Cliffhanger (Take Ten: Adventure) and try not to yawn to death!
Jump!, September 13, 2001
I read this book and I didn't like it at all. The writer should jump off that cliff. Real bad.
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Complete Idiot's Guide to Screenwriting (by a complete idiot)
Really Bad, March 9, 2002 This is possibly the worst book on screenwriting I've ever read. After reading such "inside advice" in the text as , "The most popular subject of movies is the vampire", I began to wonder if I should ask the book store for my money back. Don't waste your time on this below average book.
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Skip this one!, September 13, 2001
I've been an agent for many years and have read a great many books on screenwriting. Some offer sound advice, and some don't. This one is at best basic, at worse really really bad. I have no idea who Skip Press is, but it's pretty obvious most of what he's gathered here can be found elsewhere--and written better. One to "skip" over.
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Writer's Guide to Hollywood Producers, Directors, and Screenwriter's Agents : Who They Are! What They Want! And How to Win Them Over! How to make them hate you!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful: Incompetent author, October 29, 2004
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.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful: This Book Is Outdated, August 4, 2000
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.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful: DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK-IT'S OLD, July 18, 2000
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!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful: Just short of completely worthless, July 14, 1999
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.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful: This book is a gigantic waste of money, April 28, 1999
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.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful: This book was a big disappointment, April 9, 1999
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.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful: I agree -- this book is next to worthless, March 27, 1999
I am a story analyst for a major lit agency and, as part of my job, read and evaluate all of the new screenwriting books that come to market. I must say this is just about the worst book for the screenwriter that has come along in quite some time. It totally misrepresents how one needs to go about breaking into the business as a screenwriter. A lot of the suggestions it contains would be, in fact, detrimental for the emerging screenwriter. The author's lack of credits and lack of real-world experience as a screenwriter is woefully obvious in the bad advice that fills this book. Anyone who tries to use it will find it a guide to misfortune. Too many people are writing screenwriting books who have no experience in the trade, and this book is a prime example of that trend.
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This book is chock full of misinformation, March 7, 1999
I bought this book because it looked like it was a good guide for the beginning writer about how to break into Hollywood as a screenwriter. Boy was I wrong. More than half the numbers I called in the book are incorrect (not counting the 213/323 area code change). For the contacts that are right, more than half of those refused to read my material, even though this book said they would. Some people said they were very annoyed at being listed in the book because they felt it misrepresented them severely. A lot of the listings also look helpful until you parse them and find out you have to contact the agents or companies anyway as the author supplies no contact information. I feel really let down by this book. I thought it would be helpful and I wasted my money.
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A poorly written and organized book you should avoid., September 26, 1998
This book clearly reflects that the author knows little about his subject. It's poorly organized, fraught with misinformation and errors, and woefully insulting and patronizing to the reader. There are many far better "how to" books about this subject. Don't waste your time with this one.
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Some basic info, poorly organized from naive author, June 15, 1999
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.
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I was quite underwhelmed by this book, April 17, 1999
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.
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many errors and mistakes that should have been checked first, April 14, 1999
There are many errors and mistakes in the listings in this book: misspelled names, wrong phone numbers, wrong addresses, people are not at the companies in the listing, etc. The rest of the book is okay, more a pep talk than any real new information.
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Not worth the money., April 4, 1999
This book was an (almost) complete waste of money. Wasn't organized very well. Alot of the info was wrong. The only good thing about the book is it has some good stories.
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