Annotated and Selected Bibliography for Screenwriters and Television
Writers
Books
Adler, Stella. The Technique of Acting (with a preface by Marlon Brando). New York:
Bantam Books, 1988. A legendary actress and teacher, Adler had a profound influence
on American acting. She was a student of Stanislavski and based her technique on his
Method acting, with emphasis on analyzing the writer’s text.
Armer, Alan A. Writing the Screenplay: TV and Film. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing
Company, 1993. Emmy Award–winner Alan Armer takes aspiring writers through the
essential steps leading to good screenwriting: visual thinking, characters and plotting,
story structure and conflict, dialogue, and formats.
Berman, Robert A. Fade In: The Screenwriting Process. Stoneham, MA: Focal Press,
1988. Berman presents a clear, concise method for turning a story concept into a
successfully completed screenplay.
Blacker, Irwin R. The Elements of Screenwriting. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co.,
1986. Blacker was the preeminent teacher of screenwriting at USC. This book outlines
his theories, based on Aristotelian and classical dramatic theory. He discusses the
elements necessary for writing quality marketable scripts. The book is based on his
lectures, published posthumously.
Blum, Richard A., and Richard D. Lindheim. Inside Television Producing. Boston and
London: Focal Press, 1991. (Out of print.) Breaks through the confusion surrounding
both the role and the activities of a creative writer-producer by taking an in-depth look
at the development of two brand-new shows, a half-hour situation comedy (“Coach”),
and a one-hour dramatic series (“Law & Order”). The entire developmental process is
detailed and presented, along with insightful comments by creators Barry Kemp
(“Coach”) and Dick Wolf (“Law & Order”). Complete pilot scripts for both shows are
included.
___________. Primetime: Network Television Programming. Boston and London: Focal
Press, 1987. (Out of print.) An analysis of who does what in primetime television,
including chapters on developing series concepts; pitching; pilot production; network
decision-making strategies; developing TV miniseries, movies, and specials; and
constraints on creativity.
Blum, Richard A. Working Actors: The Craft of Television, Film, and Stage Performance.
Boston and London: Focal Press, 1989. This book features interviews with 12 actors in
television and film, some of whom were trained in variations of the Method, others who
can’t stand it. They talk about their individual approaches to finding the character from
the given circumstances of the text provided by the writer.
___________. American Film Acting: The Stanislavski Heritage. Ann Arbor, MI: UMI
Research Press, 1984. This book traces the history and impact of Stanislavski’s system
on American film acting.
Breiner, Stephen, and Stephen F. Clause. The Screenwriter’s Legal Guide. New York:
Allworth Press, 1999. Covers everything you’ll need to know on the legal side of
screenwriting.
Cooper, Dona. AFI Guide to Writing Great Screenplays for Film and TV. 2nd Ed. New
York: IDG Books, 1998. The American Film Institute’s guide is updated to cover the
latest techniques for crafting first-rate professional screenplays for film and television.
Cowgill, Linda J. Secrets of Screenplay Structure: How to Recognize and Emulate the
Structural Frameworks of Great Films. Los Angeles: Lone Eagle Press, 1999. Awardwinning screenwriter Cowgill clearly articulates the concepts of successful screenplay
structure, and offers a study of memorable films from the 1930s to present day.
De Abreu, Carlos, and Howard Jay Smith. Opening the Doors to Hollywood: How to Sell
Your Idea, Story, Screenplay, Manuscript. New York: Random House Value Publishing,
1997. This book shows how to find a story, rewrite it, option it, package it, pitch it, write
it, and sell it.
Egri, Lajos. The Art of Dramatic Writing. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1966. This is an
important and useful book for any writer of television or film. Egri deals with the theory
and technique of character development, premise construction, and conflict building.
Field, Syd. Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting. Rev. ed. New York: Bantam
Doubleday Dell, 1994. This is Field’s paradigm for writing a screenplay, looking at the
structure of screenplays, and writing marketable scripts.
___________. Selling a Screenplay. New York: Dell, 1992. A practical looks at how to
sell a marketable screenplay.
___________. Four Screenplays. New York: Dell, 1994. Field analyzes four screenplays:
THELMA AND LOUISE, TERMINATOR 2, THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, and DANCES WITH
THE WOLVES, and interviews the screenwriters.
