The writer got screwed (but didn't have to)
a guide to the legal and business practices of writing for the entertainment industry
The Writer Got Screwed is the first book to untangle the legal and business aspects of writing for the entertainment industry. For the young TV production assistant waiting for his big break, the executive with a treatment tucked away in a bottom drawer, the techie targeting the new field of cyberspace writing, or anyone who is inspired to write screenplays, this book is an indispensable road map to success. Savvy Hollywood entertainment attorney Brooke Wharton explains. The proper methods of protecting creative work, decodes the legal jargon the new writer is likely to encounter (and be unfamiliar with), gives practical advice on how to find representation, explains the pluses and minuses of obtaining an agent versus a lawyer or manager, shows how to read between the lines of a contract before signing, tells how to receive appropriate compensation for work, and advises how to avoid getting sued or screwed along the way. Top writers from. Film, television, and the emerging field of interactive entertainment candidly reflect on their careers, giving valuable advice on how to pitch ideas and offering alternative paths to success. For example, Jane Anderson, writer of How to Make an American Quilt, reveals how she made the move from television to big screen, and Philip Lazebnik, screenwriter for Pocahontas, recalls the collaborative excitement that lured him - despite myriad obstacles - to write for feature. Animation. Useful resources, including a glossary and lists of agencies, competitions, fellowships, internships, and legal organizations, make The Writer Got Screwed an essential addition to every writer's tool chest.
Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Nonfiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
What the reading experience may hold
A fuller profile for choosing with more confidence—not just another copy of the preview.
Nonfiction
Use these as starting points rather than limits; the most memorable books often stretch beyond their catalog labels.
Catalog signals suggest grief and loss. These notes may not be complete; consult a publisher or reader-supplied guide when detailed warnings matter.
These notes are inferred from available catalog information and may not be complete. Check a publisher or reader-supplied guide if you need comprehensive warnings.
Balanced tone · Steady pace
A comfortable full-length choice for steady daily reading.
A good fit if…
Readers who want a thoughtful experience and enjoy noticing the connections beneath a book’s surface story.
This book's DNA
A visual estimate based on this edition's categories, description, and length. Select a star to explore the signals.
This signal is descriptive, not a rating. It helps compare the kind of reading experience this edition may offer.
Spoiler-Free Emotional Arc
A broad estimate of the book’s emotional rhythm, shown without story events or outcomes.
This visualization is an interpretive estimate based on catalog description, categories, tone, pace, and content signals. It does not describe specific scenes.
A quick reading snapshot
Edition facts and catalog signals to help you decide whether this book fits what you want to read next.
- ISBN-13
- 978-0-0627-0130-5
- Language
- English
- Edition record
- OL810631M
A more thoughtful way into this book
This guide uses the edition details and category signals above to help you choose deliberately. It does not replace the author's work or a full review.
A comfortable full-length choice for steady daily reading.
Begin with its place in Nonfiction, then notice where the book resists that label.
Read for connection, not completion.
Mark one passage that sharpens the book's central concern and one that complicates it. That tension often reveals more than a quick summary.
Three questions to carry with you
- Whose perspective organizes the story, and whose perspective remains outside it?
- Which sources or lived experiences carry the author’s central argument?
- How does the book change the way you understand its larger subject?
Editorial framework by Wesley Bryan, BookenDeX Founder and Editor.
More Nonfiction books
These matches combine shared categories with author, publication-era, and reading-length signals.
Anxiety Disorders
by Brian F. Shaw
Why it fits: shares Nonfiction, a similar reading length, a similar publication era.
Fusarium Mycotoxins
by Anne E. Desjardins
Why it fits: shares Nonfiction, a similar reading length, a similar publication era.
Jefferson Vindicated - Fallacies, Omissions, and Contradictions in the Hemings Genealogical Search
by Cynthia H. Burton
Why it fits: shares Nonfiction, a similar reading length, a similar publication era.
Monuments of Progress
by Claudia Agostoni
Why it fits: shares Nonfiction, a similar reading length, a similar publication era.
New Faiths, Old Fears
by Bruce B. Lawrence
Why it fits: shares Nonfiction, a similar reading length, a similar publication era.
Prudence (Historical Romance)
by Elizabeth Bailey
Why it fits: shares Nonfiction, a similar reading length, a similar publication era.