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Paperback - 288 pages (April 1997)
HarperCollins (paper); ISBN: 0062732366 ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.68 x 8.01 x 5.30
Amazon.com Sales Rank: 26,248
Reviews: 
Elizabeth Daley, USC School of Cinema/Television
"A great book...an indispensable resource for anyone who has ever considered writing for the entertainment industry."

Amazon.com
You've got to love a lawyer who advises, "Don't make your lawyers rich." Entertainment lawyer Brooke A. Wharton provides an authoritative and, yes, entertaining primer for the beginning entertainment writer not just on the legal and business issues of writing for the industry, but also on how to get a career jump-started. The first section covers copyright, libel, and contracts, so that if you can't "control the exploitation of your scripts and written work ... at least [you'll] know when you're being screwed." The following section delineates the murky differences between the roles of agent, lawyer, and manager. The gist of it is that you don't need all three, but which ones you need depends on the type of person you are and the type of agents/lawyers/managers they are (industry insiders are not prone to job-title limitations). The next section has a series of interviews with writers, agents, and a producer, all of whom help to enlighten us about the various writing jobs the industry offers, from film to television to cyberspace. (If you're surprised to learn that "most writers working in the film industry do not make their living from the sale of a spec screenplay," I've got a good deal for you on some land in Florida.) Finally, there are lists of competitions, fellowships, internships, and agencies. And what about jump-starting that glamorous career? Contacts, baby. Contacts. And wouldn't you know, if you ain't got 'em, Wharton's got great advice on how to make 'em. 
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About the Author

Brooke Wharton is a Hollywood entertainment and copyright lawyer whose clients include some of the industry's top names. She is a member of the faculty of USC's School of Cinema/Television, where she has created a program concerning the business of writing for the entertainment industry. She lectures frequently at California Institute of the Arts, Art Center College of Design, The Directors Guild of America and The National Society of Film Educators.