Skip Press - Writing & Advice

The first edition was called the best book of its kind by the Canadian Writers Guild. The second edition was much improved and included a chapter about writing for videogames. The third edition includes information on short films and a CD with sample screenplays and software. I'm proud of this book because it educates writers on the history of storytelling, not just the history of film and Hollywood. A writer friend working with George Lucas told me he particularly appreciated that aspect of the book.

Anyone who asks me can receive a free study I did about what actually sells at the box office; the answers may surprise you. I first wrote about it in 1999 and it took the mainstream media four years to catch up with me.

Triumph Publishing in Russia published a translation of my book. The Russian title is something like "How to Write and Sell Screenplays in the USA for Video, Movies and Television." (I don't read Cyrillic so I can't translate.) The price is 317 rubles (about $10 US). The Russian book is 395 pages. If you know someone who speaks Russian and wants a copy the publishing house can be reached at (095) 720-0765 and post@triumph.ru . For many reasons, including a Russian great-grandfather and a brother married to a woman with Russian roots, I'm very happy that this book is now available.

In this book about selling literary properties to Hollywood I open with "Hollywood Rules" (that change constantly) and I close with a directory of people who can buy and sell your work. It's the best book about navigating Hollywood that I've written and my fourth on the subject.

One thing that I wrote about in the book is a "Hollywood Open Resource" - a revolving list of contact information that can be updated by anyone and shared. I quit that idea when my free Yahoo discussion group grew so large, and when I discovered a website that had all the information I had in mind. See below.

Gerard Jones created a fabulous site called "Everyone Who's Anyone" that has contact information for agents, editors, publishers, and their Hollywood equivalents. When I learned of his site I abandoned my own similar project. While it's not perfect, it's the best you can get for free and he's a saint for doing this for others.

If you head over to Gerry's site, try to donate something via Paypal. He put a lot of work into that site and it can be used to great advantage.

Referred to by some aspiring screenwriters as a Hollywood bible, this book evolved from my own success and frustrations and contained more practical advice than any other of its kind. One reader, Mirko Betz, took the advice in the book and ended up selling his first screenplay 11 months after arriving in L.A. from Germany.

After these books came out, I began getting 500 to 1,000 emails per week.

The original version of this book sprang from the first class I taught at UCLA Writers Program. The print version evolved into an updated e-book that just keeps on selling and was a finalist in the "Eppies" (the first national e-book awards).

Since I've worked (and made money) in just about every form of writing, I can safely advise beginning writers on how to get started - and figure out which direction they want to take.

While you may find the print edition in rare book places, the best one is the electronic version in Acrobat format (or some other format that works on your computer). Email me if you are interested in owning a copy.

Meanwhile, the new edition came out in February of 2006 as a "bargain book" from Barnes & Noble, a hardcover version (with a much better cover!) that I think you'll like a lot. It's mentioned on the home page of this site.

My dog named Tex who winks. I don't think it's worth writing a book about, but there was room on this page for his picture.

Never seen a dog like Tex? He's a Carolina dog, aka "Dixie Dingo," the original American dog.