Writer's Guide to Hollywood Producers, Directors, and Screenwriter's Agents, 1999-2000 (Writer's Guide): Who They Are! What They Want! And How to Win Them Over!

Amazon.com

Author Skip Press has assembled an eminently useful one-stop compendium of agent and producer listings (directors are subsumed in the producer section) for neophyte screen scribes. It includes fairly informative essays ("Maybe You Should Write a Book" as a faster way to break in), up-to-date stuff on the Internet, and listservs of interest to wordslingers. This is a good place to start for a screenwriting overview before deciding whether to proceed to more specialized volumes--or straight to a film career.

Book Description

In Hollywood, it's not just what you know, it's who you know that counts! With Writer's Guide to Hollywood Producers, Directors, and Screenwriter's Agents you have the friend you need to succeed in this very competitive industry. In this insider's guide, Hollywood screenwriter Skip Press tells you who's who, what they're looking for, and, most important, how to reach them—by mail, phone, fax, even e-mail. Also included:

• Essential information on submission protocols and preferences for hundreds of agencies and production companies
• Extensive interviews with key people
• How Hollywood works: An A-Z tour
• Books, CD-ROMs, and other back doors to Hollywood
• And much, much more!

"Skip Press has written a book that combines fearless opinions and invaluable hard facts, both of which are hard to find in Hollywood. This book is thoughtfully written, clearly laid out, and of great value to beginners and old-timers alike."

—Gareth Wigan, co-vice chairman, Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group

"An invaluable resource for breaking into the movie and television business."

—Barbara Anne Hiser, Emmy-winning cable and network television producer

"[This book is] not only entertaining but a valuable tool for anyone interested in show business."

—Paul Mason, Sr., vice president of Production, Viacom

"The bonus for any reader of this book is that Skip Press is just a good writer—accessible, clear, persuasive, motivating, and easy-to-understand."

—Jerry B. Jenkins, author of the Left Behind series and 'Twas the Night Before

"An insightful guide to the intricate Hollywood network."

—Oliver Eberle, founder and CEO, ShowBIZ Data.com

About the Author

Skip Press, a novelist, screenwriter, and producer, is the author of How to Write What You Want and Sell What You Write and dozens of other titles, as well as hundreds of entertainment articles and short stories. He lives in the Los Angeles area.

Customer Reviews:

Incompetent author.......2004-10-30

It is my habit to keep silent when I read a very bad book--- I prefer letting the book speak for itself. As a writer myself, I dislike "lay" readers' criticism (though I seek and accept informed, knowledgable criticism). I was asked to read this book and give my opinion, based upon my dozen years writing and selling manuscripts.

Here is my opinion: IGNORE THIS BOOK. It was obsolete when it was published, and the "advice" within it is very poor. A writer who follows the advice is not, in my opinion, likely to sell much, if anything.

For example, publishers *LOATHE* writers who send them manuscripts unsolicited; they *DETEST* writers who telephone them without given leave to do so. When I was co-editor of a popular nature recreation magazine for nine months, it was common practice to put the senders of unsolicited material on the "ignore this person" list--- we do not have time, nor the inclination, to read every manuscript sent. As a writer, I learned a decade ago that sending unsolicited material will put the writer in the trash can, unread.

Publishers expect, and most demand, query letters these days.

My advice, as a successful and well-published author: reject this book, and run and and purchase a copy of "Writer's Market." Read the first five chapters--- it will tell you exactly what you need to know about breaking into the fields. "Writer's Market" costs $30 and is updated every year: it will give you an excellent idea on who is buying, what is selling, and how to join that market successfully. "Skip Press'" book does not.

Invaluable tool for anyone wanting to break into Hollywood!.......2002-03-23

Skip's book, The Writer's Guide, has become the book that I carry around with me! I refer to it for everything, including lessons on etiquette when contacting agents or production companies. The response I have received for all of my scripts after heeding his advice in this book is overwhelming. Eight out of ten production companies have requested my screenplays, and I am certain this would have never happened without his book! He tailors each agent or producers needs specifically, so a writer can pin-point exactly who is right for a particular project. Anyone who wants to make contacts in this industry should not only read this book, but keep it with them throughout their career!

This Book Is Outdated.......2000-08-05

...

