How Much to Charge for Screenplay Notes

Light, informal screenplay notes — a read-through and an honest reaction rather than a formal coverage report — start at roughly $20–$75 for a short script or a single act and $60–$175 for a full feature. Both ranges are Brillay editorial recommendations, not survey data, and both stay under the $199 that Shore Scripts charges for its most detailed human coverage report. Price by scope and depth, not by page count alone. Custom Work lets you offer clearly scoped commissions and services: you set the price, the scope and the delivery time, and followers submit a brief and pay before you start.

No monthly fee, you only pay a small platform fee when you get paid. 8% platform fee when a follower pays for work, 5% platform fee on tips and goals. Card processing is separate (pricing). The $20–$75 and $60–$175 figures above are Brillay editorial starting recommendations benchmarked against published competitor prices — they are not a survey of what screenplay readers actually earn. The named comparison set on this page spans $80 to $899 per script: Shore Scripts from $80, The Black List at $100 plus a $30 monthly hosting fee, and Script Reader Pro from $119 to $899.

Not every script request needs a full coverage report. A feature screenplay averages 90 to 120 pages, and each page represents one minute of screen time on film (Final Draft: How Long Should My Movie Script Be?). "Screenplay notes" on this page means a lighter deliverable — margin comments, a reaction paragraph, or a short list of what worked and what didn't — priced separately from a formal logline-synopsis-recommendation writeup.

What counts as "notes" instead of formal coverage?

Screenplay notes are a lighter deliverable than formal coverage: a read-through returned as margin comments or a short written reaction, with no logline, synopsis, act-by-act breakdown, or recommend/consider/pass rating attached. Formal coverage is a structured report built for a submission package, while notes suit a writer who wants one honest second opinion on a draft still in progress.

The line between the two is not standardized across the industry, so define it inside your own listing. A useful split: if the deliverable is a page or two of freeform comments plus a gut reaction, call it notes; if it includes a synopsis, a structured breakdown by act, and a formal rating, that is coverage, and coverage should be priced and scoped as its own custom request rather than folded into a cheaper notes listing — the same kind of scope line that separates line editing from copyediting and proofreading in other written-feedback work.

How long does it take to read a script you are pricing?

Plan on 30 to 45 minutes for a short script and 2 to 4 hours for a full feature, counting the read itself plus the time to write usable notes. Those working blocks are Brillay editorial estimates, because no coverage service publishes a measured minutes-per-script reading time for its readers, so treat them as planning figures rather than data.

Final Draft states that each screenplay page represents one minute of screen time, so a 30-page pilot equals about 30 minutes of screen time, a 60-page pilot about 60 minutes, and a 120-page feature about 120 minutes.

"Each page of a screenplay should represent one minute of screen time on film." — Final Draft, How Long Should My Movie Script Be? (source)

Screen time is a scope unit, not a measured reading speed. For a prose comparison, the average adult silent reading rate in English is 238 words per minute for non-fiction and 260 words per minute for fiction, estimated from a meta-analysis of 190 studies covering 18,573 participants. Screenplay pages carry dialogue, sluglines, and white space rather than dense prose paragraphs, so a script reads faster than a novel of the same page count — but writing usable notes adds time on top of the read itself.

The screen-time column below applies Final Draft's one-page-per-minute rule; the working-block column is a Brillay editorial estimate covering one read plus written notes, not sourced data.

Even paid professional readers build slack into their delivery time. The Black List tells writers that evaluations "generally arrive within a window of three weeks (21 days), usually much sooner," and gives a free month of hosting if an evaluation takes longer than 22 days (Black List Help Center: How long do evaluations take?).

How much does formal script coverage cost, for comparison?

Formal human script coverage costs $80 to $899 per script at the three named services compared here, and AI coverage costs roughly $2.50 to $5.00 per report on a subscription. Shore Scripts starts at $80, The Black List charges $100 per evaluation plus $30 a month for hosting, and Script Reader Pro tops out at $899.

Script Reader Pro's own coverage-services page lists tiers from $119 for Short Film Classic coverage up to $899 for Feature Film Partner coverage (Script Reader Pro: Script Coverage Services).