Flinn, Denny Martin. How Not to Write a Screenplay. Los Angeles: Lone Eagle Press,
1999. Flinn reveals 101 common mistakes most screenwriters make, and shows the
professionally correct form.
Froug, William. The Screenwriter Looks at the Screenwriter. New York: Dell, 1991. First
published as a reaction against the auteur theory. Froug, a renowned screenwriter,
interviews some of the most respected screenwriters in the business. They all have
different approaches to developing their screenplays for the marketplace.
___________. Screenwriting: Tricks of the Trade. Los Angeles: Silman-James Press,
1993. An excellent practical guide in which Froug shows every new writer how to develop
screenplays with a clear story and style of writing.
___________. The New Screenwriter Looks at the New Screenwriter. New York: Dell,
1992. A book of interview with some of the hottest screenwriters at the time, discussing
the art and business of their work.
___________. Zen and the Art of Screenwriting. Los Angeles: Silman-James Press,
1998. A fascinating book of interviews and insights from top screenwriters.
Garfield, David. A Player’s Place: The Story of the Actors’ Studio. New York: Macmillan,
1980. An authoritative history of the Actors’ Studio and the Method, by a member of the
Studio.
Goldman, William. Adventures in the Screen Trade. New York: Warner Books, 1983.
Excellent tell-all resource about the industry from one of its foremost screenwriters.
___________. Which Lie Did I Tell: More Adventures in the Screen Trade. New York:
Pantheon Books, 2000. In this sequel, Goldman writes about his years of exile before he
found himself—again—as a valuable writer in Hollywood on THE PRINCESS BRIDE,
MISERY, MAVERICK, ABSOLUTE POWER, and others.
Halperin, Michael. Writing Great Characters: The Psychology of Character Development
in Screenplays. Los Angeles: Lone Eagle Press, 1996. Halperin provides an intelligent
framework for understanding character development, encompassing mythology,
fairytales, and interior lives of great characters.
Haugue, Michael. Writing Screenplays That Sell. New York: Harper Collins, 1991. This is
an effective, straightforward book about how to write marketable screenplays.
Horton, Andrew. Laughing Out Loud: Writing the Comedy-Centered Screenplay.
Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000. This is the penultimate book on comedy
by award-winning screenwriter and author Andrew Horton. He blends history, theory,
and analysis of comedy with invaluable advice about writing feature comedy and episodic
TV comedy,
___________. Writing the Character-Centered Screenplay. Berkeley: University of
California Press, 1994. Horton provides the ultimate work on the character-based
screenplay.
Hunter, Lew. Screenwriting 434. New York: A Perigee Book, 1993. Lew Hunter teaches
screenwriting at UCLA. This book is an insider’s guide to the process of developing
marketable scripts, including ideas, characters, outlines, and scripts. Very good insights.
Joseph, Erik. How to Enter Screenplay Contests and Win. Los Angeles: Lone Eagle
Publishing, 1997. An insider’s guide to entering all the screenwriting competitions.
Josefsburg, Milt. Writing Comedy for Television and Hollywood. New York: Harper & Row,
1987. Important information on writing comedy for TV and film.
Keane, Christopher. How to Write a Selling Screenplay. New York: Broadway Books,
1997. Keane offers a step-by-step guide to developing a story and writing a marketable
screenplay.
King, Viki. How to Write a Movie in 21 Days: The Inner Movie Method. New York: Harper
and Row, 1988. A good basic approach that takes you through the process of writing in
manageable phases.
Kosbert, Robert, and Mim Eichler. How to Sell Your Idea to Hollywood. New York: Harper
Perennial, 1991. Deals with practical issues like concepts and pitching in the industry.
Litwak, Mark. Dealmaking in the Film and Television Industry: From Negotiations to Final
Contracts. Beverly Hills, CA: Silman-James Press, 1994. Litwak provides an authoritative
guide to dealmaking in the entertainment industry.
Lucey, Paul. Story Sense. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1996. Lucey shows the importance of
story structure and how to develop it clearly in film and television.
McKee, Robert. Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting.
New York: Harper Collins, 1997. McKee explains the importance of story structure and
expands on the concepts he teaches in his seminars. The book is a comprehensive,
integrated explanation of the craft of writing for the screen.
