The Screenwriter’s Survival Guide: Or, Guerrilla Meeting Tactics and Other Acts of War
Product Description
Adams held a mirror up to her experiences early in her career and wrote down what she saw. Her early missteps. Her not-so-missed steps. Her impressions of everything from the Writers Guild to studio people. How she got read. By the right people. And sometimes, the not-so-right people. “The Screenwriter’s Survival Guide or Guerrilla Meeting Tactics and Other Acts of War” is an inside look at the personal and business sides of the screen trade that offers not-so-objective advice on everything from how to find and fire an agent to what to expect in a pitch meeting to what to wear to what not to order for lunch to how to establish and maintain business contacts — how to remain human while you’re doing all that — and more. For screenwriters. By a screenwriter. Who’s been there, done that — and lived to talk about it.Amazon.com Review
Are you looking for one of the secret decoder rings owned by all successful screenwriters? Or at least a map with a spot marked X? Sit down with Max Adams. She’ll tell you all about the writer’s place in Hollywood.
Adams courteously assumes that you can already write or that you can at least get your hands on one of the zillions of books about writing techniques. She concentrates on what you really want to know. For example:
The screenwriter’s uniform is (and this is unisex): jeans, high top sneakers, a plain T-shirt, and a loose casual jacket…. And the sneakers are always frighteningly clean, as in “they may be sneakers, but by gum, they glow like they just came out of the box.” Guys? No ties. No suits. I’m not kidding. If you wear a suit and tie to a meeting, people will mock you. Girls? No dresses. Actresses wear dresses. Screenwriters wear sneakers and jeans.
Her authority is unmistakable. After scooping up the prizes at a number of prestigious screenwriting contests, like the Nicholl Fellowship and the Austin Heart of Film Festival, Adams launched her Hollywood career with a big spec script sale (Excess Baggage).
The Screenwriter’s Survival Guide delivers 64 pithy chapters, such as “Don’t Write Batman” and “What You Really Get Paid.” Other topics include pitching, the etiquette of “getting read,” and the care and feeding of agents. Adams also provides lists of screenwriters’ directories and organizations, a generic release form, format examples for cover pages and query letters, and other useful resources.
The book shines with Adams’s streetwise attitude. She shares her worst Hollywood memories–the cold calls to producers, the credit arbitrations, and the meetings, meetings, meetings–as well as her victories. Do successful screenwriters ever stop feeling insecure? Check with Adams: “Every time I turn something in, I have this feeling of doom, like, Well, that’s it, my career’s over now.” Max Adams has the inside story and she tells all. –Blaise Selby
The Screenwriter’s Survival Guide: Or, Guerrilla Meeting Tactics and Other Acts of War
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Category: 5 Comments to “The Screenwriter’s Survival Guide: Or, Guerrilla Meeting Tactics and Other Acts of War”
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By Anonymous, November 26, 2009 @ 10:49 pm
This concentrates on the Hollywood scene and how to get your script sold in the US so most of it wasn’t relevant to me, being Australian. There wasn’t very much on how to actually write screenplays so I’d skip this if that’s what you’re after and read some different books. The most useful thing I found was the stuff about how to write query letters and dealing with producers, while it may be a little different from the Aus. scene, I imagine some things are the same everywhere (ie people are too busy to read your script).
So if you’re not American and don’t intend working in America, only a small portion of this book will be relevant to you but if you want an entertaining insight into the Hollywood scene, it’s worth a look.
Rating: 3 / 5
By T. Burrows, November 26, 2009 @ 11:41 pm
I havent seen any of her movies, but this is a very nice guide to what it must be like to be a working screenwriter. There is a lot of advice about the business side of things. How to deal with agents, producers, and contracts. How to sell your scripts and get recognized. (Excuse me, I couldnt resist the urge to write like Ms. Adams there for a minute. She regularly writes in blunt fragments. Does it all the time. And what does she also use? Question marks that pop up conversationally? Yup.) Adams goes over a lot of things, and gives straight from the shoulder advice on how to swim around the rocks and avoid the sharks.
Her advice on writing is less priceless, and one cannot help but wonder if her screenplays perhaps have not been selling as well as they once did. If they were, why would she need to write this book? But that is just show biz bitchiness. She she won a couple of major contests, sold scripts, and saw at least some of her work reach the silver screen. This is a good book, and I would call it a must-read for someone planning to move to Tinseltown and really give screenwriting a serious go.
Rating: 4 / 5
By Canary, November 26, 2009 @ 11:56 pm
After reading over 30 books about the screenwriting/movie-making business, I’ve decided this is one of my favorites. Written in Max Adam’s breezy voice with quick, to-the-point chapters, it offers pragmatic advice about what to do to promote your work if you really do write screenplays. (A lot of people merely talk about writing screenplays. I’m sick of them.) The title is appropriate. Max doesn’t tell you how to write a script but rather how to sell it. She offers advice that my own experience shows is truthful and helpful. (I’ve won some contests, been optioned, make a living writing for the business market.) Wish I’d had Max to tell me this stuff sooner.
Rating: 5 / 5
By Chris Peterson, November 27, 2009 @ 12:28 am
Having just finished a screenplay, I was looking for ways to secure representation, and laboring under a wealth of misconceptions. This book brought me back to earth, but also made for a soft landing. Max Adams provides a succint, funny, clear and concise list of rules to follow for getting through to agents and producers. She also blows apart some myths (you’re going to be rich as soon as you sell your first screenplay) and decodes the executive-speak you’re sure to deal with in any meetings you go to. Thanks, Max.
Rating: 5 / 5
By J. Foley, November 27, 2009 @ 2:59 am
The first time I went to Hollywood I went without Max. It will never happen again. This isn’t the only way to approach Hollywood, but it’s a rock solid one.
Rating: 5 / 5