Shore Scripts publishes a full tier list: $80 for a 2-page report on the first 5–20 pages, $99 for a 3-page report on a half-hour pilot or short, $119 for a 3-page feature report, $149 for a 5-page report, and $199 for an 8-page development report, each with a 2–5 day delivery time (Shore Scripts: Screenplay Coverage).

The Black List's own help center lists $100 per evaluation for screenplays and one-hour pilots, $70 for half-hour pilots, and $150 for manuscript excerpts. That evaluation fee is separate from hosting: the same help center states that "online projects are charged a $30 monthly hosting fee" and that an online project is visible to over 7,000 film, television, publishing, and theater industry members (Black List Help Center: General Questions).

AI coverage is priced by subscription rather than per script. OnDesk's own pricing page lists a free tier with 3 coverage reports, a $20-per-month Reader plan covering 8 scripts per month, and a $100-per-month Development plan covering 20 scripts per month (OnDesk pricing) — about $2.50 and $5.00 per report respectively at the plan limit. Independent script consultants are reported at $300–$2,000+ per script, a market range published in OnDesk's July 2026 comparison of coverage services rather than a single consultant's rate card.

A human reader's informal notes belong above an automated report and below a full structured coverage service, because notes carry real reading time without the report formatting that drives coverage pricing up.

What should you charge for informal notes by script length?

Charge $20–$40 for a short script under 15 pages, $30–$65 for a single act or excerpt, $40–$100 for a pilot, and $60–$175 for a 90–120 page feature. All four are Brillay editorial starting recommendations rather than surveyed market rates, derived from an estimated working block per script and capped below the $199 top of Shore Scripts' published human coverage tiers.

Each range is derived, not surveyed. The floor of every tier is the lowest price at which the estimated working block still clears a defensible hourly rate after fees, and every ceiling is held below $199, the most Shore Scripts charges for a human coverage report. The two lightest tiers stay under every comparable coverage price, while the pilot and feature ceilings reach The Black List's $70 and $100 evaluation fees — the point at which a writer is usually better served by full coverage than by notes. Take-home is calculated as price minus Brillay's 8% platform fee on paid work (tips and goals carry 5%) minus Stripe's US card charge of 2.9% + 30¢ per successful transaction (Stripe pricing).

The competitor floors in that table come from each company's own published prices: Shore Scripts charges $80 for a 2-page report on the first 5–20 pages, and The Black List charges $70 per half-hour pilot evaluation and $100 per screenplay evaluation. The bottom of the feature range clears the least per hour, which is the argument for pricing a full read nearer $175 than $60 once you can show past work.

These ranges assume a written reaction plus margin comments, not a formal coverage report. On Brillay a custom request listing lets you set the exact price, scope, and delivery time yourself, so treat the table as a starting framework rather than a fixed rate card — the same principle applies whether you're pricing script notes or, for example, working out what to charge for a sponsored blog post.

Factors that move a listing inside its tier include how much of the script the follower wants covered (a full feature versus a single act), whether the follower wants line-level comments or only a big-picture reaction, and how fast you commit to turning the notes around. Every price on this page is illustrative, not an earnings guarantee: results depend on your audience, positioning, and demand.

Should notes be a Paid Question or a custom request?

Screenplay notes belong in Custom Work because the follower can attach files when they order — the script itself or a marked-up draft. Replies to Paid Questions are written, and you answer privately.

Brillay's Custom Work FAQ explains what formats a delivery can take: a written note plus up to five files — video, audio, images, PDF, Word, Excel, or PowerPoint (video/audio up to 20 minutes) — and/or a link for anything too large to attach. For Paid Questions, you set the price and the delivery window for your written reply. The FAQ says replies are text, and you answer privately.

What should a notes listing spell out before payment?

A clear notes listing states three things before the follower pays: the input you accept, the deliverable you return, and the boundary where notes stop and coverage begins. Spell out the page limit, format, depth, delivery time, and exclusions so clients know exactly what they are buying and you have a clear boundary against scope creep.

