The Savvy Screenwriter: How to Sell Your Screenplay (and Yourself) Without Selling Out! [Paperback]

Susan Kouguell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 13, 2006

The Savvy Screenwriter demystifies the film industry and reveals what aspiring screenwriters really want and need to know.  From finding and working with agents, to insights about story analysts and movie executives, to understanding option agreements, to providing samples for queries, synopses, treatments, loglines, and outlines, to pitching, Susan Kouguell knows what works and what doesn't, and gives practical advice on getting your screenplay sold.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A remarkably comprehensive, enjoyably irreverent, and practical guide to the realities of the film marketplace.  "
-Jeremy Pikser, Academy Award® Nominee for Best Screenplay, "Bullworth"
 
"Kouguell's blunt and honest approach provides a sobering, insightful guide to the realities of the marketplace.
            -Scr(i)pt Magazine
 
"A savvy book by a savvy writer and educator, written with clarity and wit, providing worthy insights into the diverse challenges confronting screenwriters…truly a worthy new contribution to the literature."
-Richard Walter, UCLA Screenwriting Chairman
 
"With a sense of humor and intimate knowledge of how the system works, Kouguell explains a difficult and perplexing process in language writers can understand."
            -Screenwriter Magazine

About the Author

Susan Kouguell is an award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker, and associate producer.  As chairperson of Su-City Pictures East, she works as a screenplay and post-production consultant with a client base of more than 1,000 writers, filmmakers, production companies, agents, and studios including Miramax, Warner Bros., and Fine Line Features.  Kouguell teaches at Tufts University and Screenwriters Online, and presents screenwriting seminars nationwide.  Her website: www.su-city-pictures.com.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; Revised and Updated edition (June 13, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312355750
• ISBN-13: 978-0312355753
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #483,080 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Suspect Publicity, December 25, 2006

By 

Mark Twain "Sam" (MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Savvy Screenwriter: How to Sell Your Screenplay (and Yourself) Without Selling Out! (Paperback)

Wonder why all reviews are done within a week of each other Oct-November 2000?

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Teaches difficult lessons in a gentle way, November 7, 2000

By 

Thomas S Moore (New York, New York, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Savvy Screenwriter : How To Sell Your Screenplay (And Yourself) Without Selling Out! (Mass Market Paperback)

Susan Kouguell's book is a superb resource! In rich detail, she leads the reader through the process of marketing one's work, mapping out the tasks and the people involved. Her book is wonderfully balanced with empathy for the writer's vulnerabilities and clarity about the industry's expectations. Ms. Kouguell teaches difficult lessons in a gentle way, leaving the reader to feel hopeful and informed. I unequivocally recommend this book to any writer who is taking that brave step of putting his or her work out into the world.

Thomas Moore Winner, Edward Albee Foundation, Blue Mountain Foundation

8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Savvy Screenwriter is more than just "SAVVY...!", November 9, 2000

By 

Rose Ann Miller (Cambridge, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Savvy Screenwriter : How To Sell Your Screenplay (And Yourself) Without Selling Out! (Mass Market Paperback)

How about everything you ever wanted to know about selling your screenplay in one fantastic book. Sound too good to be true? It IS too good to be true and it exists! THE SAVVY SCREENWRITER is clear, concise, helpful, engaging, and *humourous. Throughout, Kouguell recounts her own adventures during her novice days in the business. Biblical in its wisdom, reading the THE SAVVY SCREENWRITER is akin to having someone in the biz reaching out, taking your hand, and leading you through what can seem like (and IS) a daunting process. Daunting no more, enigmatic no more, Susan Kouguell demystifies the scary endeavor of breaking into the business by providing the tools, savvy, and "know how" necessary to succeed. Thank God for this resource. I can't recommend it enough.