There are plenty of other books on Amazon that are muchmore useful than this one (and they're written by someone who has actually sold a screenplay). Pass on this paper weight book.

DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK-IT'S OLD.......2000-07-19

I queried several of the agencies and companies listed in this book, and guess what? The post office returned many of the letters because the addresses were either wrong, outdated, or the recipient was no longer there. AMAZON SHOULD TAKE THIS BOOK OFF THE SITE; IT IS A RIP-OFF!

This book Really HELPED me 100%.......2000-04-11

I'm from South America, and when I went to Los Angeles to try to find an agent for my project to be able to sell it, I decided to buy this book "just for the attracting cover", but then it became the best book I could ever bought for finding that agent. I didn't know where to start, and after reading almost half of it in one night, I wake up next day knowing exactly which 20 agents (my personal choose, on his recommendations)I had to visit, and what kind of letters to take them. I finally visited 14, and left my project info in all of them. I got calls from 4 of them, and finally signed up with CAA. You can't believed it?, Well it's true, and (thank you very much, Skip), you can check it out directly with him, 'cause after returning to my country, I finally got in touch with him, and he even help me more by email. Actually he became a friend. Thanks. P.S. Anyway, it also help a lot to have a good project to sell, isn't it.. ;-)

Book Description

The complete guide to camp; an anthology of the best writing on its history and current theory in cultural studies and lesbian and gay studies

Customer Reviews:

Ab-Fab.......2000-04-10

I absolutely loved this book. It was as fun to read as the title suggests and informative as well. It brought back to my memory days of my rambunctious youth, and painted a picture of the settings beautifull in my head. I would give it all five stars, but it does seem to be lagging in some places. Overall it is a good read that is really worth every penny.

Amazon.com

Earlier editions of O'Reilly's Running Linux served as central guides on installing, configuring, and using the OS. The third edition of this guide covers the kernel through version 2.2.1 and will prove especially useful to those with high technical aptitudes and a well-tested willingness to experiment with their computing environments.

The explanation of how to rebuild the kernel--a particularly daunting task for many--deserves special praise, as do the sections on configuring network links and servers. Users will find that the informative, prose-heavy style packs maximum information into this book's pages. For example, the purpose of a Linux element is described and then the reader is shown various ways of using it, complete with explicit statements of what you type and what you get in response. Back this book up with a good command reference (Linux in a Nutshell is solid), and you'll be well on your way to Linux mastery. --David Wall

Topics covered: KDE and Gnome windowing systems; Samba, file, and system management; shells; windowing systems and networking; installation on Alpha, PowerPC, Motorola 680x0, and Sparc boxes.

Book Description

You may be contemplating your first Linux installation. Or you may have been using Linux for years and need to know more about adding a network printer or setting up an FTP server. Running Linux, now in its fifth edition, is the book you'll want on hand in either case. Widely recognized in the Linux community as the ultimate getting-started and problem-solving book, it answers the questions and tackles the configuration issues that frequently plague users, but are seldom addressed in other books.

This fifth edition of Running Linux is greatly expanded, reflecting the maturity of the operating system and the teeming wealth of software available for it. Hot consumer topics such as audio and video playback applications, groupware functionality, and spam filtering are covered, along with the basics in configuration and management that always have made the book popular.

Running Linux covers basic communications such as mail, web surfing, and instant messaging, but also delves into the subtleties of network configuration--including dial-up, ADSL, and cable modems--in case you need to set up your network manually. The book can make you proficient on office suites and personal productivity applications--and also tells you what programming tools are available if you're interested in contributing to these applications.

Other new topics in the fifth edition include encrypted email and filesystems, advanced shell techniques, and remote login applications. Classic discussions on booting, package management, kernel recompilation, and X configuration have also been updated.

The authors of Running Linux have anticipated problem areas, selected stable and popular solutions, and provided clear instructions to ensure that you'll have a satisfying experience using Linux. The discussion is direct and complete enough to guide novice users, while still providing the additional information experienced users will need to progress in their mastery of Linux.

Whether you're using Linux on a home workstation or maintaining a network server, Running Linux will provide expert advice just when you need it.

