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 (of the Bosch series), 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.