Scott at 2014-06-06 21:56:34:

Lydia, I posted about this the other day here. The decrease is certainly noteworthy and almost entirely due to the inactivity during the month of May. As discussed in the previous post, this is the longest period of time since I've been tracking spec script sales on the blog (over 6 years) in which there was no deal. As it turns out there was a deal in May the trades didn't cover, a project called Safe Core, which was an option, and I'll add that in the next couple of days. As to why? I was discussing this with a trade reporter via email back and forth the last week or so. While it may be tempting to draw a conclusion -- "Spec script market hits brick wall!" -- and that may turn out to be true, the fact is the spec market like the pitch market... and the book market... and comic book market... whatever... it's all a bunch of cycles. Sales are up. Sales are down. From 2011-2013, the numbers were both strong and consistent, averaging 103 deals per year. Maybe this year is a 'correction' (to use stock market language), more in line with deals from 2008-2010. Then again we could have two big months and end up back on track. It's notable that three of the last four deals were either bidding wars or preemptive purchases: Yellowstone Falls, I'm in Love With the DJ, and Understand. So there's money out there for acquisitions. But all three of those projects are by established hot writers: Daniel Kunka, Lauryn Kahn, and Eric Heisserer. Clearly that helped their cause along with the fact each is a talented writer. As I said in the previous post, we need to keep doing what we always do: Strive to generate the most commercially viable story concepts, then write the hell out of our spec scripts. BTW you can go here to see the 2014 Spec Script Sales Prognostication Contest. Right now, Santamoniker who bet the under with 77, is looking in good shape.

Lydia Mulvey at 2014-06-07 07:19:50:

Thanks for the informative response, Scott. I'm hoping that it gets back on track to match the previous years but like you say, it's all a bunch of cycles and we'd drive ourselves mad trying to work out why sales are down so far this year. They just are. I'd be interested to know if we're going to see a general move toward spec sales by well-known writers over less well-known/unknown. And if that's the case, why? Are specs by unknowns simply not good enough to compete? I'd say there's a certain truth in that although there may be other factors at play such as access. I don't know. But in terms of quality specs, Miranda Sajdak over at Under the Stairs Entertainment mentioned on Twitter yesterday that she read 2000 scripts last year and out of that number, only about 100 were worth reading. And out of that 100, only 30 to 40 were worth making. Those figures are eye-watering. And we need to be doing everything we can to ensure our scripts are one of the 30 to 40. So keep generating killer concepts. Keep writing. Keep sending stuff out. Ad infinitum.