Customer Reviews:

A truly wonderful intro to Linux all around........2007-08-31

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is new to Linux and attempting to figure their way around. It's not a great book for those who just want the how-do-I-do-this-without-having-to-understand-anything-under-the-covers approach. If you want that I would recommend going with a book like Spring Into Linux (Valade), which is much more of a get you up to speed as fast as possible without teaching you much.

I like so far how much detail this book gives you, though the reason I haven't given it 5 out of 5 is simply because I feel like it's lacking detail in some key areas (most notably so far for me would be its sparse offerings in the NFS section). However, the book itself does not claim to be exhaustive. In fact, it claims to be just the opposite and admits early on that its goal is only to give you enough information to be dangerous and then point you towards better maps if you so choose. That in itself is one of the reasons I like the book. They really do, for the most part, give you tremendous little intros to topics that help you understand not only how to do something, but also why you're doing it that way, why linux may have been designed in that way, etc. etc.

So, in short, great book for an in-depth intro to linux. However, if you're looking to spend your money for a book that treats any topic very in depth, I would recommend going with any of the other books in this series from O'Reilly, because this book was not designed for that. Good luck with Linux!

Excellent.......2007-07-16

I was in a urgent need of some fairly serious Linux bootcamp. This book worked, and this is how:

I hadn't had any significant Linux experience prior to buying this book. Sure, I knew a few basic UNIX commands, who doesn't?

After installing Ubuntu it became clear that I simply will have to spend too much time googling solutions for every problem. I went ahead and bought this book, read it cover to cover in about two days, and my fluentness in Linux administration/programming has increased dramatically. I still have to google some specifics (like Postfix/MySQL integration issues), but most of what I needed for my work, was in this fairly thin book.

Note that it is not focused on any particular distribution, and most of the tasks are explained with several major distros in mind. I kind of appreciated that also, since it only reassured my decision to go with a Debian-based Ubuntu.

Failed to answer a simple question.......2007-01-15

I haven't used Unix/Linux for about ten years. I know there is a command that will tell me how full the disk drives are. I tried to find the answer in this book. I looked up every possibility I could think of in the index (no entries for disk, or drive by the way--you need to look for "hard drive"), and waded through the section of filesystems with no luck.

When I found elsewhere that I was looking for the DU command. I looked that up. It's in the book but as a digression in a section explaining redirection on the command line. The related DF command is not mentioned at all, at least in the index.

These are basic commands that should be well referenced.

Not Extremely Helpful.......2007-01-13

I bought this book because I am switching from Windows to Linux on my home network. I thought it might be quicker to learn the ins and outs with the book vs. surfing from place-to-place on the web. My experience with the book is not that great--it never provides enough information on any subject to answer the question I have. I always have to resort to the internet for enough information to solve the problem of the day. It might be o-k for general Linux information, but it won't get you up and running as a system administrator on a home network.

essential.......2007-01-08

I am a very new user to Linux, this book has helped me out a lot. There is tons of useful info on how to use all the important aspects of Linux. Read through some of the other reviews to get a better run down on this book, then go buy it. This is a book I refer to frequently.

Average customer rating:

Basic stuff - details are non-existant
A good start for learning qmail
Functional, but frowned upon
Great book
Good but not great...

Running qmail
Richard Blum , and Rich Blum
Manufacturer: Sams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0672319454

Book Description

Running qmail will enable you to install and operate an Internet email server on your local network without having to buy an expensive commercial email system and pay for user licenses. This book includes on CD the qmail email software package, which is in wide use on the Internet without any books documenting how to install, configure, and operate the email server effectively. There are step-by-step examples detailing the installation and configuration of qmail along with reference based chapters pertaining to qmail features. The FreeBSD operating system will be utilized to demonstrate concepts throughout the book. After reading this book, network administrators will possess a good understanding of how email is transferred between email hosts and clients in the Internet environment. You will also possess knowledge of how to use the qmail email software package in a standard Unix/Linux environment.

Customer Reviews:

Basic stuff - details are non-existant.......2003-12-27

Most of the stuff you really want to know about qmail is not found in this book. A typical installation is not discussed. You'd be much better off at the qmail.org web site.

A good start for learning qmail.......2002-01-28

If spending your whole career devoted to configuring Sendmail doesn't excite you, try qmail. It is a good email server and is much easier to work with.

