Today, we're excited to announce coverflyX, a new service from Coverfly - and we think it's going to be a game-changer for screenwriters.
Up until now, if a writer wanted feedback on their screenplay, they'd have to either pay for professional feedback from a coverage service or screenwriting competition, or they'd have to ask a friend to read it. But not everyone has money, and not everyone has friends.
coverflyX, short for "Coverfly eXchange", is a free service that allows writers to get peer notes on their screenplays in return for Coverfly tokens. Coverfly tokens have no monetary value and cannot be sold or bought. Instead, writers can earn tokens by providing notes on the work of other Coverfly users, and in turn they can exchange those tokens for feedback on their own projects.
Upon receiving the feedback from the peer reviewer, the writer will be prompted to rate their reader's feedback. Readers with higher ratings will have access to more scripts in the coverflyX marketplace, and will also be able to guarantee a certain quality of readers that have access to their own scripts.
coverflyX tokens are also given out to writers on Coverfly with Coverfly Scores above 400. In addition, tokens can be spent by submitting to Coverfly's list of Open Writing Assignments.
coverflyX writers can offer a "bid" of tokens for feedback on their projects. These tokens go to the reader that claims and completes the feedback. So, for example, you might bid 3 tokens on one of your feature scripts that's 120 pages in length. If the bid is too low (and there are other scripts of similar length offering more than 3 tokens on the marketplace), then it may go unclaimed by readers, in which case, the writer might have to increase the bid to have it claimed.
coverflyX readers will have five days upon claiming feedback to complete their notes, which consist of 300 words on the strengths of the script, 300 words on the weaknesses of the script, and an optional section for any additional thoughts. Readers who do not complete the feedback on time will be penalized with "strikes". Too many strikes, and the reader's account could be suspended.
This concept is new, and largely experimental. We don't know yet if the marketplace will be able to balance itself and meet the demands of writers requesting peer notes, so we'll be constantly monitoring and evolving the platform in the coming months. Please feel free to reach out with any feedback!
Coverfly doesn't charge a penny for this service. No credit card or personal information is needed to sign up. We hope coverflyX becomes another arrow in the quiver of writers as they develop their stories.
Of course, Coverfly also offers many other services to screenwriters. Notably: The Red List, a curated list of Screenwriting Competitions, and OWAs (Open Writing Assignments).