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Author! Screenwriter!: How to Succeed as a Writer in New York and Hollywood

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When you go into any major bookstore, among the most crowded of the shelves are the ones in the Writers section. Writers who aspire to become published authors (like me!) are always on a quest for the keys to the kingdom.

Author! Screenwriter by literary and film agent/manager Peter Miller, is a recent addition to the writer's how-to inventory.

What sets Author!Screenwriter apart from so many of its shelf-neighbors, is its robust style and its authenticity. It also happens to be a very comprehensive primer on not only the publishing world, but on the world of film, TV and other media as well. The book examines and explains how the two worlds relate to each other, and how the hopeful author can navigate his way through them with the very necessary help of a dedicated and savvy agent/manager. Take his word for it, it's a jungle out there, folks. This is a book that seems as much directed at literary agents, who often seem to take a too narrow approach to their profession, as it is to writers.

From the very first page you realize that Miller, who refers to himself as the Literary Lion, is passionate about what he does, and the authors and works he represents. More than that, he is passionate about the written and cinematic arts in general. Beginning with the page of kudos and praises from Miller's loyal clients and associates, to the handy glossary of publishing and movie biz terms in the back of the book. you get it that he knows what he's talking about, so listen up!

The dominant theme of the book is stated in Step #5 in the introductory chapter: The Five Steps To Success As A Writer: Realize that your script could be a book and Vice Versa. As he himself states, his strongest piece of advice is to turn that screenplay into a novel, and though he refrains from treating this idea as a mantra, he builds chapter by chapter, a case for the concept.

Miller soft peddles nothing, emphasizing just how difficult a task is the road to publication, and hopefully to cinema; how important it is to know the game and follow its rules. In forceful and highly readable anecdotal fashion, Miller walks you through the jungle. When you come across a paragraph that begins: "In my experience, as in: "In my experience, the key to success in the film industry is packaging...", your attention ratchets up a notch, and you read a bit slower to absorb the benefit of all that experience he's sharing with you.

There are many books about writing and publishing but none like Author! Screenwriter!, which is worth its weight in gold for the book or screenwriter who is ready to get published/produced. Author Peter Miller, "The Literary Lion," is a top New-York-based manager who specializes not only in getting the best book and movie deals for his clients but also in guiding their whole careers.

Navigating the publishing and entertainment industries through Miller's eyes is incredibly illuminating. He paints a very clear and provocative picture of how both work, and he orients the author within that framework, showing him/her how to make his/her work more saleable.

What I particularly appreciate is Miller's combined publishing and TV/film producing know-how. He shows how to adapt the same story idea to both media, which is clever, lucrative, and creatively fulfilling, pushing an author's career far beyond his or her expectations.

Miller also has a large section on book proposals, schooling authors on how to most savvily present their ideas to potential agents and publishers. I've read literally hundreds of books on writing and publishing, but few are even in the same league with Miller's wise, no-nonsense, practical manual. Read this book!

Surgeons who teach trainees how to do various procedures have a favorite anecdote: "See one, do one, teach one." Author-Manager Peter Miller has 'seen' query letters too numerous to count; 'done' more than a thousand book and screen deals; and has decidedly 'taught one' in this book, Author! Screenwriter! Several sections of Author! Screenwriter! are fresh after several re-reads. Why? Miller deals with contemporary insights and experiences; writes tight; and the contents have utility. Learn and live what he says, and you will succeed.

Peter Miller's accounts of the inner-workings of Hollywood will make you even more knowledgeable about how to get your work seen. I now understand the process and know that finding the right agent is a key ingredient if you want to swim with the sharks. I enjoyed this and if anything it made me want it that much more! It's a must read for novelists as well as screenwriters and those of us somewhere in between. Thanks Peter!

Peter Miller's book Author! Screenwriter! is a must-read for those who are serious about their writing careers and interested in adopting their work for the big screen. I have read A LOT of books on writing and publishing but none have provided such great insights as those available from a true industry insider.
Peter's book is filled with personal examples from his thirty years in the publishing business which add a greater dimension and depth to his book, setting it aside from all the others out there flooding market.

Although ALL the chapters contain powerful, pertinent information, the chapters I found particularly valuable were: Chapter Four, Find a good agent/manager to represent you, Chapter Five, Working with your representative, and Chapter Seven The Worlds of Fiction.
I would highly recommend this book to ANY writer, beginners and seasoned veterans alike.

Over the years, I've read as many books as I could find about how to write nonfiction book proposals, find agents, publicize books, and develop a platform for my writing. In all that time, I haven't seen a book nearly as good as Author! Screenwriter! for taking an overview of career management for those who want to produce writing that will appear in print and might also be produced on television and in the movies. This is the book you most need to read.

From the vantage point of having led many outstanding writers to great careers, Mr. Miller wisely describes the state of the industry and the core of what you need to do to increase your chances of a long and successful career. He has helped sell over 1,000 books, sold over 100 options based on those books, and produced a number of films himself. Where else can you get such advice? I don't know of anywhere else you can look to find out the perspective of one man with all of these experiences and connections.

To me, the best parts of the book were the brief samples from various proposals that are included from page 139 through to the end. I could feel myself falling in love with these concepts because of the great ways that the ideas were expressed. Seeing these proposals made me realize that proposals can perhaps sell best by simply presenting the book through a brief story. Study these proposals: They are like gold! Six proposals are for nonfiction books (biography, true crime, relationship self help, cookbook, speech writing how to, and a health book about people being cured of fatal diseases without medical interventions). There are also one fiction proposal, a television series proposal and script, a television movie and dramatic series proposal and treatment, and a novel coverage for possible production. These proposals involve top writers like Vincent Bugliosi, Jay Bonansinga, Roy Guste, and Dr. Albert Marchetti.

I also just watched Mr. Miller's film by the same title that's available on DVD from his agency's Web site. That film is a perfect complement to the book, and I strongly urge you to buy and study both. I tried to find the film on Amazon.com but couldn't seem to turn it up.

The film lasts over two-and-a-half hours and features Mr. Miller interviewing top editors (Michaela Hamilton and Lou Aronica), producers (Mark Wolper and Jon Sheinberg), best-selling authors who are clients (Jay Bonansinga and Raymond Benson), screenwriters (Richard Walter of the UCLA film school and Alan Roderick Jones), new writers who are clients (Rhodi Hawk and David Margolis), and experienced writers who are clients (Dr. Steven Holt, Satoko Kitamura, and Walter Maksym). Mr. Miller asks key questions to elicit advice that will be helpful to anyone who wants a better writing career. There are 28 interviews in all. Some are multiples of the same person, each one addressing a different aspect of their careers and experiences. You could travel around talking to people for the next ten years and not gain as many insights as you will from this fascinating film.

Peter Miller is the self-described Literary Lion of the world. After reading his new book and seeing this terrific film, I'm sure you'll see why he's king of the literary jungle.

Don't be too optimistic about getting access to him aside from the book, film, and appearances at literary conferences: Mr. Miller's agency receives almost 500 query letters a week. Obviously, they cannot represent more than a tiny fraction of that number in a year.

Having talked to Mr. Miller in person, I was impressed that his writing and film dialogues are typical of the man. Most other literary managers and agents I've met who wrote books for writers turned out to be quite different, and less impressive, than their books. With Mr. Miller, there's no difference.

I spent far too much time and effort trying to work the publishing system before discovering Author! Screenwriter! My copy is highlighted, underlined, dogeared and written in. I'll let you read the other rave reviews here for the details of Peter Miller's accolades and successes, but in short, he has packed in the necessary essence of publishing learned from 30 years in the business and 1000 placed books.

Many books claim to accomplish what this one does. He teaches us how to be sellable without selling out. He gives us a real-world introduction to publishing and the agent/author relationship. Every word is written for our success. Few agents have matched his accomplishments in the business, and far fewer could (or would) tell us exactly what it takes for us to succeed the way Peter does in this interesting and exciting book.

This is also THE book on writting a powerful Book/Script Proposal. I've read many books on this subject, as most writers have, but two days after reading Miller, I re-wrote my book proposal. I wish I could take back every submission I have ever made. I was suffering from exciting book/boring proposal syndrome. No more!

(On second thought, maybe I shouldn't suggest this book. It will definitely increase the number of powerful proposals out there.... Hmm, more competition. Well, too late now. The word is out about Author! Screenwriter!)

When I recently wrote a non-fiction book and began the fractious journey towards publication, I was fortunate enough to come across "Author! Screenwriter! How To Succeed As A Writer In New York And Hollywood" by Peter Miller. By providing an insider's knowledge of a complex quixotic industry, Miller put my aimless meanderings towards publication onto a more structured and purposeful footing. Knowledge gives confidence and Miller's vast experience and subtle understanding of the ins and out of both book publishing and film production gave me the reassurance and confidence to deal with publishers and realize my dreams. This is an excellent book crammed full of invaluable information for both the prose writer and the scriptwriter.
Danny Vendramini

Author! Screenwriter! How To Succeed As A Writer In New York And Hollywood by Peter Miller (an active literary and film manager for more than thirty years) is for writers who want to enjoy success as both a screenwriter and author, teaching the aspiring writer how to turn a book into a Hollywood script and back. Chapters from the President of a film management and media agency represent the only book which teaches writers how to customize their proposals for both literary and film markets.

I wish I had purchased this book prior to setting out on my journey to write my book -it could have saved me immeasurable frustrations. This book breaks down the complexities of the publishing industry while providing readers with an understanding and clear picture of what to do, what not to do- and why!