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Hollywood vs. The Author
It’s no secret that authors have a love-hate relationship with Hollywood. The oft-repeated cliché that “the book was better than the movie” holds true for more reasons than the average reader will ever know. When asked about selling their book rights to Hollywood authors like to joke that they drive their manuscripts to the border of Arizona and California and toss them over the fence, driving back the way they came at breakneck speed. This is probably because Hollywood just doesn’t “get it.” Its vision for the film or TV series rarely seems to match the vision of the author. And for those rare individuals who’ve had the fortune of sitting across the desk from one of the myriad, interchangeable development execs praising the brilliance of their work while ticking off a never-ending list of notes for the rewrite, the pros of pitching their work to Hollywood rarely outweigh the cons.
Stephen Jay Schwartz has sat on both sides of that desk―first as the Director of Development for film director Wolfgang Petersen, then as a screenwriter and author pitching his work to the film and television industry. He’s seen all sides of what is known in this small community as “Development Hell.” The process is both amusing and heartbreaking. Most authors whose work contains a modicum of commercial potential eventually find themselves in “the room” taking a shot at seeing their creations re-visualized by agents, producers or development executives. What they often discover is that their audience is younger and less worldly as themselves. What passes for “story notes” is often a mishmash of vaguely connected ideas intended to put the producer’s personal stamp on the project.
Hollywood Versus The Author is a collection of non-fiction anecdotes by authors who’ve had the pleasure of experiencing the development room firsthand―some who have successfully managed to straddle the two worlds, seeing their works morph into the kinds of feature films and TV shows that make them proud, and others who stepped blindsided into that room after selling their first or second novels. All the stories in this collection illustrate the great divide between the world of literature and the big or small screen. They underscore the insanity of every crazy thing you’ve ever heard about Hollywood. For insiders and outsiders alike, Hollywood Versus The Author delivers the goods.
Stephen Jay Schwartz has sat on both sides of that desk―first as the Director of Development for film director Wolfgang Petersen, then as a screenwriter and author pitching his work to the film and television industry. He’s seen all sides of what is known in this small community as “Development Hell.” The process is both amusing and heartbreaking. Most authors whose work contains a modicum of commercial potential eventually find themselves in “the room” taking a shot at seeing their creations re-visualized by agents, producers or development executives. What they often discover is that their audience is younger and less worldly as themselves. What passes for “story notes” is often a mishmash of vaguely connected ideas intended to put the producer’s personal stamp on the project.
Hollywood Versus The Author is a collection of non-fiction anecdotes by authors who’ve had the pleasure of experiencing the development room firsthand―some who have successfully managed to straddle the two worlds, seeing their works morph into the kinds of feature films and TV shows that make them proud, and others who stepped blindsided into that room after selling their first or second novels. All the stories in this collection illustrate the great divide between the world of literature and the big or small screen. They underscore the insanity of every crazy thing you’ve ever heard about Hollywood. For insiders and outsiders alike, Hollywood Versus The Author delivers the goods.
- GenresNonfictionFilmWriting
280 pages, Paperback
First published September 18, 2018
15 people are currently reading
78 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Jay Schwartz
8 books23 followersSTEPHEN JAY SCHWARTZ grew up in New Mexico and traveled the United States extensively before settling down in Los Angeles. There he became the Director of Development for Wolfgang Petersen, helping develop films such as Outbreak and Air Force One.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 11, 2020
This book (I listened to it on audio) is a fascinating exploration of the process, the emotional and financial toll and sometimes the the amazing synergy that writers experience when taking their work to filmmakers and television executives. I can’t recall how often I’ve heard that old saying ‘the book is better than the film’ (I know I’ve used it often enough) but listening to this series of essays and interviews I began to understand the true difference between telling a story through words alone and the use of moving images to augment the spoken word. I think I now understand why writers often feel they’re getting shafted and why people on the other side of the deal feel the need to do the shafting. Well, that’s part of the story at least.
Many of the writers featured here are authors I’ve read and a few are amongst my all time favourites. A good proportion of those featured here are full time writers of novels, some cross the line to spend some of their time writing screenplays for films and television productions and a few are employed full time writing screenplays. The structure is cleverly constructed so that the early encounters are with the novelists (quite a few of them reading their own input) and we then get to hear more from those involved in bringing the story to the screen as we work through the various contributions.
