Tales from the Script: 50 Hollywood Screenwriters Share Their Stories

by Paul Robert Herman and Peter Hanson

Book Overview

A great gift idea for screenwriters: An unprecedented collection of exclusive interviews with Hollywood screenwriters, who reveal the secrets behind their successes and failures, offer uplifting stories about how faith in their talent has empowered their careers, and share colorful, entertaining anecdotes about our favorite stars and films.

Discover the secrets of Hollywood storytelling in this fascinating collection, in...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061855928
• ISBN13: 9780061855924
• Release Date: January 2010
• Publisher: Dey Street Books
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.3" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Delicious

I swallowed the book whole. It was so good I wanted more and watched the documentary. There is a lot more in the book and it's all good. It dramatically increased my enthusiasm for the script I'm working on. Confession: I know one of the authors. That's why I bought it, but not why I loved it.

Words of Wisdom

A brilliant and well-organized compendium of perspectives and quotations from working writers. Highly recommended for the writing professional. *Note: the paper quality is a little cheap (mass-market paperback-y), but it's the content that matters.*

Writers- Read This! Should Be Required Reading for Aspiring and Professional Screenwriters

I've read a dozen different screenwriting books, most of them being for learning the craft. This book is totally different, I found it browsing in a bookstore. I had no idea what it was about but I read a little and couldn't put it down ever since. There is so much useful information in this book, it's priceless. It explores everything from the lows to the highs of being a screenwriter today and yesterday. It gives you insights from some of the great, and not so great screenwriters. I was laughing with some stories, and sulking with others. I really connected and related to a lot of what the writers were talking about. The narratives in the beginning of each chapter really summarize the industry and how it works today for writers. It gives you a behind-the-scenes look of what it's like to be a Hollywood screenwriter. Beware that what this book contains may discourage some people from wanting to write films, this is a good thing though because if it does- then you're just not meant to make it as a Hollywood screenwriter because this is a tough, tough business. Overall I love this book and think that it should be required reading if you are trying to be a screenwriter or if you already are a professional writer. It's the perfect length, and it gives you a real sense of one avenue of showbiz. I plan to view the supplementary documentary DVD soon. Highly recommend!

Well Worth It

This book and the interviews and comments from screenwriters is brutally honest - and if you're an aspiring screenwriter - invaluable. The anecdotes run the gamut of everything from feel good inspirational to be-careful-what-you-wish-for stories. The advice is solid and the warnings valid. I paid full price for the paperback copy and I have to say that it's one of the few books I believe was worth the price.

Entertaining and Informative

I loved this book even though I'm not a screenwriter. I picked it up because I'm a movie buff who loves behind-the-scenes stories. I never knew how badly screenwriters are treated, and I never knew how important screenplays are. But after reading this incredibly entertaining book, I feel like I just got to know all of the writers included. They're a fun bunch of people, they've seen everything there is to see in Hollywood, and their stories are just as compelling as the movies they write! The photos of the writers make it feel like they're sitting right in front of me, and the extra interviews at the end of every chapter are really cool -- it's great to get the viewpoints of a development executive, a movie director, a guy who runs a script contest, etc. Thanks to "Tales from the Script," I have a new appreciation for how hard it is to write a movie, and I loved hearing all the stories about the making of "Bull Durham," "Butch Cassidy," "X-Men," "War of the Worlds," "The Mist," and so many others. I know friends who write scripts, and I'm going to recommend this book to all of them, but it's not just for screenwriters. If you love movies, you'll enjoy this book as much as I did! Oh, and I can't wait to see the "Tales from the Script" movie when it comes out on DVD!