FAQs

Here’s a few questions that have commonly been asked, but for a deeper dive on the particulars try the Knowledge Base.

Do you know that Writers Spotlight should have an apostrophe?

Yes! We’re writers! Writers Spotlight should be Writer’s Spotlight or Writers’ Spotlight. However, we wanted our website to be easy to find and for our company name to match our url. All punctuation police can now stand down.

Do I have to sign up in order to use Writers Spotlight?

Yes. Writers Spotlight is a closed creative community for screenwriters. In order to protect writers and their scripts we require everyone to create an account.

Do I have to sign up to pay for a Pro Review on my script?

Yes. Writers Spotlight is a closed creative community. We understand that all scripts are at different stages, however, in order to protect our members and help them excel we encourage feedback with other writers first before paying an industry pro.

Why is my credit card required for the 30 day free trial?

A credit card is required upon sign up even though you won’t be charged for the first 30 days. This is for the protection and added security of our members. We want everyone on our site to be held accountable. We don’t want anyone to remain anonymous and therefore be able to steal other writers’ ideas during their free trial.

Is there a limit to how many scripts I can have in my library?

No! Unlike other sites that charge per script per month, our monthly fee allows for unlimited uploads. In fact, we encourage you to upload all your scripts. This gives industry professionals a chance to see how many scripts you’ve written.

Do I need to have a finished script?

We highly recommend you upload at least a rough first draft of a script to the site. This allows for you to receive feedback from your peers in order to help you through the rewrite process. As it’s been said before, you can’t rewrite a blank page.

If you want to get feedback on a partially written script we encourage you to make that script private. Public scripts can be searched for by industry professionals and having a partially written script in the script library could hurt your reputation if they requested to read your script. You can share a private script with selected friends or groups.

Does my script need to be in the Hollywood Standard Format?

We strongly encourage that your script be in the proper format before you make it available in Pro Scripts, so you’ll be taken seriously as a writer. However, if you are simply giving and receiving feedback with fellow writers, the community can help you with any format errors you may be unaware of.

Who will be able to see my scripts?

This site was designed so writers can help each other. However, each individual writer has the ability to adjust their privacy settings to their comfort level. You have control over your script’s privacy settings.

You can make your script completely private, which means no one can find it on the site unless you grant access to your script by sharing it, sending them a private URL link, or swapping your script with another member on the site.

You also have the ability to make your script public, which means it will show up in the script library where fellow writers can request or swap their script with yours. You have the ability to accept or deny those requests so unless you accept their request they cannot access your script.

You also have the ability to revoke access to your script at anytime from a member or group that it has been shared with.

Can I hide my logline?

Yes. If you are uncomfortable with sharing your logline, you have the ability to hide it.

Can I hide my plot and character summaries?

No. While you can hide your logline, you cannot hide your plot and character summaries. If you want to protect a specific script idea then you should not fill out the summaries for that script’s details.

Do I need to copyright my scripts?

We encourage every writer to copyright their scripts. Copyright.gov ranges from $45-­$65 and in most cases copyright protection lasts for the author’s entire life plus 70 years. For more info go to: http://www.copyright.gov

What happens if someone has posted content that is my own?

Please follow the instructions and requirements listed in our Terms of Service in order to reach out to our DMCA Agent.

Are there any rules regarding script content?

Please read through our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy for more information. Writers Spotlight will accept most scripts, with the exception of pornography. We ask that you label your script with an MPAA rating based on your best judgement.

How do I change my profile photo?

On your profile page, when you hover over the photo icon or your previous photo, an edit icon will appear. When selected your computer’s file folder will open. Select a photo from your files to upload.

How do I change my notifications settings?

Your account navigation can be found in the top right corner of the page. Open your account details by selecting the circle that either displays your photo or initials. Once selected, a dropdown menu will appear. Go down to the menu item listed as “Settings”. On the setting page go to the third tab named “Notifications”. Here you can change your settings. Simply click the switch on or off any of the following notifications you would like to change. Please be sure to click update before leaving the page to save any changes you’ve made.

How do I upload my script?

In the left-hand side bar navigation, go to “My Scripts”. In the upper right corner, select “Upload”. Then choose from a local file, Dropbox, or drag and drop. Once you’ve selected the file, you’ll be prompted to fill out the script details. It is required that you fill out the title, primary genre, and script type. All other details can be added later. Once you’ve filled out that information, select “Update”. Your script will then be added to your personal script library.

I have a question not addressed in the FAQs

Our Knowledge Base provides in-depth guides, tutorials, and behind-the-scene reasons for our methods. If you still have additional questions or comments we’re here for you. 

How do I become an industry pro on your site?

We verify all of our industry professionals. Please provide us with all of your information including the company you work for. To be verified as a pro follow this link: writersspotlight.com/pro-verification

What information am I required to provide for the verification process?

You will be required to provide the following information.

  • Full Name
  • Password
  • Email
  • Occupation
  • Company Name
  • Company Phone Number
  • IMDB Credits (if applicable)
  • Link to Credentials (optional)
  • What your main objective is on the site:
    • I am looking for feature scripts.
    • I am looking for tv scripts
    • I am looking to hire writers.
    • I am looking to represent writers.
    • I work for someone who fits one or more of the descriptions above.

How long does the verification process generally take?

The verification process generally takes 5-7 business days depending on our pro verification volume. The more information you provide us with the quicker we can process your pro membership.

Have the writers in the script library agreed to a submission release?

No. The writers who have made their scripts public in the general script library have not agreed to the terms of a submission release. Only scripts that are found in the Pro Scripts library have been submitted by writers who have agreed to the terms of the Pro Scripts Submission Release you can read here.

What filters are available to narrow specific scripts to my preferences?

In your settings you can filter scripts by type (pilot, short, film), genre, budget, number of peer recommends, and number of industry recommends.

Can I share my saved list of scripts with fellow industry pros?

Yes! You can add any fellow industry pro member to your list of saved scripts. This way they will always have access to the scripts you want them to read.

If they’re not on Writers Spotlight, have them sign up!

I’m not an executive, producer, agent, manager, and/or writer. I do work in the film industry and am involved in finding scripts. How do I become an industry pro on your site?

We verify all of our industry professionals. Please provide us with all of your information including the company you work for. We will carefully consider your membership. To be verified as a pro follow this link: writersspotlight.com/pro-verification

I have a question not addressed in the FAQs

Our Knowledge Base provides in-depth guides, tutorials, and behind-the-scene reasons for our methods. If you still have additional questions or comments please feel free to email us at industry@writersspotlight.com and we will be happy to assist you.

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