The views of the novelists tend to be the most strident, particularly those who are most precious about wanting the books they’ve written to be accurately reflected on the screen. They generally have little good to say about their experiences. British crime fiction writer Peter James, who has himself danced a little with the devil as both a screenwriter and film producer, is hilarious in expressing his views on how various approaches have been made to him requesting such radical changes to his cast and plot lines that the original story would have no longer been visible. Lawrence Block is equally funny but more sanguine in telling just how difficult it is to get a deal completed, with delays and cancellations being the norm. These feelings are repeated in slightly different guises a few times before the next issue raises its head - that of the writer’s work being stolen. Tess Gerritsen tells of how a deal to film a science fiction novel she’d written failed to materialise and yet a film was later released which featured key elements of her book. She took legal action but reluctantly withdrew when it was clear that the deeper pockets of the film company meant that they’d be prepared to fight a protracted legal case which could result in crippling legal fees for her.
Lee Goldberg and Gregg Hurwitz are two writers who have spent a good deal of time writing screenplays as well as novels. They understand conundrum for the filmmakers and explain in some detail, and with a lot of what sounded to me to be good practical sense, why it’s often necessary to quite radically change the story as it’s told in the book in order for it to work as a film or a television series. They both worked through the steps involved and made it clear that they are quite comfortable for their own work to be played with (sections cut out, setting moved, characters combined etc) in order to make the process viable. Their view is that by adding the visual element the need for some of the description in the book is negated, by benefit of a skilled actor’s inflection and facial expression some of the dialogue can become redundant and much of the rest is down to the time limitation imposed by the medium. It’s a different way of absorbing a story so it requires the story to be told in a different way.
In the end, a fairly balanced view is presented here but there’s no doubt that the big film companies come out worst. Their financial clout and (sometimes) punitive contracts and actions can tie up a writer’s work and restrict future options. And their aggressive defence of their position and sheer monetary power make them difficult to go into battle against. Perhaps Michael Connelly has got the perfect balance, by becoming executive producer he has an enviable influence over the serialisation of his Bosch books by Amazon Studios. He is able to influence how his books are brought to the screen and also reap the rewards of a significantly increased audience for his work. This is certainly an informative and entertaining piece and I recommend it to anyone with an interest in this subject.
Many of the writers featured here are authors I’ve read and a few are amongst my all time favourites. A good proportion of those featured here are full time writers of novels, some cross the line to spend some of their time writing screenplays for films and television productions and a few are employed full time writing screenplays. The structure is cleverly constructed so that the early encounters are with the novelists (quite a few of them reading their own input) and we then get to hear more from those involved in bringing the story to the screen as we work through the various contributions.
The views of the novelists tend to be the most strident, particularly those who are most precious about wanting the books they’ve written to be accurately reflected on the screen. They generally have little good to say about their experiences. British crime fiction writer Peter James, who has himself danced a little with the devil as both a screenwriter and film producer, is hilarious in expressing his views on how various approaches have been made to him requesting such radical changes to his cast and plot lines that the original story would have no longer been visible. Lawrence Block is equally funny but more sanguine in telling just how difficult it is to get a deal completed, with delays and cancellations being the norm. These feelings are repeated in slightly different guises a few times before the next issue raises its head - that of the writer’s work being stolen. Tess Gerritsen tells of how a deal to film a science fiction novel she’d written failed to materialise and yet a film was later released which featured key elements of her book. She took legal action but reluctantly withdrew when it was clear that the deeper pockets of the film company meant that they’d be prepared to fight a protracted legal case which could result in crippling legal fees for her.
Lee Goldberg and Gregg Hurwitz are two writers who have spent a good deal of time writing screenplays as well as novels. They understand conundrum for the filmmakers and explain in some detail, and with a lot of what sounded to me to be good practical sense, why it’s often necessary to quite radically change the story as it’s told in the book in order for it to work as a film or a television series. They both worked through the steps involved and made it clear that they are quite comfortable for their own work to be played with (sections cut out, setting moved, characters combined etc) in order to make the process viable. Their view is that by adding the visual element the need for some of the description in the book is negated, by benefit of a skilled actor’s inflection and facial expression some of the dialogue can become redundant and much of the rest is down to the time limitation imposed by the medium. It’s a different way of absorbing a story so it requires the story to be told in a different way.
In the end, a fairly balanced view is presented here but there’s no doubt that the big film companies come out worst. Their financial clout and (sometimes) punitive contracts and actions can tie up a writer’s work and restrict future options. And their aggressive defence of their position and sheer monetary power make them difficult to go into battle against. Perhaps Michael Connelly has got the perfect balance, by becoming executive producer he has an enviable influence over the serialisation of his Bosch books by Amazon Studios. He is able to influence how his books are brought to the screen and also reap the rewards of a significantly increased audience for his work. This is certainly an informative and entertaining piece and I recommend it to anyone with an interest in this subject.
