offer of an option for a feature. The purchase price on this option was so eye-popping for a first-time writer that it caught the attention of the higher-ups at her agency.

You see, just because you know an agent in the industry, doesn’t mean you’ll automatically become their client. Her agency would have never allowed her to take me on without proof I was going to earn my keep. Unless they know you’re going to be worth their efforts, no agency will bring you on as a client. It is a business, after all!

This all takes me to my final point about having an agent…

Just because you’re repped, doesn’t mean you can take a back seat

While the option agreement expired on that project, I didn’t take my new status as ‘client’ for granted.

I started working twice as hard as I was before to generate opportunities and income to justify my place on the roster. Just because you have an agent doesn’t mean you get to sit back and wait for lightning to strike: You need to keep honing your craft, keep creating and keep staying relevant.

So what was the magic agent-acquiring formula?

For me, getting an agent was a combination of a little luck, knowing the right person and hustling to create an opportunity for myself that turned heads.

And, of course, the lion’s share of the reason I got an agent is because I work my ass off and I wrote a script that a producer was eager to create.

In summary: the magic formula to getting a lit agent is (frustratingly): Hard work, a delusional level of perseverance and talent that’s been honed sharp. I wish it was easier!

Keep working day in and day out to become a better writer, keep creating scripts, and never giving up until the right person notices.

It’s just that hard/simple!