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Summary: An Absolute Must Have!
Review: This is truly the best book on screenwriting that I have read. Very good information and very well written. Anyone serious about screenwriting needs to read this book.
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Summary: It's all about the Hook
Review: Unlike some other how-to screenwriting authors out there, Epstein has the credits and the experience -- as a writer and a former development executive -- to back up his advice. As a reader, he knows what it's going to take to get past the seemingly impenetrable gates of Hollywood. As a writer, he knows how to approach screenwriting as something one does for a living -- a craft instead of an art (hence the dorky but appropriately suggestive title) -- without losing the joy of making up stories for a living.At the core of "Crafty Screenwriting" is the concept that unless you are connected (e.g., Nicole Kidman's favorite cousin), you're going to need a great HOOK to get your screenplay read by someone who might pay for it. A hook is the concept of the picture, briefly stated. "What if a fisherman caught a mermaid?", for example, is the hook for "Splash." Although a good hook doesn't guarantee a good screenplay or a good film, it's the hook that's going to get your screenplay read. Epstein is such a firm believer in the importance of the hook that he has queried with nothing but a concept -- suggesting in his query letter that he already has the finished screenplay -- just to see how well the idea is received. Only then, after learning there is sufficient interest, does he sit down to write the piece. As strange as that sounds, "Crafty Screenwriting" thoughtfully and logically explains how useful that strategy might be. There's plenty of steak here beyond the sizzle of Epstein's marketing concepts, touching on plot, character, dialogue, and all the essential elements of screenplay storytelling. If "Crafty Screenwriting" sounds too commercial for your taste, think about why you write screenplays. If all you want to do is tell stories on paper, screenplays are the wrong medium. Other than aspiring screenwriters, who sits down to read a screenplay for fun? If you're writing screenplays, you're doing it with the hope of seeing one or more of them on the big screen. Epstein's book is loaded with great advice on how to get your work closer to that goal.
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Summary: Must Have Book for Seroius Screenwriters!
Review: When it comes to books on screenwriting, I make it my habit to read them all, as you never know when something will hit home. I opened this book, and almost devoured it in one sitting, it's that compelling. Every level of professional and wanna-be screenwriters will find something useful here, although I think that people with one or more screenplays under their belts will find more of what they NEED to know. The author lays it out in no-nonsense style, which is great, 'cause I hate for someone to waste my time. This book isn't so much about theory, or art, it's about what has to be done to write a screenplay that will be SOLD. Epstein doesn't ask screenwriters to abandon their art, just to adapt it in subtle little ways to make it suit the marketplace. I, myself, found the sections on "genre" especially helpful, as it cleared up the problems I was having with a particular script, one that had been close to a deal several times. And now, I have to go back and fix those problems, but now I know what exactly what they are. I've been working on this script for almost six years now, and for ten bucks and change, Alex Epstein got right to the root of my problem! Thanks, Alex!
Rating: 
Summary: Crafty Screenwriting
Review: While Epstein's book is better than most on this subject -- most consisting of books that suggest a total outsider can write a screenplay this year and pick up his or her Oscar next year --'Crafty Screenwriting' still suffers from the fact that it's pretty close to impossible to break into the entertainment industry without knowing someone in it, and generally someone high up in it, who will sponsor you. If you want to know how competetive the movie industry truly is, stay in your seat and watch the end credits of the next film you see. Guess what? All those people have screenplays or outlines of or ideas for screenplays, and they're already in the business! Nonetheless, if you're crazy enough to want to try anyway, this book is worthwhile.
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