Rating: 
Summary: Simply put - I'm glad I bought this book.
Review: I'm completely new to the "craft" of screenwriting, and I think there's nothing wrong with a book that starts at square one for people like me. I think the book is well-written, and it seems to have been carefully proofread and edited (you'd be surprised by the mistakes I've found in other books). I like how Epstein talks about both the business side of writing and selling screenplays as well as the actual skills and strategies you need to write them. I need to know about both. He makes his points clearly and concisely - he doesn't use five pages to say something that can be said on one page. Makes for a quicker read, without sacrificing information.
Specifically, Epstein covers these topics:
1. Coming up with a "Hook," an exciting idea that can grab the attention of both show business people and audiences.
2. Working out your Plot.
3. Developing your Characters.
4. Writing Action into your scenes.
5. Crafting appropriate screenplay Dialogue.
6. Understanding different movie Genres.
7. Getting writing Help as you learn to improve your scripts.
8. Rewriting and rewriting until you get a great script.
9. Getting your script made into a movie by working with agents, development execs, producers, and the general business of Hollywood.
I read a criticism on one of the previous reviews that pretty much disparages Epstein for only having one writing credit in movies. I don't know what that person's copy of Crafty Screenwriting says, but the cover of my copy reads, "A development executive's real-world approach..." In other words, Epstein never claims you should listen to him because he's a super-accomplished writer with many credits. But he is a development executive. And it's very important to know how development executives think and what they want to see in screenplays. So I think his opinion is valuable.
When I first decided to pursue screenwriting, I thought I had the right idea of how I should proceed and how show business worked. Turns out I was wrong on both counts! If you're just starting out, and you want to know the basics of the business of movie development and the foundations of screenwriting theory, I absolutely recommend this book. But get some highlighters! There's a lot to learn!
Rating: 
Summary: Worth every cent
Review: I'm new to screenwriting and I can't recommend this book enough. After every chapter, I put the book down and thought, "Yeah, I can do this." Not only does it tell you what the professionals who will read your script will be thinking, but it also tells you how to get them to read it.I live in Australia and don't have immediate exposure to Hollywood and had no idea what a printed script looks like. Alex Epstein tells you what font, formatting, paper and even bindings to use to ensure your script doesn't look like an amateur hack job. This is the kind of book I am never going to stop reading. I'm going to read it over and over again until I commit it all to memory. It's that good. If you are only going to buy one screenwriting book, buy this one! Alex, if you ever read this..."Thanks mate."
Rating:
Summary: Crafty Screenwriting takes you farther
Review: I've been writing screenplays for three years now and do I wish I had this book when I started! I've read Trottier, Field and Walter-all of whom are very informative. This book goes farther than any of them. Epstein delivers more current and common sense application of the art form than I was able to see from the afore-mentioned authors. The emphasis on "The Hook" is worth the price of the book alone. Epstein has the ability to force you to really focus on the most important aspect of writing a story that SELLS. As he says, "what good is a screenplay unless it gets produced?" From writing the very difficult query letter to formatting your story, this book covers too many things to list here. Check it out! I encourage all aspiring screenwriters to find this gem and absorb the information. You'll be glad you did.
Rating:
Summary: The one book worth buying for screenwriters
Review: If you're a screenwriter like me, and have gotten tired of looking up advice on the web, and wished for a good old-fashioned "hard copy" book that would tell you what you need to know in this tough business, look no further. Alex Epstein's "Crafty Screenwriting" is a tight, concise guide to how to write a screenplay that will sell - because if no one's going to buy it, why write it? Everyone from the brand-new writer with big-screen dreams to the calloused journeyman with several scripts to his credit will find valuable, straightforward advice in this simple but very effective guide to a very competitive industry.
Rating:
Summary: Keep a few, sell the rest, buy this book!
Review: If you're on the fence about buying "another" screenwriting book to fill the shelves you already have crammed full, do yourself a favor...keep a few of those books (your favorites), sell the rest and use part of the proceeds to buy yourself a copy of this book. Crafty Screenwriting does what few screenwriting books do today -- it gives practical advice on getting your script written, read and sold. And it's entertaining at the same time!
Rating:
Summary: Connection
Review: Insights to the plight of an unknown seeking recognition are shared by Alex Epstein with genuine interest and skill that communicates valuable information. I felt I'd found a personal connection to the screenwriter's world.
Rating:
Summary: Connection
Review: Insights to the plight of an unknown seeking recognition are shared by Alex Epstein with genuine interest and skill that communicates valuable information. I felt I'd found a personal connection to the screenwriter's world.
Rating:
Summary: WORTH THE PRICE OF ADMISSION
Review: INT. MONTANA'S OFFICE - NIGHT
Montana closes CRAFTY SCREENWRITING. A light bulb BURSTS.
MONTANA
Hook? You need a hook? Why
didn't anyone tell me that before?
Her mouth opens to speak. Nothing comes out. She sighs. Gives herself a pep talk.
MONTANA
Pay attention. Come on, you can do
it. Alex says the best way to tell
your story is by --
BACK TO REVIEW:
I highly recommend this book. It's clear. Funny. Extremely helpful. The End.
Rating: 
Summary: Cocky Screenwriting
Review: Mr. Epstein comes across as extremely arrogant from his first word, and it's hard to figure out why. He's had exactly one movie produced, ten years ago. He's primarily a development executive and TV writer.
I've read twelve other screenwriting books in the last month, and Mr. Epstein quite often contradicts what these other books, written by very successful film writers and teachers, say about screenwriting. His way is better, he promises.
On Mr. Epstein's web site he offers to critique scripts for nearly $500 each, saying "That's what it costs me not to write." This is an outrageous and doubtful claim.
This book is the worst of a large crop of screenwriting books. Mr. Epstein can't even get the names of the movies and their characters right--it was THREE DAYS of the Condor, and Louise was played by Susan Sarandon, not Geena Davis.
Spend your money on Syd Field, Lew Hunter, Linda Seger--or anyone else. Not on this book.
Rating:
Summary: Finally - no film school theory
Review: Mr. Epstein has written the most practical screenwritng book I have ever read. And I"ve read all the so called 'top 15-20'. Plain language, to the point, no film school B. S. by gurus that can't write so they 'teach'.
Mr. Epstien has chucked some of the golden cookie-cutter rules in favor of "what works - works". (Maybe write a movie where the audience doesnt know what is going to happen next? What a novel concept!)
Mr. Epstien adresses underling story problems, not surface symtoms.
Wish more producers could do that. A writer's job would be so much easier.
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