The Hollywood Rules

Rating:
Summary: Good Stuff
Review: Good insider information. I also just read Hollywood 101 and found it to be a lot more thorough. I would recommend it to anyone interested in joining the Hollywood scene.

Rating:
Summary: Superb how-to guide for any aspiring screenwriter!
Review: I bought this book for a friend who was new to the biz. I thought it would be a funny gift but I started reading it. The ideas and philosophies where amazing. I'm a seasoned veteran of Hollywood and Broadway. I didn't think that I had anything to gain from this type of material. However, it was entertaining and enlightening. I strongly suggest this book for anyone looking for a place in the film industry or any form area show business.

Rating:
Summary: the rules rule
Review: I bought this book for a friend who was new to the biz. I thought it would be a funny gift but I started reading it. The ideas and philosophies where amazing. I'm a seasoned veteran of Hollywood and Broadway. I didn't think that I had anything to gain from this type of material. However, it was entertaining and enlightening. I strongly suggest this book for anyone looking for a place in the film industry or any form area show business.

Rating:
Summary: Very practical and helpful
Review: I've read a variety of other entertainment industry works, but in my opinion this is the most helpful.

This is a slim book, weighing in at just over 130 pages. That's the power of it. There is no bull, no extraneous info. Everything is spelled out clearly, in a balls-to-the-wall manner that I find refreshing and those unwilling to work hard will find eye opening.

To grab a quote from the back, "The truth is, Hollwyood is held together by a very delicate yet complex fabric..."

This book proceeds to lay out just what composes that fabric, and how to avoid tearing yourself a hole you may not be able to mend. The Hollywood Rules takes you by the ear and says, "Listen, this is how it is. If you wanna play, you need to know the game."

Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Superb how-to guide for any aspiring screenwriter!
Review: This book is written anonymously--and you'll soon see why! Author gives a heady combination of common sense (Don't make enemies or spend your $$ before you've earned it) with tips only an insider would know (When offered a drink in a meeting, always choose something soft--but not what you're first offered). The only "inside" trick he fails to mention is that "reverse-adapting" a novel from your script (much easier to sell to a publisher) puts you on the fast track to getting (nay, DEMANDING) the right to do the first-draft screenplay adaptation. (Which, obviously, you already have ready to go!) For specific tips on writing a highly commercial, salable story, read "Seven Strategies in Every Best-Seller"--which also gives practical insights into creating compelling characters who appeal to an audience and whom A-list actors want to play.