"Following the basic philosophy of modeling excellence—that our most important teachers are those who have succeeded—this book is the next best thing to having the top screenwriters in the business be the reader's personal mentors as they guide and inspire him or her to adopt the mind-set and commitment essential being a professional screenwriter in Hollywood. The difference between successful writers and aspiring writers is that successful writers do all the things that aspiring writers won't do, can't do or don't know how to do. Common sense dictates why not look at what successful writers do specifically and do the same.

Designed for beginning writers as well as those more experienced who seek to jump start their career to new heights, this book focuses not on how to write a formulaic script but on what it takes to become the writer who creates a unique one. Whereas most screenwriting books attempt to teach the reader what to do, this book outlines, by studying those who are already doing it successfully, how to do it, stressing the key habits, so that the "how" becomes second nature to the reader. Its structure offers a powerful and unique twist on the few established interview books by arranging the screenwriters' comments by topic rather than by individual interview, thereby following a more efficient model of accessing information needed by the reader. Rather than waste time reading a whole interview to pinpoint nuggets of information, the reader can refer to a specific topic and read what a group of successful writers have to say about it. Study their habits, learn from them, and maybe their wisdom will rub off on you and arm you with enough knowledge and self-confidence to accomplish your goals."

—Official author's blurb

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"...one of the better books out there right now, full of eye opening discussions on what life as a screenwriter is really like, the good and the horrible parts. The book can be painfully honest at times, but also incredibly encouraging. It's a nice feeling when the screenwriters who make millions of dollars talk about a specific habit you need to survive in Hollywood, and you realize that you indeed have that one down."

—Scott Miles

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I picked up this book at just the right time when I thought I was wasting my time writing. Everything I did I thought, "A real writer wouldn't do this." I was pleasantly surprised to find most of my writing habits mirrored those of working writers. It gave me the push of confidence I needed. I loved it and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone serious about writing or curious to see what it really takes.

—A reader from Arlington, Texas USA on Amazon.com

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"I highly recommend this book! The author interviewed 14 top screenwriters and asked tons of questions. The really cool thing is the book is organized by tip, not by writer. So if you want a tip on, say, "Not Burning Bridges When Fired" you can find out what several writers have to say about that. Or turn to tip # 33 for "Writing to Music" or to tip # 34 for "Writing in Silence." Excellent format. This book has made me feel about as normal as I'm ever gonna feel about being a freakish writer. It's nice to know there are others out there who share your strangeness, and even became quite successful!"

—Kim Townsel

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"If you want to learn how to write a script, you have plenty of books to choose from Field, McKee, Hauge, Seger, Hunter etc. Last time I checked, a search on screenwriting-related books yielded over 680 resuts! You gotta be kidding me! Anyone who's read even one book must know the rules, but how many know how to BE a screenwriter, especially a professional with the necessary skills to be a success in Hollywood? Check out this new book. It's about what it takes to become a successful screenwriter, in the words of the top scribes in the biz. They share their habits, explore their writing environments and creative processes, and give us a glimpse of their daily passions and obsessions. It covers everything aspiring writers always wanted to know about what it's really like to be a screenwriter but never had the chance to ask ta successful one... until now. A valuable addition to any writer's library of must-have books."

—Lance Perry

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"It was thrilling and an eye-opener to compare my habits with those of the best in the business. Finally, I could see what I've been doing wrong all this time. This book is what I've been looking for forever. I'm now keeping it on my desk. When I'm stuck on something, I can easily access any topic and a top writer discussing the problem at hand. It's as if I had a Rolodex, where I can call up a highly successful screenwriter and ask him or her to help me. Very practical."

—Kevin Lawrence

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"How would you like to have Ron Bass share his outlining process? or Eric Roth give you advice on how to make readers feel powerful emotions on the page? Or Nicholas Kazan reveal how he tackles the blank page? How about 14 highly successful writers all in one place? This is a gem of a book and the roster of writers Karl Iglesias has gathered for this book is impressive: Ron Bass, Eric Roth, Akiva Goldsman, Ed Solomon, Nicholas Kazan, Leslie Dixon, Scott Rosenberg, Gerald DiPego, Steven DeSouza, Tom Schulman, Michael Schiffer, Amy Holden Jones, Robin Swicord, and Jim Kouf. What's also impressive, and unique in my opinion, is that Mr. Iglesias has structured the book by topic, rather than by individual interview, which feels more like a symposium of habits, skills, invaluable advice, each outlined separately with comments from the panel of experts. I highly recommend this book to any aspiring writer and all who are interested in the craft of writing for the screen. Having million-dollar screenwriter Ron Bass discuss his outlining process alone is worth more than the price of the book. Forget about shelling out $300 for a screenwriting seminar and go directly to the source: those who are doing it successfully and have agreed to share their wisdom with you.

—A Hollywood writer on Amazon.com

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