Coverage is Forever

How long will a company hold onto the coverage for your script?  Forever.  Cue the orchestra, get Shirley Bassey, set it to music - Coverage Is Forever.  No kidding.

When your manager thinks it's a good idea to change the title of your screenplay and resubmit it to the agency as a clever way to get around that crappy reader who just didn't get you -- Stop.  Fire your manager.  He or she has not one clue as to how agencies manage the material that's sent to them.

That snot nosed reader who said your action flick put them to sleep will wind up getting your renamed script because they already have a sense of your style.  Guess who looks like the asshole when the reader reports back that this script is exactly the same as the last one, save one difference - the new title?  You will.  Not your manager.

Imagine a scenario where your manager requests a different reader.  It happens.  Or the original snot nosed kid isn't available (Spring break in Cabo, y'all).  Guess what happens now?  When the hand over the script to the new reader, they also include copies of previous coverage.

The point I'm trying to make is, it's not good enough to have family, friends or even fellow screenwriters (especially if they're not produced) do a read through of your latest and greatest.  You've got to get real insight.  This will almost assuredly result in notes that urge you to do a rewrite before going forward.  This will mean you have to go back to work before it gets sent off to CAA or WME... ICM should be ok once they work out their issues over there...

Paying someone a couple hundred bucks and taking an extra couple weeks to polish your script will be worth it in the end.  Because the weak drafts you turn in now will haunt you for the rest of your days, because...

(cue the orchestra)
...Coverage is Forever!