The First Time I Got Paid for it: Writers' Tales from the Hollywood Trenches Book

First time in paperback: The inside scoop on how some of America's finest screenwriters broke into the movie biz, including Cameron Crowe, Nora Ephron, Lawrence Kasdan, and Nick Kazan. The First Time I Got Paid for It is a one-of-a-kind collection of essays by more than 50 leading film and television writers, with a foreword by screenwriting legend William Goldman. Linked by the theme of a writer's "first time"-usually the first time they got paid for their work, but sometimes veering off into other, more unconventional, "first times"-these always entertaining (and sometimes hilarious) pieces say what it takes to succeed, what it takes to write well, and other aspects of maintaining creativity and integrity while striving for a career in Hollywood. Richard LaGravanese (The Fisher King, The Horse Whisperer, Living Out Loud) confesses that his first paid writing job was crafting phone-sex scripts. Nicholas Kazan (Reversal of Fortune, Matilda) explains why, in Hollywood, an oral "yes" often turns out to be a written "no." Peter Casey writes about the unparalleled pitch meeting for the award-winning series "Frasier." Virtually every big name writer in Hollywood has contributed to this collection, making it essential research material for anyone trying to make it in the entertainment industry and a perfect read for movie and television buffs everywhere.Read More