THREAD: I've often heard from friends and clients that they prefer not to deal with the business end of screenwriting & instead prefer to focus on the creative end. Which I understand, but also think can be dangerous. So here are 3 business rules I think writers should follow. 1/

Obligatory Parental Advisory Tweet: These are simply my opinions; Your Mileage May Vary; This advice is freely given and may be freely ignored; @jelenawoehr: "if it don't apply let it fly." 2/

The first business rule is: Have difficult business conversations up front, as early as possible in the relationship or collaboration. 3/

This can be as simple as discussing what your rep's plan is for your career. Get as much clarity as early as possible, so you can understand their thinking and debate points that you disagree with them about. Ideally, have this conversation before you even sign with them. 4/

Or, it can be as complex as deciding what the revenue split will be with a friend you're writing a script with. You may assume it's 50/50, while they feel it should 80/20.

Don't assume. Instead, discuss it as early as possible and get clarity on what they're thinking. 5/

It's important to do this as EARLY as possible so that, if you're on completely separate pages, you can cut bait and move on. The more work you put into a project, the more you'll be invested in it emotionally, and thus, the more leverage the other person has. 6/

In terms of the co-writing situation, I'd personally suggest having a legal agreement in place. I've seen how much the lack of one can cause issues down the road.

Even without one, at least after having this convo you'll have clarity on what the situation is. 7/

The second business rule is: Surround yourself with the appropriate people for the appropriate roles. 8/

Obviously, this relates to reps. In terms of reps, some writers only have an agent. Some writers only have a manager. Some writers have both.

Decide which works best for you and find people whom you trust and feel comfortable with. 9/

But, it also relates to 2 other important business roles in your life. The first is an attorney.

As early as possible, try to find an attorney who 1) knows the entertainment industry well and has experience working in it.; 2) you trust and feel comfortable asking questions. 10/

The attorney is the one who will go over the legal agreements and contracts in detail, so you want someone whom you trust to walk you through these sometimes byzantine agreements and understand the verbiage within them. 11/

The second important business role is an accountant.

Just as with the attorney, you want to find an accountant who knows the entertainment industry (and how unpredictable a writer's income is) and whom you trust and feel comfortable asking questions. 12/

Both my accountant and my attorney have been had a HUGE role in my business life and putting me in the strongest position possible, legally and financially. That should be the same for you. 13/

The third business rule is: If you don't understand something, keep asking questions until you do. 14/

Unfortunately, I've seen agreements that writers signed without understanding the terms and clauses within them.
They didn't truly comprehend what they were agreeing to.

Usually, these agreements were signed without a lawyer representing the writer. 15/

I once saw an agreement that stipulated the writer had to continue writing until the financiers were satisfied with the script.

Which essentially, meant he could have been writing until the end of time... 16/

That writer got a great lawyer who was able to renegotiate that agreement, but that's not always the case.

This is sadly why one of my favorite film industry books is called THE WRITER GOT SCREWED (BUT DIDN'T HAVE TO.) 17/ https://www.amazon.com/Writer-Screwed-didnt-have-Entertainment/dp/0062732366

NEVER EVER sign something unless you understand every element of what you're agreeing to.

Don't agree to something, even under pressure, that you don't feel comfortable about or don't understand. 18/

Always make sure that you understand what you're agreeing to and what the consequences COULD be.

You need to be able to comprehend the worst-case scenario -- because all too often, I've seen it happen. 19/

If you knowingly take a risk, well, that's a calculated thing.

But not knowing you're taking a risk? Well, that's a very unfun thing to find out, especially if that risk comes to fruition. 20/

If someone is pressuring you to sign something in the room... If they're telling you that it's "totally standard" but you shouldn't run it past an attorney... If they're demanding an immediate answer...

Then, generally, something is rotten in the state of Denmark. 21/

I understand that, as writers, it's hard enough to write a great script. That demands enough focus. And there's the hope that, if you write an amazing script, then everything else will flow from that.

But, unfortunately, it's rarely as simple as that. 22/

I've never met anyone who regretted running something past an attorney or past their reps.

But I've met lots of writers who say "I wish I'd had a lawyer look at this" or "I wish I'd talked to my reps first.." 23/

At the end of the day, all business decisions are YOUR decisions.

But just like you put the time in to make your script truly great... Put the time in to make great business decisions for that script. END