FAQs – BOOK TO MOVIE

A standard credit will read “Screenplay By *Screenwriter Name* Adapted From The Book By *YourNameHere.*

You will be asked to sign a contract that says that if the film is made, your screenwriter will be credited.

This does not in any way affect your rights to your book.

The fee for ghostwriting is higher because this removes the opportunity of the royalty fee for the screenwriter, and the valuable IMDB credits that help writers and producers get work. We will therefore ask you to pay a supplement for this service to negate the fees and credits if you decide you want a ghostwriter. We will ask you to sign a contract with the writer that negates further fees or credits so that you have full control over your script in the future.

A credited writer is a better option for you because the royalty fee is only payable if the film is made, and will be paid from the production budget, i.e. not from you! This is a standard 2% of the production budget plus 3% of the producer’s net profit (usually nothing, but it’s written in!).

Our writers will choose whether they want to request a credit when they read your material. If they don’t, no supplement is payable. If they do, and you want a ghostwriter, then the supplement will be payable. We advise you to accept the credited option as it’s cheaper for you, and better for the writer.

The answer is “it doesn’t!”

Unoptioned screenplays, i.e. without a film company saying they will make it, can be written outside of union rules because they are speculative, i.e. they are being written with a view to finding someone to make your movie, but they have nobody attached to the project yet.  WGA (Writers’ Guild of America) Union fees for a screenwriting service are in excess of $28,000.

Our screenwriters are likely to spend up to 150 hours just on the first stage of the screenwriting process. If you then think of our overheads and project management fees, the screenwriter will be paid around $10 an hour by the time they reach the end of the project with the polishing etc.! How much do you pay your cleaner? Your coffee barista? Your janitor? Screenwriting on speculation is really hard work!

We have writers who are willing to help you via Kwill to achieve a professional screenplay for a lot less if your book has not been optioned yet.

There are many reasons you need to hire a professional at Kwill:

  1. They have proven IMDB credits for feature films, so you can tell they have actually written feature-length scripts before (and not just YouTube shorts made with their friends to make it look like they have credits) and have worked with actors and directors you recognize
  2. They have proven film school experience and qualifications
  3. They have any contacts to send your script to at the end of the process – a good screenwriter wants your film to get made as much as you do
  4. They know how to format and deliver a screenplay – a very arduous and delicate process that takes years of practice
  5. You’ll have a chance of selling the screenplay at the end of the project because it will be professionally formatted

There are so many facets to creating a screenplay that gets made into a movie that’s it’s almost a miracle any film gets made whatsoever. Giving yourself the best chance to get seen means hiring a quantifiable, trusted professional service with project management built in.

We have graded our writers according to how much they are willing to take as a fee as a credited writer, but you may add the ghostwriting supplement too. You will pay between $4000 – $9,000 for a screenplay at Kwill, which includes the project management costs and us sending the script out for you to get feedback from our contacts. Considering that WGA Union fees start at $28,000, this is a very nice deal for you to get a properly written screenplay.

Writing a screenplay involves over 200 hours of work over three months. In that time, it’s likely the writer will rely on this job to eat, pay rent, and look after their kids, cats, dogs, and grandmas. As we only hire solid professionals with wonderful resumes, we pay them with respect. A screenwriter is working for around $10 an hour with these deals, around the same wage as a retail assistant at Walgreen’s, or a cleaner at your doctor’s office. The reason we are able to hire these talented folk at this rate is because in between their bigger gigs, there is often a gap of a few months where they are free to do something fun and interesting – your book, for example!

You will have three opportunities to approve the work: The call, to work out the direction the screenplay will take, the beatsheet, a testament to what you agree creatively with your writer, and the final polish, where you can tweak and proof. It’s therefore highly unlikely to impossible you would not get what you totally expected. If you don’t, there is no tie there to say you can’t move on and seek help elsewhere if you don’t like the direction the film went in.  However, there is a sense of grace and respect between you and your writer that we would appreciate if you can try and figure it out. Your writer will only do their best to please you. Communication will be the key.

You have three wide-open possibilities to discuss what works for you before the writer will realize your vision. But a good writer has a vision too, in line with what they know will sell your movie to producers and agents, and will advise you when to stop tweaking! It’s likely your screenplay would be rewritten multiple times if it is bought for production anyway, so it’s best to leave it alone once the screenwriter tells you it’s ready. And of course, you can take it away and do whatever you like with it after we finish!

Yes, of course. It’s your book, written by you. You will also have a contract to protect you from future issues you may be imagining are possible. You can also use our Copyright, Print, Send service to copyright with the US Copyright Office at the end of the project.

If you live in the US, you can use PayPal Credit to pay in installments here.

We don’t do deals on cost in any other way, and all work is paid upfront.

Unfortunately, there are certain critics who like to use the word “scam” about everything new. There is nothing fraudulent or dishonest about a service that delivers what it says it will for the price given before purchase. If you have any questions about this service, please email us and we will explain any point you feel unsure on. What we really frown upon is people writing nasty and uninformed blogs about legitimate services without realizing how much care and energy we put into each part of our business, with a lawyer overseeing everything. It’s very unfair and we encourage anyone who wants to ask questions to get in touch. We have nothing to hide.

Henry Baum the founder owner is the son of Hollywood producer Carol Friedland Baum, who has produced films with David Cronenberg, Dustin Hoffman, Dolly Parton, Jennifer Aniston, Steve Martin, and was part of the production team on Oscar-nominated movie “Fly Away Home.”  Tom Baum, his father, is a screenwriter, penning “The Sender”, Tarantino’s favorite horror movie, and “Carny”, starring Jodi Foster. Henry grew up in the golden age of modern Hollywood in the heart of Los Angeles, and has been surrounded by the film industry since he was born. He has had a short film made from his book “Oscar Caliber Gun” by “Zombieland” director Ruben Fleischer, under the mentorship of director Robert Rodriguez. All his novels have been optioned in Hollywood several times. He holds a degree in Creative Writing from the prestigious Eugene Lang College – The New School in Greenwich Village, New York City.

Cate Baum studied Screenwriting at UCLA, Los Angeles, under screenwriting guru Professor Richard Walter, for which she gained A+ grade (4.0), and was mentored by BAFTA award-winning actor/director Noel Clarke (Star Trek Into Darkness/Kidulthood) in the art of writing and directing. She has also worked on the production of several development projects in Los Angeles. She will be completing her professorship in English and Film shortly.

Both Henry and Cate work directly with hundreds of authors every month at the sister site to Kwill, Self-Publishing Review, founded in 2008.

Yes. You can show it to a lawyer of course before signing, but here is an article from “Selling Your Screenplay” on fees.

You can also use a Cam Notary to have the signatures witnessed here:

https://www.notarycam.com/