Hollywood vs. The Author

Hollywood vs. the Author, from editor and screenwriting pro Stephen Jay Schwartz, collects an impassioned collection of stories from writers about Tinseltown and television. Schwartz wrote, selected, and developed screen plays, and here lays bare what a writer should know about working also in a visual medium. Hollywood beckons for writers who want to work in the cinematic medium to reach larger or specific audiences, tell stories in other ways, and to find more money for more financial independence. Collected here are personal stories from many award-winning writers who have worked recently for Hollywood and in television.

There are a number of things this book is not. It is not a historical treatment. One does not find tellings of older stories which might have argued that there is a traditional framework and understanding about the encounter between the literary artist and the studio process. Almost all the writers included are mystery and detective writers. The stories are mostly by men but most people working behind the scenes in film are also men. Not a lot here about the current scandals in the movies. The book is a candid eye-opener for writers who want to make it beyond the written page, but it is likely to deter many from even trying to do so. The collection is authoritative with many stories mostly saying the same sad thing.