Polti, George. The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations Reprinted. Boston, MA: The Writer,
1993. An important breakthrough book on plotting for playwrights and screenwriters.
Portnoy, Kenneth. Screen Adaptation: A Scriptwriting Handbook. 2nd ed. Boston, MA:
Focal Press, 1998. Portnoy examines the challenge screenwriters face when adapting
novels, plays, and short stories for the screen, with updated exercises and examples
from current films. He provides practical, usable information on how to find the best
plotline for a script, choose key characters, and understand the goals and formats of
different genres.
Sautter, Carl. How to Sell Your Screenplay. Ferndale, CA: New Chapter Press, 1992.
Important book on marketing your script.
Saks, Sol. Funny Business: The Craft of Comedy Writing. 2nd ed. Los Angeles: Eagle
Publishing Company, 1991. It includes an anatomy of the “Bewitched” pilot script, which
he created.
Seger, Linda. Making a Good Script Great. Hollywood: Samuel French, 1989. Excellent
analysis of tools you will need for rewriting the script.
___________. Creating Unforgettable Characters. Hollywood: Samuel French, 1990. An
important tool for understanding and developing credible characters in your scripts.
___________. The Art of Adaptation: Turning Fact and Fiction into Film. New York:
Henry Holt, 1992. This comprehensive, step-by-step handbook for both aspiring and
already established screenwriters draws on examples from well-known adaptations and
includes interviews with some of today’s top screenwriters.
Seger, Linda, and Edward Jay Whetmore. From Script to Screen: The Collaborative Art of
Filmmaking. New York: Henry Holt, 1993. An informative look at the collaborative nature
of screenwriting.
Smith, Evan S. Writing Television Sitcoms. New York: Perigree/Berkley/Penguin Putnam,
1998. An excellent book for all sitcom writers. He provides sample stories and scripts,
with advice from top sitcom producers.
Suppa, Ron. This Business of Screenwriting: How to Protect Yourself As a Screenwriter.
Los Angeles: Lone Eagle Publishing, 1999. A survival guide to help writers through that
crucial process when art meets business. Suppa covers treatments, pitches, spec
screenplays, representation, the marketplace, negotiations, deal making, and more.
Taylor, Thom. The Big Deal: Hollywood’s Million-Dollar Spec Script Market. New York:
William Morrow & Co., 1999. An intelligent look at the million-dollar spec screenplay
phenomenon, using a mix of winners and losers as case studies. Taylor demonstrates
how difficult it is not only to make a spec sale, but to see a project reach the screen.
Trottier, David. The Screenwriter’s Bible: A Complete Guide to Writing, Formatting, and
Selling Your Script. 3rd ed. Los Angeles: Silman-James Press, 1998. Trottier details
everything a screenwriter needs—how to write a screenplay, the correct format for
screenplays and teleplays, a style guide for spec scripts, steps to a stunning script, and
how to sell your script.
Vogel, Chris. The Writer’s Journey. Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions, 1992.
Offers thought-provoking ideas about myths, fairytales, and writing for adventures.
Voytilla, Stuart, and Christopher Vogler. Myth and the Movies: Discovering the Mythic
Structure of 50 Unforgettable Films. Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions, 1999.
Designed as a companion to The Writer’s Journey. This book thoughtfully analyzes 50
U.S. and foreign films in every cinematic genre.
Walter, Richard. The Whole Picture: Strategies for Screenwriting Success in the New
Hollywood. New York: Plume, 1997. Walter, Head of the UCLA Graduate Screenwriting
Program, brings a very practical guide that explores the many aspects of the writer’s
relationship with the art of filmmaking and the world of Hollywood. It focuses on the big
picture behind the whole picture.
___________. Screenwriting: The Art, Craft, and Business of Film and Television
Writing. New York: New American Library, 1988. Walter discusses the importance of
turning a good story into a highly marketable script. A very informative resource.
Wharton, Brooke A. The Writer Got Screwed (but didn’t have to): A Guide to the Legal
and Business Practices of Writing for the Entertainment Industry. New York:
HarperPerenial, 1996. This is an excellent offering of business and legal advice for
screenwriters in film and television.
Wolff, Jurgen, and Kerry Cox. Successful Scriptwriting. Cincinnati, OH: Writers Digest
Books, 1988. A good resource for the process of scriptwriting for the marketplace.
Wolff, Jurgen. Successful Sitcom Writing: How to Write and Sell for TV’s Hottest Format.
Rev. ed. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1996. It includes many relevant examples and
samples from sitcom story and television script samples.