The Big Deal: Hollywood's Million-Dollar Spec Script Market [Illustrated] (Paperback)

It is clear that Taylor is very familiar with the cast and territory and he includes many interviews with people who have been there and done that.

The book doesn't claim to tell you how to write the million-dollar spec script yet it is filled with fascinating advice on the topic. Viewing the business from the inside helps you to realise why all those terrible movies get made (namely because people are willing to pay to see them.) In that way it acts as a reality check to those 'artists' who deign to write movie scripts and are then horrified to find that someone with a business degree has the right to tell them to make the hero more sympathetic.

On the minus side, the writing style isn't very artful. It reads a little like Hollywood Reporter, although this style is the perfect vehicle for the stories Taylor want to tell. He's sacrificed style for efficiency, and I think he made the right decision.

The book also features five blow-by-blow accounts of how five spec scripts were made into movies. These are interesting, but I found Taylor's attitude towards production execs a little too reverential. These guys seem to think that having a hand in producing "While You Were Sleeping" is akin discovering a cure for polio. In order to win their approval Taylor has sacrificed any attempts at even-handedness, allowing them to go on and on about how wonderful they are. I suppose this is the price he had to pay to get those interviews.

This book opened my eyes to the business side and inspired me with a lot of level-headed advice. It's a good read and I can recommend it warmly to anyone with an interest in writing for Hollywood.

As a founder of a non-profit organization, I found a strong connection with first-time writers trying to get someone to recognize their exceptional work. (Jeff Maguire's 9 year struggle with "In the Line of Fire" had more ups and downs, twists and turns, than the film!)

This book makes you want to rush to your video store and rent the movies mentioned, to look at them again from a technical aspect.

With my goal of writing a winning spec, and keeping a non-profit organization going, I don't find much time for sleep. I gladly give up an hour a two a night just to read another chapter, another story of hollywood dreams.

I almost walked past this book. I'm glad I didn't.