November 24, 2021
The book is an anthology of true stories from screenwriters and authors and their personal experiences with Hollywood.
Quite a few of the stories are devastating. My heart went out to the writers who were taken advantage of. Some of the power-moves used against the writers were downright scary. It has definitely been illuminating; I'm so glad I picked it up.
Quite a few of the stories are devastating. My heart went out to the writers who were taken advantage of. Some of the power-moves used against the writers were downright scary. It has definitely been illuminating; I'm so glad I picked it up.
June 6, 2019
I cannot overstate this. Any author or screenwriter with any aspirations of working in Hollywood needs to read this book.
It's not all horror stories of being mistreated or having work stolen, some writers have great experiences. But there is most definitely a dark side to Hollywood and anyone with plans to work in the industry should absolutely go into it with an understanding of the very real risks.
It's not all horror stories of being mistreated or having work stolen, some writers have great experiences. But there is most definitely a dark side to Hollywood and anyone with plans to work in the industry should absolutely go into it with an understanding of the very real risks.
March 20, 2025
This is a collection of essays, and would most likely be found in the Arts & Entertainment, Memoir or Film section. However, for any writer, or for any true artist, this is a HORROR book. ANY writer aspiring to make their career creating for the screen needs to read this. Spoiler alert: Hollywood is BS, and books are where it’s at, baby.
Why only 3 stars? Though most of the tales are fascinating, alarming, infuriating… There ARE a couple bland ones, and one that is outright dim-witted. I typically listen to my nonfiction and READ fiction. Unfortunately, the author voicing her own entry to close out the book has a horrible case of vocal fry, in addition to being overly egotistical and obnoxious. She actually states there have been no female serial killers.
Ok.
Why only 3 stars? Though most of the tales are fascinating, alarming, infuriating… There ARE a couple bland ones, and one that is outright dim-witted. I typically listen to my nonfiction and READ fiction. Unfortunately, the author voicing her own entry to close out the book has a horrible case of vocal fry, in addition to being overly egotistical and obnoxious. She actually states there have been no female serial killers.
Ok.
May 18, 2019
I originally tucked this at the bottom of my TBR, but then I read one essay (Michael Connelly's about Bosch) and that made me want to read another and so on and I finished the book in a few days. A common thread among the contributors is that many are at the stage where they've (A) turned their back on Hollywood completely, (B) after much anguish, developed a take-it-or-leave-it attitude, or (C) achieved, whether through screenwriting or book-writing, enough power over their projects or financial security so as to be comfortable telling at least a bit of the truth without fear of repercussions, legal, professional, or otherwise. It makes me wonder what the book would contain had authors without A, B, or C felt safe contributing. Just so the author and publisher know, I considered, as a new author, whether it might be best if I didn't publicly review this book at all, which makes me think it's plausible other would-be reviewers are similarly conflicted.
February 18, 2019
A nice colledtion of recollections about writers dealing with the odd world of Hollywood. The best and most depressing was Tess Gerritson's essay about being screwed by the makers of the movie Gravity. Sobering stuff..
June 3, 2019
Most authors (I will include myself too) want to see their novels turned into a movie or television series. Movies and Television has been the most popular entertainment medium for at least fifty years. An obscure novelist’s career can change overnight when Hollywood comes knocking at their door. Well, there has always been a contentious relationship between novelists and Hollywood.
Hollywood vs the Author is a book of essays edited by Stephen Jay Schwartz, a former movie/tv executive and screenwriter. Schwartz has sat on both sides of the relationship and is the correct person to put a book like this one together.
Essays by famed writers like Michael Connelly, Jonathan Kellerman, and Tess Gerritsen share their sobering stories about their dealings in Hollywood. There is a dark side to getting a book turned into a movie or television series and most of the essays pull no punches in that regard.
Also, I like the fact that Schwartz provides a positive outlook in a few of the essays. However, I believe all authors should have their eyes wide open in dealing with Hollywood and a lot of the authors suggest that you should take the money and get out of the way.
Hollywood Vs The Author is a must read for all authors regardless of where they are in their writing career. And the biggest lesson for me in reading this book is that Intellectual Property is extremely valuable. Writers have make sure to protect their IP at all costs when dealing with Hollywood.
Hollywood vs the Author is a book of essays edited by Stephen Jay Schwartz, a former movie/tv executive and screenwriter. Schwartz has sat on both sides of the relationship and is the correct person to put a book like this one together.
