First Time I Got Paid for Doing This: And Other Tales from the Hollywood Trenches

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The First Time I Got Paid For It is an unprecedented collection of essays by over 50 leading film and television writers, edited by Laura Shapiro and Peter Lefcourt for the Writers Guild Foundation, with an introduction 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 essays examine 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 paying writing job was crafting phone sex scripts. Nicholas Kazan (Reversal of Fortune, Mathilda) explains why, in Hollywood, a verbal "yes" often turns out to be a written "no." Peter Casey writes about the unparalleled pitch meeting for the award-winning NBC series Frasier. Virtually every big name writer in Hollywood has contributed to this collection; it is essential research material for anyone trying to make it in the entertainment industry, and a perfect read for movie buffs everywhere.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

This delectable collection of entertaining essays by more than 50 TV and screenwriters is a treat not only for neophytes hoping to break into the business, but also for film buffs. While most of the contributors write about their first paying job in the profession, many of the tastiest tales venture off to detail other "firsts": Chuck Lorre (Roseanne; Cybill) hilariously recalls the first time he was fired (from a Beany & Cecil revival show); Melville Shavelson recollects the first time he was sued (by former First Lady Mamie Eisenhower to stop the filming of a movie about the Ike-Kay Summersby affair); and 12-time Emmy winner Carl Reiner remembers getting $1,000 to write his first novel, Enter Laughing. Many of the short pieces create suspense by withholding the name of a long-delayed or much-rewritten project until the very end. One of the best stories illustrating Hollywood's fickle nature is Australian Jan Sardi's piece on being at the center of a fierce bidding war over Shine; it concludes with the sobering fact that, over 12 years, he's had six movies produced in Australia but none in America. Each reminiscence is only a few pages long (Michael Tolkin's biography at the end of his recollection is almost as long as his story), which keeps the pace quick and the writing lively. The sassy title, eye-catching faux noir cover art and the impressive list of contributors (Steven Bochco, Eric Bogosian, Cameron Crowe, Delia Ephron, Larry Gelbart, Lawrence Kasdan and Joan Tewkesbury are just a few listed on the back cover) make this a compelling item for film buffs. (Oct.) FYI: A portion of the sales will be donated to the Writers Guild Foundation. Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

What initially might seem interesting only to Hollywood insiders and aspiring movie and TV writers is in fact an enjoyable read for anyone fascinated with entertainment media. A foreword by famed screenwriter and novelist William Goldman is followed by 54 essays on screenwriting by the likes of Alan Alda, Eric Bogosian, Tina Andrews, Delia Ephron, Steven Bochco, Larry Gelbart, Fay Kanin, Lawrence Kasdan, Carl Reiner, Joan Tewkesbury, and Richard Wesley. Among the highlights are John Gay's recollections of writing for live TV, Cameron Crowe's discussion of his well-founded but totally mistaken belief that Fast Times at Ridgemont High would flop, and the congratulations accorded Georgia Jeffries for writing like a man. Although some of the contributors don't follow the theme of the title (Peter Casey had already written for The Jeffersons but here describes pitching Frasier to NBC executives; Melville Shavelson's piece is "The First Time I Got Sued") and some of the material that these writers created is hardly majestic, the book proves that persistence and luck as much as talent may carry the day.--Kim Holston, American Inst. for Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters, Malvern, PA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Booknews

A collection of over fifty stories by American screen writers on the first time they received money for their writing, with thoughts on what it really takes to succeed in Hollywood. The list of contributors includes many well-known screenwriters, including Richard LaGravanese, author of who first worked writing phone sex scripts, and Cameron Crowe, who wrote , and his shock at the success of his earlier films. Written casually, often humorously, for anybody interested in "the business", or just in Hollywood lore. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Variety