• Length limit: For example, up to 40 pages, or a single act rather than an open-ended feature.
• Deliverable format: A written reaction paragraph, margin comments on the file, or a short written reply.
• Depth: Whether you will flag structure and pacing issues, or comment only on what stood out while reading.
• Delivery time: A window you can reliably hit and state up front, because Brillay's Custom Work setup asks you to "set a price and delivery time" for every listing. For scale, The Black List quotes a three-week (21-day) evaluation window, and Shore Scripts quotes 2–5 days.
• Exclusions: State plainly that notes are not a formal coverage report, a rewrite, or a guarantee of representation or a sale.

Charging for pages beyond a stated limit is standard practice at established services, not an unusual ask:

"Anything over 120 pages will be charged an additional fee of $1 per page (to a maximum of 30 additional pages)." — Shore Scripts, Screenplay Coverage FAQ (source)

Shore Scripts applies the same $1-per-page rule to half-hour pilots, shorts, and web series pilots above 35 pages, capped at 15 additional pages. A worked example for a notes listing: "One read-through of up to 40 pages, with a written reaction paragraph and margin comments on structure and dialogue. Not a formal coverage report — see my coverage listing for that." Followers pay upfront, you deliver their notes later, and you can decline a request that doesn't fit your listing.

What do you keep after Brillay and Stripe fees?

You keep about 89% of a paid notes order once two fees come out: Brillay's platform fee, which is 8% when a follower pays for work and 5% on tips and goals, and US card processing. A $75 notes order nets roughly $66.53, and a $150 order roughly $133.35.

Stripe charges "2.9% + 30¢ per successful transaction for domestic cards" in the United States, plus 0.5% more for manually entered cards.

Those figures are planning estimates calculated from the gross price rather than compounded, and the payments dashboard shows the exact amount for each order. On a $30 notes order the flat $0.30 Stripe fee is 1.0% of the sale, while on a $150 order it is 0.2% — which is why very cheap notes tiers lose proportionally more to processing than a coverage-priced order does.

When should you point a follower toward full coverage instead?

Point a follower toward a full script coverage service rather than quick notes when they are assembling a submission package, entering a competition, or explicitly asking for a structured report with a logline, synopsis, and rating. Notes fit a fast gut-check on a draft in progress, where the writer wants one honest reader before the next rewrite pass.

Some writers on Brillay run both tiers: a lower-priced notes option for early drafts and a higher-priced coverage option for a submission-ready script. Keeping the two listings separate — rather than promising coverage-level depth at a notes-level price — protects your reading time and sets a clear expectation before the follower pays. For a related writing-services rate comparison, what ghostwriters typically charge.

Frequently asked questions

What's the actual difference between "notes" and "coverage"?

Notes are an informal reaction — margin comments or a short written response — while coverage is a structured report that typically includes a logline, synopsis, and a recommend/consider/pass rating. Coverage takes longer to produce and is priced accordingly: Shore Scripts lists $119 for a 3-page feature coverage report and $199 for an 8-page development report.

How long should I expect a feature read to take?

A 120-page feature represents about 120 minutes of screen time, since each screenplay page equals one minute of screen time (Final Draft). Brillay's editorial estimate for one read plus written notes on a full feature is 2–4 hours; no coverage service publishes a measured per-script reading time, so treat that as an estimate rather than data.

Can I offer notes as a Paid Question if the script is short?

No. Paid Questions are for one written question and one written reply, while Custom Work lets the follower attach their own files at checkout. A written logline or premise question still works fine with Paid Questions.

What if the script is longer than what I priced?

Decline the request and invite them to choose a higher-priced tier instead. Under Brillay's Purchases, Support & Refunds policy v1.0, a creator-approved refund returns through Stripe to the original payment method and Brillay reverses its platform fee. Stating "up to 40 pages" up front prevents most of these cases.

What does Brillay charge to sell screenplay notes?

Followers can pay by card without creating an account. There is no follower minimum or application gate, and creators in 41 countries can connect their bank through Stripe to get paid (how it works). Two separate charges apply to a paid notes order: Brillay's own platform fee, and Stripe's card processing on top of it, at 2.9% + 30¢ per successful transaction for domestic cards (Stripe pricing).

Create your free Brillay page and turn the next “can you give me notes on this?” DM into a one-time custom request with a fixed price, page limit, and deliverable—not a membership.