So, how much does a scriptwriter get paid?

The answer is a lot.

And this was in the 80’s!

Can you imagine today?

You might work alone. Maybe with a writing partner. But turning out a screenplay every six months or so for $250,000 a pop…

I mean, call me.

Heck, I’ll take a stab at one for $100,000.

The goal is writing – getting paid for it is the icing.

IN THE MID to late 80s I was very active as a scriptwriter; I got job after job, mainly because I priced myself at the low end of the market. I’d ask for a simple $ 250,000 and get it easily. I would do the traditional two drafts and a polish and trot right along to the next job.

-Larry McMurtry, Hollywood (Amazon)