Works
The first edition of my screenwriting book was called the best book of its kind by the Canadian Writers Guild. The second edition included a chapter about writing for videogames. This book educates writers on the history of storytelling, not just the history of film and Hollywood.
The second edition was voted best of its kind by the Canadian Writers Guild. I hear from working screenwriters that think it's kind of a screenwriting bible. I've sold some features, had a lot more optioned, done a little TV, wrote for a network kids show. I help folks to not make mistakes I made, and to counter bad advice. The cover pictured links to the third edition, Kindle version.
Triumph Publishing in Russia published a translation of my screenwriting book with the title "How to Write and Sell Screenplays in the USA for Video, Movies and Television." 395 pages. I was happy to have it published there and I was even mentioned in Pravda. I met Russian screenwriter Funnie Vital and Russian actress, Elena Morozova. Through Elena I met Russian filmmaker Pavel Ruminov, and helped him adapt a movie. At the same time, I was working with Ray Manzarek of The Doors on a script he commissioned of the Russian novel "The Master and Margarita." Ray's gone now, but click on the book pic and see Funnie's best-selling novel.
I've worked and made money in just about every form of writing. Via this book, I can thoroughly advise beginning writers on how to get started and figure out which direction they want to take.
While you may find the print edition on Amazon, I will email you the latest one (2011) in PDF form for $5.
A hardcover edition came out in February of 2006 as a "bargain book" from Barnes & Noble, and two subsequent versions followed from Barrnes & Noble companies. The original version sprang from the first class I taught at UCLA Writers Program. That print version evolved into an updated e-book that kept on selling and was a finalist in the first national "Eppies" (e-book awards).
Don't get confused by dumb offerings on Amazon. If you click on "paperback" that's the original version. You can buy it for $2 but that one was written in 1992, so a lot of that one is out of date.
I was interviewed in the 700,000 subscriber newsletter "Bottom Line/Personal." Click on the pic to read the article. My book is linked there. Here's an excerpt from the article.
SCAMS BUYERS FALL FOR -- If you are a buyer, be aware that the more expensive the item, the more prevalent the scams... "Vehicle for sale" requires an especially suspicious eye. Craigslist says that offers to ship cars after purchase are 100% fraudulent. How it works: You see a vehicle listed at a very low price. When you communicate with the seller, you learn that the car is overseas and must be shipped. Don’t bite. If the listing is still online, flag it. If enough people flag a listing, Craigslist will pull it.
In this book about selling to Hollywood I open with "Hollywood Rules" (that change constantly) and close with a directory of people who can buy and sell your work. Although the basic information is still valid, the contacts in the back are obviously not up to date. I spent two years working for free with a couple of guys who started Filmtracker.com which later merged with Baseline Hollywood. I saw those guys steal contact information from Variety and Hollywood Reporter repeatedly, and I got sick of witnessing such practices. I still consult people on navivating shark-infested Hollywood waters, so get in touch if you need me.
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. Mirko was babysitting for a friend of director Roland Emmerich, got to talking to him, Emmerich ending up reading his script, and gave him a deal! After these books of mine came out, I began getting 500 to 1,000 emails per week. It was amazing.
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 this site is not perfect, it's probably the best you can get for free and he's a saint for doing this for aspiring writers and screenwriters.
I pay $50 a month for IMDbPro.com and PublishersMarketplace.com - this site is FREE. If you use the site, try to donate something via Paypal.
Our dog named Tex was a Carolina dog, aka "Dixie Dingo," the original American dog. Apparently, they're also known as "camp dogs" and were the indigenous canine found on the Eastern seaboard tribes of Native Americans when the Europeans first arrived in North America. Six days a week, I got a show when the mail carrier arrived and Tex went into a frenzy with the rattle of mail being shoved through the mail slot. It took him about five minutes to calm down each time. After a bout with diabetes in 2013, he died at age 12. He will always be loved and missed.