Sometimes you have to have the next studio that picks it up pay off the costs put into it by the first studio, sometimes not. Depends on the contract. Sure, but remember some of the greatest successes in movie history, notably Star Wars and E.T. , were turned down by the first studios they went to. Yes, so true. That same script was the first one I ever had optioned for any substantial amount of money, and I was referred to the producers who took the option by a friend.
Personal contacts are how MOST scripts are sold, period.
The most common mistake is taking it personally when someone doesn't like the script. Tell us about the Hollywood Film Festival. Carlos de Abreu is an amazing entrepreneur. He was a military pilot in an African country that was taken over by Communists, and there went the family fortune. Read the top books, take classes with the top people, get to know people, build up a network of true friends.