Screen & Stage Marketing Secrets (Paperback)

by James Russell (Editor, Illustrator) "You will learn a new writing style developed by the author that is so fast, you'll have to slow down the the action!..." (more)
Key Phrases: screenwriting magazines, single page synopsis, screenplay contest, Los Angeles, James Russell, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Don't even dare mail your query letter or script to any agent or producer without first reading the marketing procedures in Screen & Stage Marketing Secrets. If you don't use the marketing procedures in this book? All you are asking for is repetitive rejection and heartbreak! - Los Angeles, Dave -- Dave / Los Angeles Screenwriter

There should be a written guide so screenwriters can learn how to submit scripts, professionally! Screen & Stage Marketing Secrets is the book! -- Hollywood, California - Literary Agent

Product Description
Here's the ultimate screenwriter's marketing manual to get your screenplay or stageplay sold. No other screenplay book describes exactly how to perform a professional submission to agents, producers and production companies. Here you will learn how to clean up your script to eliminate those dangerous words Story Analyst (readers) see and toss the script aside with a rejection slip. Learn the inside secrets of breaking down the protective firewalls to get your scripts read by those who have the power to buy. You will learn how to obtain an agent and how to submit your scripts to production companies without an agent and be taken seriously. Don't let the firewalls stop you from selling your script. Order this manual, fix the errors in your scripts and you will be breaking in! Softbound, large 8x11 format, 80 pages, with illustrations.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: James Russell; 1st edition (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0916367118
• ISBN-13: 978-0916367114
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #825,542 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Quirky book, January 29, 2003

By	TheCafeWriter (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Some excerpts from the book:

- A selection of remarks about God and quotes from the Bible in the front matter. Not a bad thing, just a bit unexpected in a book about marketing for the screen and stage.

- Half of the next page is about where to buy this book. If you're holding the book, the odds are good you don't need that information by then.

- Under 'Author Biography' on the first page: "No recognition is desired by the author. Displaying credentials serves no purpose." Well, yes it does. It tells you what experience the author has, his level of 'authority' on the subject matter, what point of view he's writing from - a studio exec will have a different point of view than a script reader.

- "No Chapter 13" (yet there's a page number for it)

- "Chapter 14 - Introduction to Trap Shooting" and "Trap Shooting Writing Opportunities." No, I am not kidding. The author is sure that you'll meet people here. You just might, but how many of them are Hollywood types who can or will actually do anything for you is questionable. It doesn't matter because this section isn't about shmoozing; it instead extolls the virtues of trap shooting as an obsession.

The author also names 5 "must-see" movies - which are actually six. Three are classics: "The Terminator" (which he calls "Terminator 1") and "Terminator 2" (which is actually titled "Terminator 2: Judgment Day"), and "It's a Wonderful Life." No, I'm not being picky. If you're going to write about screenwriting, it's lazy not to bother to get the titles right.

He includes "The Cormorant," and "England Made Me," which he "believe[s] were filmed by British prodcos." Shouldn't an author have done his research for a book on this topic? (The sixth one is "The Last Shout," a TV-movie made from a British comedy series. Draw your own conclusions on that one.)

- "The 7-Day Plan To Be A Better Christian!" (Not a chapter, just a page, but not relevant to the subject either.)

I'm not faulting the author for his obsessions, but the book needs better focus on the topic at hand. One doesn't pay [$$$] for a hodge-podge of script marketing, Christian prosletyzing, and how to get into trap shooting.

It's also surprisingly amateurishly formatted for the price. The entire thing is in Courier font with an extra space between chapters. The book has few charts or lists (learn to use bullets!), and no index. It needs better formatting, an index, and someone besides the author to edit it.

The quality of the book overall (poor formatting, mediocre editing, fuzzy focus, lack of credentials, sloppy research, lazy writing, and lack of accuracy in something as ordinary as a film title) make me question the value and credibility of the overall content.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Poorly Presented, October 1, 2008

By	Sally Atman (Redondo Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've been selling playscripts for forty years, and taught scriptwriting for thirty. My first successful play (and later, film) submissions happened when I used The Writer's Digest rules. Everything a playwright or screenwriter needs to know is in that book. (And please, always buy the current year!)

Assuming everyone knows about The Writer's Digest and its excellent reputation, here are a few words about "Screen & Stage Marketing Secrets." Those words are: Disorganized, poorly laid-out, drifting, unnecessary, confusing, and overpriced.

If you feel the need the spend money on what I would have titled "Some Adequate Ideas About Screenplay Submission and Christian Trap Shooting," also consider another scriptwriter's book. It will absolutely improve your scriptwriting skills. It's entitled "A (Screen Or Stage) Play In A Day," and is available here at Amazon. You can also download it right now at lulu dot com.

But please . . . consider sticking with the tried and true formatting and submission information laid out by The Writer's Digest. This book just isn't necessary for anyone with common sense and basic English skills.

5.0 out of 5 stars All the basics of selling and marketing a script , December 6, 2005

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Learn all the basics of selling and marketing a script through the practical marketing guide Screen & Stage Marketing Secrets: Everything You Need To Know To Market Your Screenplay, TV Or Stage Play Script. This goes beyond advice on how to produce a script to focus on the nuts and bolts of how to market and protect one, from contacting production companies and increasing the possibility of a response to accessing the TV market. You don't have to have an agent to do it right - but you do have to have industry savvy, which Screen & Stage Marketing Secrets will provide.