Conversations with My Agent [Hardcover]

Rob Long (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1997

An account by a former writer and producer of the hit television show Cheers follows him as he tries to secure another deal in Hollywood, answer the endless calls from his agent, and maybe write something.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Amusing and insightful, this is a deftly sketched portrait of life inside the Hollywood "development deal," that limbo in which writers get paid generously to create something new for a notoriously fickle set of bosses. Long and his writing partner, still in their 20s, had risen to become coproducers of the popular TV series Cheers before it expired; they were rewarded with an office, long lunches and many meetings at which to try to pitch their ideas. (No, their new shows never took off.) Long makes the story entertaining by rendering many scenes-especially those involving his nameless, genderless agent-in sitcom form (dialogue, stage directions, etc.). "People in this business love their souped-up vocabulary," Long writes, and he affectionately skewers Hollywood pretension ("I love a quirky love," says one exec). Long doesn't tell us much about himself or his relationship with his writing partner, but the story skitters along fast enough for that to be forgivable. And when one reviewer calls their pilot "snappy" and another denounces it as "without snap," you can sympathize if well-paid creative types think the world wretched. Unfortunately, the book's charm and verisimilitude are vitiated by Long's contradictory admissions that it is "half true" and "mostly true."
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Television writer Long (Cheers) has written a humorous account of what it means to be a TV scriptwriter in Hollywood. It's a TV version of Linda Obst's recent insider's view of feature filmmaking, Hello He Lied (LJ 10/1/96). Interspersing the book with conversations with his agent and writing in the style of a TV script, Long imparts the "inside" story on getting a TV deal, "one of those entertainment industry creations that...sounds suspiciously like goofing off. Essentially the studio agrees to pay a writer a minimum sum,...hopeful that the writer...will decide, 'What the hell, I may as well create a hit television show.' " Though very funny at times, it's a bit too much of an insider's view for the general reader. Though not an essential purchase for public libraries, it would be a good addition to media colletions.?Rosellen Brewer, MOBAC Lib. System, Monterey, Cal.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult (January 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 052594222X
• ISBN-13: 978-0525942221
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #523,213 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

His first book, Conversations with My Agent, chronicled his early career in television. It was published in the UK by Faber & Faber, in the US by Dutton, and in France by Actes Sud. His second book, Set Up, Joke, Set Up, Joke, was published in November 2005 by Bloomsbury.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Charming, clever quick read, March 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Conversations with My Agent (Paperback)

Conversations with my agent succeeds on three levels: as a quick introduction to writing for television, as a morality tale about overnight success in Hollywood, and as a humor book. I've read almost everything there is to read about screenwriting, and this book was by far the most enjoyable in an overcrowded, turgid genre. It wasn't deep, but it sure was fun -- and informative.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny and informative look at sitcom producing., November 19, 1999

By 

Thomas M. Sipos (Santa Monica, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Conversations with My Agent (Paperback)

This quick read is full of funny scenes as the author labors to bring his sitcom onto the air. He has a rare (in Hollywood) modesty; he drops no names although he badmouths no one.

He doesn't even name the sitcom he managed to get on the air and which he discusses throughout the book (it was PIG STY, which ran on UPN for a season).

He's currently producing LOVE AND MONEY for CBS.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Witty, funny tale of a queer world, April 5, 2000

By 

R. Spell "raspell" (Memphis, TN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Conversations with My Agent (Hardcover)

Great book, written in an unusual witty style. He admits some of his luck to get in the business and how quickly it can be taken away. I recommend this book for anyone wanting to know more about the business AND be entertained.