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Anton Diether and Writers Literary: Your Screenplay Connection
Let’s face it: Without the help of a high-profile agent, a famous uncle or a replenishing bank account, it can be extremely tough to “make it” as a Hollywood screenwriter. As most production companies refuse unsolicited scripts, agencies keep their contact information hidden and nearly everyone you meet in Los Angeles claims to have a screenplay (or even multiple) in the works, the odds of standing out from the rest of the starry-eyed crowd seem like they are hardly ever in your favor.
That’s where Anton Diether steps in to weed out the hopeless hacks and make room for the truly talented hopefuls with his Writers Literary Brokerage Services. An accredited WGA screenwriter, Diether has worked with some of the biggest networks and studios in the industry, including Disney, Showtime and 20th Century Fox. With an impressive resume and years of experience under his belt, Diether knows firsthand how hard it is for novice screenwriters to get noticed among the handful of A-list writers. Fortunately, he also knows how to spot a marketable script, a skill he’s putting to good use with his Website, which showcases his choices for the top 10 script submissions he’s received, ranging from comedy to horror to sci-fi/fantasy. Though it does not provide you with management, Writers Literary Brokerage Services showcases top-notch scripts from novice screenwriters that would otherwise disappear in the labyrinth of nepotism and red tape that makes up the studio system, while also providing producers with fresh voices and material. It may not guarantee overnight success, but a little word of mouth and name recognition can go a long way in Tinseltown.
MovieMaker spoke with Diether to find out more about his innovative Website and what it could mean for aspiring screenwriters everywhere.
Lauren Barbato (MM): Where did you get the idea for Writers Literary Brokerage Services?
Anton Diether (AD): It began about two years ago. Editors on the staff of my script consult service would occasionally recommend a client’s script that they thought was well-written and marketable. Many of these clients had no representation and little chance of getting their script out there, so I started a “Hot List”—each script had a title, genre and a one-line pitch, in case I came across a producer looking for a script that matched it.
The Hot List grew too long, so I began reading recommended scripts myself and pulling out the “Top Priority” ones, which evolved into a new list of the very best by genre. My criteria for a good script are much higher than that of my editors—very few scripts pass my muster. Good horror, thriller and action scripts were easier to find; sellable comedy, family and sci-fi scripts were very difficult; westerns almost impossible. Drama is a more nebulous genre that encompasses many kinds of scripts, from dramedies to historical biopics.
In time, the conceit grew that I could pitch a good script’s loglines to a producer and connect them with the writer half as well as any agent or manager, which I am not, nor do I wish to be. Hence, the Top Priority list developed into a Top Ten Best Scripts list for each genre.
I started it as a way of giving back for a fairly successful writing career; a form of tithing, I suppose. And it’s good publicity for Writers Literary, since it shows that screenwriters who go through the editing process with us can be successful at selling or at least getting attention. The word “Brokerage” doesn’t mean much, since I don’t make a fee or a commission; I just make the connection. I’m more like a matchmaker for producers and writers.
MM: What criteria do you use in order to narrow down each list to only 10 scripts? Are you looking for a certain style—i.e. “Hollywood” or “independent,” or a mixture of the two?
AD: That’s the difficult part, narrowing down 10 scripts out of dozens of well-written ones. The criteria I generally use are marketability: Which script is more likely to sell in today’s market, even though it may not be as good as another script? A brilliant Jane Austen adaptation (though I do have one on my drama list) won’t draw as much attention as a lesser teen horror script with an offbeat premise, so I’m more likely to list the teen horror over the period piece. I’m just reflecting the film industry’s standards, which includes both Hollywood studios and the independents. I tend to judge scripts more in favor of the indie market, since a low-budget indie script is easier to sell. I’d rather list a Christian family drama or a Coen brothers-styled thriller that can be shot on a micro-budget than an expensive studio tent pole action epic or a futuristic sci-fi [script] that rarely, if ever, sells to Hollywood—especially original scripts that [don’t have] source material like a hot comic book series.
To bring attention to these 10 best scripts, which are listed by eight genres at a total of 75 scripts—the western genre lists only five scripts, since I can’t find 10 good ones—good loglines are everything. Producers have short attention spans and generally know what they’re looking for. Ten scripts per genre, which has a script contest feel to it, are about as many as they can handle. If they want a Die Hard with teenagers, they’ll find it on my Thriller list. That one is requested often. So the criteria for a Top 10 script is more likely to be based on what [producers are] looking for than what is the best written.
There is no order of preference on each list, scripts are listed randomly, and can change every month. For example, I may find a hot horror script that I feel will really sell, but then I have to take another horror script off the list. Replacements on the lists may occur up to two or three scripts per genre. The lists are constantly changing, and the competition to stay on them can be pretty fierce.
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COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT 
- Comment by Kevin on 8/28/08 at 6:05 am
The rewrite law too few writers follow: Always, ALWAYS, go back to Word One.
(No, the problem’s not halfway down on page 42.)
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