Customer Reviews

Writer's Guide to Hollywood Producers, Directors, and Screenwriter's Agents, 1999-2000 (Writer's Guide): Who They Are! What They Want! And How to Win Them Over!

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I queried several of the agencies and companies listed in this book, and guess what? The post office returned many of the letters because the addresses were either wrong, outdated, or the recipient was no longer there. AMAZON SHOULD TAKE THIS BOOK OFF THE SITE; IT IS A RIP-OFF!

This book tries to cover so much - from how to choose software to how to get an agent - that it gives everything short shrift. You'd really have to be a raw beginner to get much value from this thing.

If you decide to read this, focus on objective info, like addresses for web sites, and non-industry info, like picking out software. The author has some really bizarre ideas on how Hollywood works, probably because he has no success there himself (it amused me the "about the author section" was 2 or 3 pages - like many people of small accomplishment, he tries to enlarge what he has done, like going on at great length about his articles for "Boy Life" magazine.) Yup, we aren't talking William Goldman here; in fact the author, despite professing his status as a screenwriting, doesn't offer one tangible accomplishment. That's ok; I just wish he had positioned himself as an journalist rather than "a friend in the industry."

In many instances the author comes off as astoundingly naive. My favorite anecdote was the author recalling a producer who said the first 40 pages of the author's script was some of the most exciting he'd ever read, but he didn't have time to finish it. Um, right. The fact that the author repeats this with apparent belief the producer was telling the truth made me chuckle.

...

There are plenty of other books on Amazon that are muchmore useful than this one (and they're written by someone who has actually sold a screenplay). Pass on this paper weight book.

The information in the book is really old, and when you find the people who the book says is willing to read a script or even take your call, they say they never allowed the publisher to list the information and resent being listed there and that they never heard of the author. The rest of the book is not very good when compared to any of the other advice books that cost half as much.

The subtitle of this book is 'Now you have a friend in the industry', and it's true. This book is jammed with useful information, all written in a very conversational, entertaining and down-to-earth style.

The book has everything from what producer's are looking for to surfing the net tips (Hollywood is very net savvy) to interviews with top players in the industry on their advice.

The producer's and agent's listings all come with info on how and who to contact, as well as any inside bits of information the author is privvy to -which helps you zero in on who to contact as well as write intelligent queries.

I learned a lot. And my screenplay is being looked at by several production companies in large part due to info I got from the book. Highly, highly recommended.

It is my habit to keep silent when I read a very bad book--- I prefer letting the book speak for itself. As a writer myself, I dislike "lay" readers' criticism (though I seek and accept informed, knowledgable criticism). I was asked to read this book and give my opinion, based upon my dozen years writing and selling manuscripts.

Here is my opinion: IGNORE THIS BOOK. It was obsolete when it was published, and the "advice" within it is very poor. A writer who follows the advice is not, in my opinion, likely to sell much, if anything.

For example, publishers *LOATHE* writers who send them manuscripts unsolicited; they *DETEST* writers who telephone them without given leave to do so. When I was co-editor of a popular nature recreation magazine for nine months, it was common practice to put the senders of unsolicited material on the "ignore this person" list--- we do not have time, nor the inclination, to read every manuscript sent. As a writer, I learned a decade ago that sending unsolicited material will put the writer in the trash can, unread.

Publishers expect, and most demand, query letters these days.

My advice, as a successful and well-published author: reject this book, and run and and purchase a copy of "Writer's Market." Read the first five chapters--- it will tell you exactly what you need to know about breaking into the fields. "Writer's Market" costs $30 and is updated every year: it will give you an excellent idea on who is buying, what is selling, and how to join that market successfully. "Skip Press'" book does not.

Half the book is a detailed listing of production companies, of which 99 percent don't want your material unless you have an agent. The agent listings are no help either, telling you to contact the agents directly, who in turn don't want to see your material. So the end result is that this book is a gigantic waste of time and money.

Perhaps if you knew nothing about Hollywood and screenwriting, this book might help you a little. I've taken several classes and written four scripts, and I found all of the information extremely basic and below the level need for someone ready to break into the business. I thought it would be helpful with all the agent listings, but they mostly tell you to contact the agency for submission policies anyway, which is really no help at all, making it an expensive telephone book. I also think the book could have been cut back on some - the "war stories" are nothing new and really aren't helpful at all. The stuff about LA really belongs in a guidebook and not in a screenwriting book; that just seemed like a lot of padding.

This was a good idea for a book, but it's the sort of thing that quickly dated itself. The agent and manager contacts in this book, you will find, have become saturated -- while they seem interested in reading new material per their profiles in the book, you'll find it's a different story now as they've been inundated. It's sort of like coming into a gold rush six months too late. Too bad.

It's big and thick and looks like it might have a lot of information, until you put it to use and find out it's so cluttered with errors. Many of the people I contacted as a result of this book were miffed, having been listed without consultation. I checked the author's screenwriting credits and found he had none. Perhaps next time he should learn a little more about the profession before he writes a how-to book about it. A big thumbs down from me.