Essays by famed writers like Michael Connelly, Jonathan Kellerman, and Tess Gerritsen share their sobering stories about their dealings in Hollywood. There is a dark side to getting a book turned into a movie or television series and most of the essays pull no punches in that regard.
Also, I like the fact that Schwartz provides a positive outlook in a few of the essays. However, I believe all authors should have their eyes wide open in dealing with Hollywood and a lot of the authors suggest that you should take the money and get out of the way.
Hollywood Vs The Author is a must read for all authors regardless of where they are in their writing career. And the biggest lesson for me in reading this book is that Intellectual Property is extremely valuable. Writers have make sure to protect their IP at all costs when dealing with Hollywood.
September 28, 2022
Stephen Jay Schwartz’s Hollywood vs. The Author was another of those random finds which proved to be way more interesting than whatever it was that I was actually looking for. Its essay writers, all pros (obviously), are uniformly good although those I recognized from their books were, surprisingly, not among the best. I especially liked Alexandra Sokoloff’s “A Woman Wouldn’t Do That;” T. Jefferson Parker’s essay also stood out, as did Brown’s, Goldberg’s, and James’. And the interview with Jonathan Kellerman showed why so many of his characters are such jerks.
The book’s title defines the two classes of readers who will enjoy reading it: those interested in movies and/or script-writing, and those hooked on books and/or authors. I know nothing about movies, so I found Hollywood vs. The Author informative as well. Highly Recommended for any reader curious about why movies (and so many things) end up the way they do.
The book’s title defines the two classes of readers who will enjoy reading it: those interested in movies and/or script-writing, and those hooked on books and/or authors. I know nothing about movies, so I found Hollywood vs. The Author informative as well. Highly Recommended for any reader curious about why movies (and so many things) end up the way they do.
March 13, 2019
Sobering look at the life of writers in Hollywoodland. I know writers were always considered to be at the bottom of the filmmaking hierarchy. Necessary evils to be used and abused. After reading this collection of interviews the best thing an author could do is take the money offered and run. Don’t get involved with the film industry, grab the advance on your book, just take it and forget about it. Let them do with it what they will. Your vision, your story is still in between those pages and that they cannot change or take away. This is solid advice, that is, unless your are Stephen King. Then, maybe you have some leverage.
June 7, 2023
As an author embarking on an MA in screenwriting, this was fascinating and depressing in equal parts.
And what a ride!
A friend of mine has been trying to have her novel adapted to film for the past 11 years. I’ve read four completely different scripts, seen three directors come and go, and had no realisation that it wasn’t unusual.
Even if you only have a passing interest in how movies get made (or not) then I recommend you read this book.
And what a ride!
A friend of mine has been trying to have her novel adapted to film for the past 11 years. I’ve read four completely different scripts, seen three directors come and go, and had no realisation that it wasn’t unusual.
Even if you only have a passing interest in how movies get made (or not) then I recommend you read this book.
September 9, 2022
Audiobook
There's some stuff in here I disagree with and got a bit annoyed by at times ('don't make my my chatacter black, my main character isn't black'; my dude, your main character is a fictional person who does not exist) BUT yeah, a good book of cautionary tales (and success stories) from authors and screenwriters.
There's some stuff in here I disagree with and got a bit annoyed by at times ('don't make my my chatacter black, my main character isn't black'; my dude, your main character is a fictional person who does not exist) BUT yeah, a good book of cautionary tales (and success stories) from authors and screenwriters.
February 3, 2025
Good book, I felt like each of the stories had a lot of similarities which made me less interested to keep reading. Enjoyed hearing all of the realness.
January 18, 2024
This book was very revealing and helped cement my goal of continuing to write stage plays. However, I listened to the audio version, which was great with some chapters—Lee Goldberg, for instance— but torturous with others. Diana Gould should not be allowed to narrate anything as her style is slow and sleepy, but the worst offender is PJ Ochlan, the main narrator. It took me a while to put my finger on what I didn’t like, but I realized it is the fact that everything he reads sounds like a news story, not a narrative piece. Actors make the best narrators and Mr. Ochlan obviously ain’t one. So, read this book, but read it in ebook or print to really enjoy it.
December 17, 2018
This is not an Audio CD. It is a book.
This is a good and interesting book about writers selling their books to the movies. Some have had good experiences, but most have felt abused and tell why.
This is a good and interesting book about writers selling their books to the movies. Some have had good experiences, but most have felt abused and tell why.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews