The Comedy Market: A Writer's Guide to Making Money [Paperback]

Carmine Desena (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1996

The essential resource for the comedy writer, this complete guide provides insight into such comedy writing potentials as television, magazines, advertising, film. stand-up comedy, radio, books, speeches, greeting cards, and newspapers. Interviews with top industry professionals reveal tips on both the basics and the finer points of the funny business.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Think you could write a better TV sitcom or movie than what you've been watching on the screen? DeSena, a veteran comedy writer and author (The Air Down Here, LJ 10/1/95), can help you. Here he describes different comedy markets?stand-up, TV, film, stage, book, radio, periodicals, greeting cards, and corporate clients?giving advice on breaking in, pitching material, learning techniques, and writing on spec. Though much of DeSena's advice is familiar (e.g., read widely and write daily), he does show that each market has its own angle. Each chapter is punctuated by sidebars offering the "inside view" from professionals, and most list market-specific resources that are augmented by five appendixes offering information on evaluating agents, education and training, financial support opportunities, legal issues, and writers' groups. Recommended for its serious approach to the comedy genre.?Cathy Sabol, Northern Virginia Community Coll., Manassas
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 206 pages
• Publisher: Perigee Trade; 1st edition (August 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399522158
• ISBN-13: 978-0399522154
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,421,365 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book if you're wondering where to start, April 25, 2004

By 

simkn (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Comedy Market: A Writer's Guide to Making Money (Paperback)

If you have written something funny and you're wondering, "How in the world would I go about publishing this?", this is the perfect book for you. Or, if you haven't yet written anything funny, want to try your hand at it, and don't know where to start, this is the book for you.

This book gives detailed suggestions on how to break into any number of comedy markets, including stand-up, television, film, radio, books, theater, newspapers, magazines, and even greeting cards and corporate speech-writing. The author is himself an accomplished comedian. And, though the book is serious about getting you started, it does make you laugh from time to time.

To supplement his own advice, the author includes numerous quotes, suggestions, and anecdotes from other famous comedians and comedy professionals, such as the vice-president of development at Comedy Central, and writers for shows such as Saturday Night Live, the Jon Stewart Show, Cheers, Frasier, Married with Children, and many more. And finally, the author includes no shortage of further reading suggestions including books, periodicals, and directories of contact names.