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DIE TRYING 010
Publish, Project or Perish
Michael Barnes
November 08, 2025
In partnership with
Hey! I’m that guy trying to sell my latest screenplay, publish it as a novel or die trying.
In DIE TRYING, you will get an unvarnished look at a bitterly honest writer struggling to make it. No name-dropping or Hollywood phoniness. Just the facts ma’am on what the media landscape really is like behind the curtain.
In TODAY’S ISSUE, we make sure your just-completed screenplay gets read by someone who can help.
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 | RIP TO YOUR UNCLE’S SUCKY COLLEGE FRIEND |  |
You’ve written the beast.
Now what?
Unless you want to rest in The Tomb of the Unknown Screenwriter, you must get it out there.
But you don’t have oodles of cash or industry connections.
Sorry, your uncle’s college friend in accounting at Netflix isn’t going to be helpful.
What to do?
We have a lower-cost but effective tool for you — Virtual Pitch Fest.
You pay to submit written pitches to 500+ industry pros.
You can get a Hollywood career at the price of your cell phone bill (Thanks Obama; Thanks Trump):
Industry folk have five business days to get back to you with a verdict on whether they want to read your magnum opus or not.
What do you put in your pitch?
Keep it shortish. About 245 words.
Here is a feature (full-length film) sample from the VPF website:
I suggest you make your pitch less basic than the above.
VPF CEO David Kohner Zuckerman launched the service for much the same reason that Franklin Leonard plugs The Blacklist, as we covered in DT Issue 006.
“I didn’t like the idea that you had to know someone in the biz to actually get your material out there,” said Zuckerman.
Leave your uncle’s Netflix buddy alone!
You now have affordable access.
You don’t have to permanently rest in The Tomb of the Unknown Screenwriter.
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See you next week!
