Yesterday, I talked about the streaming race. Amazon lags behind You Tube and Netflix. And if you’re an aspire screenwriter, you could help Amazon Studios be more competitive in the streaming market.
A few days ago, Amazon launched a free cloud friendly screenwriter software service called Amazon Storywriter. Actually, it’s a product of Amazon Studios. Even before Amazon Storywriter, they accepted scripts for films, children’s shows, and comedies. With Amazon Storywriter, they will take drama submissions. There are other new policies. Before Amazon Storywriter, scripts submitted to Amazon Studios took a 45 day unpaid waiting option. It would pay $10,000 for an extended period. With Storywriter, they will negotiate with the screenwriter about proper payment. The writer can accept or reject the offer. Since I’m no attorney, you can read about it for yourself here. ?Amazon Studio is trying to follow Netflix’s footsteps and produce their own original programming. They’re starting to succeed. They have a show called “Gortimer Gibbon?s Life on Normal Street”, already in it’s second season. Amazon Storywriter has auto-formatting to help the screenwriter create his/her masterpiece. It supports PDF, FDX, and Fountain formats. It works with a Mac as well as a PC.
Amazon Kindle was to help get struggling authors get noticed, even make the big time. Amazon Storywriter is designed to help struggling screenwriters do the same. This is a great vehicle to get many a screenwriter the big break they dream of, without kissing up to the big boys in Hollywood. This could also help Amazon produce independent entertainment that can help them in the streaming race. It can help more professional scriptwriters, such as those from the Writers Guild of America. If they’re negotiating with screenwriters for proper salary, and they didn’t do that before, what does that tell you? So I wonder, will Amazon Storyline help Amazon get the edge in the streaming race?