This book is a good place to start if you decide to go with qmail. It is pretty easy to read and while it probably doesn't tell you everything you'll want to know, it will help you get your email server up and running while you are still young.

Functional, but frowned upon.......2002-01-23

While this book will help you get a functional qmail installation, it does so in a way the qmail community frowns upon. A much better guide to setting up qmail is LWQ (Life With Qmail) avaible freely on the web. The author of LWQ has also written a more comprehensive guide call the "qmail Handbook".

In short if you're looking for help with how to set up and administer qmail, this is NOT the guide to follow.

Great book.......2001-11-02

Don't listen to the nay sayers, this is a good book. It contains all you'll need to know to get qmail installed and running. After reading the first eight chapters I was easily able to get qmail working. This was a big improvement over all the false starts and dead ends from attempting to follow the Internet qmail how-to articles. The author also educates about many of the things that e-mail delivery relies on such as DNS and PPP for dial-up. This book is money well spent if you need to build a qmail server.

Good but not great..........2001-09-16

I thought this provided only basic instruction with regard to qmail. I wanted a book with specifics enough to do advanced mail forwarding and other options that I know qmail is capable of doing. I didn't find the necessary information in this book and had to dig it out on the net myself. The book was detailed in only a few areas. I give it an average rating.

Running a Perfect Internet Site With Linux

Average customer rating:

Good to start... bad for mantainance
Excelent guide not only for a LINUX but for any OS site dev
Excellent "get up and running NOW" book
This book is helpful, but wrong in some places.
A practical guide for installation of Linux Internet Server

Running a Perfect Internet Site With Linux
Dee-Ann Leblanc
Manufacturer: Que
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Customer Reviews:

Good to start... bad for mantainance.......1998-11-02

It helped to get the box up, but increasing needs like Virtual Domains, some everyday tasks, and hardware configuration are not mentioned here. The CD is good though. You need to know a bit of linux first (background). I'm not sure.. but there are more complete books on Linux Internet set-up.

Excelent guide not only for a LINUX but for any OS site dev.......1998-08-14

A not surprising excelent book, because the well known experience of the autor. It is a practical guide, well exposed and documented, about how to install an internet site using a LINUX OS. No way to be lost. Recomendations and techniques are also well applied when developing web sytes in other related OS systems. It also includeas all you may need to install it on your own, including the LINUX system.

A must for LINUX owners or want to be, highly recomendable fot general internet syte developers.

Excellent "get up and running NOW" book.......1998-07-06

This book covers the basics needed to install and maintain a Linux internet site. This is an excellent reference book for those who want to use linux to it's fullest. However, this book is not for the beginner. In fact, unless you have a strong computer background and have some experience on a unix/linux shell then you might be lost. There is a lot of information not included in this book, for example all the software (most of which is free) that is available. I would recommend this book to anyone with the appropiate computer background that wants to begin setting up their own internet site/ISP.

This book is helpful, but wrong in some places........1998-01-30

This book got me up and running in about 2 days with linux. The only problem was that it was incorrect in some places. The most notable mistake the author had was on the actual installation of linux. She forgot to tell the reader to make the swap file! The only other time that she was incorrect was with the setup of the file x86config. This is the file that sets up X-Windows. X-Windows is to Linux what Windows is to dos. It's a graphical interface. I still haven't got my copy of X-Windows up! Other than that, it shows, in great detail, how to setup anything you could imagine/want regarding www, ftp, a mailserver, etc. I recommend to buy it, as it is extremely easy to use. I would have given this a ten if the author would have a) fixed the errors I listed above, and b) didn't make the reader rely on past knowledge. I happened to have a lot of computer knowledge. This is essential, if you are going to set up Linux. So, to close, if you want Linux, and know nothing about computers, ask someone else to do it (after you've done it once, it's easy), or proceed at your own risk. You may get caught with a couple hunderd megs missing off your computer if you mess up! (or worse yet, you may have to reformat!)

A practical guide for installation of Linux Internet Server.......1997-11-07

This book is "very very" easy to follow and you should have no problem to get your Internet Server running with Linux. It provides all the essential materials that you should know about the installation of Internet Server. Perfect for Linux novice. The only flaw is lack of technical detaisl about Linux. However, if you just want to run an Internet Server with Linux in no time, this book is your choice.

