Need a script reader? Production cos. and agencies - Please Read!

I don't know why this feels any more self-indulgent than long posts on the virtues of the Christopher Reeve Superman films, but for some reason it does. Nevertheless...

The holiday season is approaching and I'd like to make a little extra cash. Don't get me wrong, I love the gigs I'm working for right now. The only real problem is that there just isn't enough work coming in to any of my jobs right now - and for a guy who makes his living freelance, that's a problem.

So consider this my call out to all industry pros who might have need of another reader in their stable. Maybe your last reader got promoted, or maybe he quit after you made him read the latest draft of Piranha 3DD. The reasons don't matter - just that you've got an opening that you need someone to fill. ("That's what she said.")

I've also got some experience in development so if you need a development assistant or story editor, I'm your guy. I've been reading professionally for a while, and if you've read this blog for any length of time, you've probably got a sense of my tastes, insight and professionalism. So if I sound like someone you'd like reading for you, please drop me a line from your work email and lets see if we can get something going.

Just to head off a likely question: I'm not offering my services to readers of this blog for several reasons. First, it's kind of a tax headache if I make more than $600 a year from you guys. Plus, there are some legal steps I have to go through so that you guys would be able to pay me as "The Bitter Script Reader." And at this point, though there maybe be many of you interested in paying for my feedback, I don't know that it's enough to justify that effort on my part.

The other issue is that - at least based on the emails I get asking me to read scripts - I'm afraid that most of my takers would be people on their first or second scripts. I feel a little wary of taking that business. First, in my experience, the writing will be less polished, meaning it's going to take a lot more effort for me to read, analyze and write-up. What I can do in just under three hours with a lean action script submitted to a production company might take five hours with a newbie script, and that means I'd probably set the price point accordingly.

Do you see what that means? To make it worth my while, I'd have to charge a lot more money to read a script that probably isn't that good, and then deliver that scathing criticism to a writer who's probably just starting to develop their voice. I'm not sure I feel good about that.

But if there are some agencies, management or production companies out there seeking new readers, please drop me a line.