| [BACK]
"BOOK REVIEW: SELLING YOUR STORY IN 60 SECONDS - The Guaranteed Way to Get Your Screenplay or Novel Read"
Author: Michael Hauge
Book Review by Matthew Terry
Published by: Michael Wiese Productions
ISBN#: 1-932907-20-3
In front of me were six Hollywood types: One a writer, one a director of commercials, one a Producer, one another writer and a couple more. It's all a blur now. I stood, with my back to 200 people or so and pitched my idea. My legs shook, my knees knocked, was I going to fall over? Throw up? What was going to happen?
I started with the premise that I had thought up over 7 years prior: "What if two children went to visit Santa and found him to be a disgruntled bitter old man?" That was my leading question and I fell into my pitch after that. When I was through (which seemed like forever) - the Producer looked at me and pointed at me and said: "Now THAT'S the perfect pitch. I want to read that script. I can sell that script."
She's still my Producer/Manager - but the script hasn't sold...yet. What did I do right? What did I do wrong? What can you learn from that experience?
Well, I can tell you that after I pitched I got peppered with questions from the panel and, well, I answered them. Which opened up MORE questions and I answered THOSE and then they thanked me and I sat down and people from around the country gave me a "thumbs up!" and "Good job!" And I sweated. I couldn't tell you much.
Michael Hauge, though, can. In his wonderful book: "Selling Your Story in 60 Seconds" he breaks down the entire process of selling your story.
Now, he does not go into what makes a sellable story, how to best deal with the three-act format, which software programs are the best, character arcs and story beats. This book is what it is. A book on selling your story. Writing it and dealing with all those aspects are left to other books.
Where Mr. Hauge succeeds is in dealing with all the details of the sell. Figuring out what it is you want to sell, figuring out who you want to approach, the avenues, means and methods on how to approach them, the 60 second pitch, and then the aftermath. This is all spelled out in excruciatingly clear detail (which is GREAT). No big words (okay, he does use the word "antecedents") - no convoluted paradigms or methodologies - just the basics on how to get your butt out of your chair and tell people about your wonderfully fantastic idea (which, of course, you should be doing already).
Another one of the excellent things Mr. Hauge does - is he devotes nearly 40 pages of a 180 page book to executives from all over the Hollywood food chain, to explain what works and doesn't work during a pitch. I found this to be a fantastic tool. Whether they contradict or compliment what you've read in the previous 140 pages - it doesn't matter.
This is an amazing book that really puts the nuts and bolts of the 60 second pitch in your hands but Mr. Hauge gives you the tools to really create something of worth and value out of it. A MUST for anyone with an idea to sell.
I've just finished a screenplay. I'm about to pitch it. It's wonderful. I'm passionate about it. It's a "High Concept" idea with great casting possibilities. Thank GOD for this book.
|
