Martin Eden Looking for European Producers...

This just came to my email inbox.  I really need to get busy marketing my screenplay, Martin Eden.  This 2013 Hollywood Directory is a great start with more than 2,500 contacts and over 1000 new listings.  For those unfamiliar with Martin Eden, it is a work by author Jack London.  This novel was published in 1909 and is a semi-autobiographical account of London’s own life and times in the bay area of northern California.

My screenplay, based rather faithfully on London’s novel, has attracted some attention from Hollywood and has been requested by some pretty heavy-hitters in the film industry.  I hesitate to provide names at this time as I would not wish to appear presumptuous or count my proverbial chickens, if for some strange reason this post fell into the hands of the prospects in question.

I think one of the biggest things that my script has going for it, is that it has placed in at least four major screenplay competitions and that’s what I intend  to leverage when I begin sending out query letters to the people in this directory that would seem a good fit for my project.  It’s always exciting to cast out the nets and see what responses come in.   Generally, I will get something like 2 or 3 requests for having queried about 50 prospects.  Yes, it’s some work, but when you consider that it only takes one interested party with the money and/or connections to get this thing done.

I have always thought that Martin Eden would do very well in European markets, but I need help locating a resource like the Hollywood Directory that covers the film exec’s in places like France, Germany and the UK.  Does anybody have any advice on this for me?  If you do have any ideas for me please share.

In the mean time I’m grateful to have a pretty secure gig as a logistics manager, procuring and shipping test product for a Chicago-based market research company.  I think it’s pretty deplorable to be a writer without a means of gainful employment to fall back on.  This is not smart, and it is lazy.  Chances are slim-to-none that somebody will find your work so fascinating that they will break down your door with an offer that will get you out of your rut.  Get a job, work hard at both your day job and your writing initiatives.  Prove that your work is worthy by submitting to contests. Get a professional critique or coverage and by all means, make some contacts and SELL…SELL…SELL!!