Average customer rating:

Running a Perfect Web Site With Apache
Brian Behlendorf , David M. Chandler , Lee Brintle , Rich Casselberry , Tobin Anthony , Rick Darnell , Noel Estabrook , Jeffrey Graber , Chris Hubbard , Eric Ladd , Robert Parker , and Crispen A. Scott
Manufacturer: Que
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Go RedHat!

Running Linux Companion CD-ROM
Red Hat Software , and Inc., O'Reilly Media
Manufacturer: O'Reilly
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1565922123

Book Description

Running Linux Companion CD-ROM, together with the popular book Running Linux by Matt Welsh and Lar Kaufman, provides a complete software/ documentation package for installing and learning to use the Linux operating system. Running Linux Companion CD-ROM is the official release of the Red Hat Linux for retail distribution, created as a joint project by O'Reilly & Associates and Red Hat Software, Inc.

This two-CD set contains the complete Red Hat Linux, Version 3.0.3, the most reliable, easy-to-install, and easy-to-upgrade version of the Linux operating system around. Red Hat Software, Inc., supports the product with free access to an online support mailing list, and also offers telephone support for a fee.

In Running Linux 3.0.3 you'll find complete configuration instructions (particularly for the X Window System), plus the system administration background you need to get Linux running. Running Linux Companion CD-ROM includes loads of useful free-software utilities, a full range of drivers, and an updated LIB C which supports user-level threads, making Linux an ideal platform for Java developers. The Companion CD comes with Red Hat's own special installation procedures -- Red Hat package manager v.2.0 -- to help you boot the system, install the base software, and configure X. Also included is an installation guide to help you through the often tricky process of installing the operating system on your PC.

LINUX is a multi-user, multi-tasking operating system that is in use around the world at research and development organizations as a fully functional, low-cost UNIX workstation. For many people running PCs this powerful system has become the operating system of choice for running Internet servers. Red Hat Linux is the most popular distribution of the Linux OS for software developers. Red Hat Linux operating system is maintained as "freely distributable" software and is available from many sites on the Internet.

The software is packaged separately from the book for Linux enthusiasts who want to purchase software upgrades frequently at low cost.

Red Hat Linux 3.0.3 includes:

Live File System
New libc libraries 5.2.18
100 updated Packages, including: --latest GNU C compiler (gcc 2.7.2) --Apache WWW server (1.0.3) --Perl 5 --DNS Server (bind-4.9.3) --PCMCIA Card Services (2.8.8) --HOWTOs and LDP Documentation
XFREE86 (X11R6) 3.1.2 X Server
Linux Kernel 1.2.13
Red Hat Package Manager v. 2.0

Customer Reviews:

Go RedHat!.......1998-12-04

I was very impressed with RedHat's complete and understandable approach to the installation and configuation of their Linux distribution.

Running Linux on IBM System Z9 And Zseries Under Z/vm

Average customer rating:

Running Linux on IBM System Z9 And Zseries Under Z/vm
IBM Redbooks
Manufacturer: Vervante
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Running Unix So It Doesn't Run You (PC Magazine)

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Running Unix So It Doesn't Run You (PC Magazine)
Don Crabb
Manufacturer: Ziff-Davis Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Running Unix: An Introduction to Sco's Unix System V/386 and Xenix

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Running Unix: An Introduction to Sco's Unix System V/386 and Xenix
Joanne Woodcock , Michael Halvorson , and Robert Ackerman
Manufacturer: Microsoft Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1556152701

Up and Running With DB2 for Linux (Ibm Redbooks.)

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Up and Running With DB2 for Linux (Ibm Redbooks.)
IBM Redbooks
Manufacturer: IBM.Com/Redbooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0738427675

HP Announces Linux Reference Model, Service Capabilities and New Products Running Linux

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HP Announces Linux Reference Model, Service Capabilities and New Products Running Linux
IDC
Manufacturer: IDC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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Book Description

In this insight, IDC looks at HP's latest Linux announcements and puts them into context with the developing maturity of this platform. HP is launching a wide-ranging number of products, covering notebooks to enterprise servers.

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