Recommended Books
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Great reads to get you started.
There are all sorts of books that we strongly encourage people to read to really understand the arts & entertainment world, so we’re providing the following lists of recommended reading. Some of these materials should be read by anyone in the entertainment industry, while others we’ve broken down by discipline. You can get these books at any number of places, but we’ve provided links to Amazon where we can, just to get you started. We’re kinda helpful that way.
Check out some of the resources below and let us know if you run across other resources we should include.
The Greenhouse loves helping people find the right gear and equipment for their creative endeavors. We value your trust in us, so when we make recommendations, we provide links only to those products and services we truly believe in. Some links on this page are "affiliate links". When these links are used for purchases, they provide a small commission to The Greenhouse, which helps us continue to provide you great resources.
Ten Great Books Every Creative Should Read
Click any number, title, or description to purchase book on Amazon.
1
The Movie Business
By Jason E. Squire
A comprehensive overview of the global entertainment industry, drawing directly from successful movers and shakers.
6
Story
By Robert McKee
The classic treatise on the substance, structure, style and principles of effective storytelling and screenwriting.
2
The War of Art
By Steven Pressfield
The much-heralded book on learning how to break through your blocks and win inner creative battles.
7
More than a Movie: Ethics in Entertainment
By Miguel Valenti
A balanced and compelling argument for the creative community to consider the consequences of its products and practices.
3
The Biz
By Schuyler M. Moore
A comprehensive overview of the basic business, legal & financial aspects of the entertainment industry.
8
The Artist’s Way
By Julia Cameron
The seminal work on the subject of creativity, providing all sorts of practical steps for living the artist’s life.
4
Creativity, Inc.
By Ed Catmull
The president of Pixar discusses how to overcome everything that stands in the way of true inspiration in business and entertainment.
9
One Big Thing: Discovering What You Were Born to Do
By Phil Cooke
To achieve your dreams, you have to focus on the thing you were created to do, especially if you have artistic and performance ambitions.
5
Steal Like An Artist
By Austin Kleon
The best thing you can do as a creative professional is find your own voice and be the genuine you. This book shows you how.
10
The Big Picture: Money and Power in Hollywood
By Edward Jay Epstein
A behind-the-scenes look at how money and power is made and distributed in the entertainment industry.
Recommended Books By Creative Discipline
Use the filter buttons to sort by one or more Creative Disciplines.
Variety
The Wrap
Covering daily entertainment news.
Creative Screenwriting
An online and print magazine that interviews writers about the creative processes of writing for film and television.
All You Need to Know About the Movie and TV Business
by Gail Resnik & Scott Trost
The Genius of the System: Hollywood Filmmaking in the Studio Era
by Thomas Schatz
The Movie Business Book, 3rd Ed.
by Jason E. Squire
My First Movie: Twenty Celebrated Directors Talk about Their First Film
by Stephen Lowenstein
My First Movie, Take Two: Ten Celebrated Directors Talk About Their First Film
by Stephen Lowenstein
Acting for the Camera
by Tony Barr
Acting in Film: An Actor’s Take on Movie Making
by Michael Caine
Acting Is Everything: An Actor’s Guidebook for a Successful Career in Los Angeles
by Judy Kerr
Acting Professionally: Raw Facts About Careers in Acting
by Robert Cohen
Acting: The First Six Lessons
by Richard Boleslavsky
The Actor’s Encyclopedia of Casting Directors: Conversations with Over 100 Casting Directors on How to Get the Job (2016)
by Karen Kondazian
An Actor Prepares
by Constantin Stanislavski
Audition: Everything an Actor Needs to Know to Get the Part
by Michael Shurtleff
The Film Actor’s Complete Career Guide: A Complete, Step-By-Step Checklist of All the Things Actors Seeking Film Careers Can and Should Do, and When
by Lawrence Parke
Getting the Part: Thirty-Three Professional Casting Directors Tell You How to Get Work in Theater, Films, and TV (Softcover)
by Judith Searle
How to Audition: For TV, Movies, Commercials, Plays, and Musicals, 2nd Ed.
by Gordon Hunt
How to Be a Working Actor: The Insider’s Guide to Finding Jobs in Theater, Film & Television, 5th Ed.
by Mari Lyn Henry & Lynne Rogers
How to Stop Acting
by Harold Guskin
Improvisation for the Theater: A Handbook of Teaching and Directing Techniques
by Viola Spolin
The Intent to Live: Achieving Your True Potential as an Actor
by Larry Moss
The Power of the Actor
by Ivana Chubbuck
Respect for Acting
by Uta Hagen
Sanford Meisner on Acting
by Sanford Meisner
Self-Management for Actors: Getting Down to (Show) Business, 4th Ed.
by Bonnie Gillespie
Your Film Acting Career: How to Break Into the Movies & TV & Survive Hollywood
by M. K. Lewis
Bankroll: A New Approach to Financing Feature Films, 2nd Ed.
by Tom Malloy
The Complete Film Production Handbook
by Eve Light Honthaner
Film Budgeting: Or How Much Will It Cost to Shoot Your Movie?
by Ralph S. Singleton
Film Scheduling: Or, How Long Will It Take to Shoot Your Movie?
by Ralph S. Singleton
Filmmakers and Financing: Business Plans for Independents
by Louise Levison
From Concept to Screen: An Overview of Film and Television Production
by Robert Benedetti
How to Shoot a Feature Film for Under 10,000 (And Not Go to Jail)
by Bret Stern
Independent Film Producer’s Survival Guide: A Business and Legal Sourcebook
by Gunnar Ericsson, Harris Tulchin & Mark Halogen
Making Movies
by Sidney Lumet
Making Your Film for Less Outside the U.S.
by Mark De Wayne
The Producer’s Business Handbook: The Roadmap for the Balanced Film Producer
by John J. Lee, Jr. & Anne Marie Gillen
The Production Assistant in TV and Video
by Avril Rowlands
The Reel Truth: Everything You Didn’t Know You Need to Know About Making an Independent Film
by Reed Martin
Shooting to Kill: How an Independent Producer Blasts Through the Barriers to Make Movies that Matter
by Christine Vachon & David Edelstein
All You Need to Know About the Music Business
by Donald S. Passman
Hit Men: Power Brokers and Fast Money Inside the Music Business
by Fredric Dannen
Music Industry Forms: The 75 Most Important Documents for the Modern Musician
by Jonathan Feist
Music Marketing: Press, Promotion, Distribution, and Retail
by Mike King
The Plain & Simple Guide to Music Publishing: What You Need to Know About Protecting and Profiting from Music Copyrights, 3rd Ed.
by Randall D. Wixen
This Business of Music, 10th Ed.
by M. William Krasilovsky & Sidney Shemel
YouTube Black Book: How To Create a Channel, Build an Audience and Make Money on YouTube
by Christopher Sharpe
YouTube Marketing Strategies
by John Tighe
Adventures in the Screen Trade: A Personal View of Hollywood and Screenwriting
by William Goldman
The Art of Character: Creating Memorable Characters for Fiction, Film, and TV
by David Corbett
Art Of Dramatic Writing: Its Basis in the Creative Interpretation of Human Motives
by Lajos Egri
The Hollywood Standard: The Complete and Authoritative Guide to Script Format and Style, 2nd Ed.
by Christopher Riley
How To Write For Television
by Madeline DiMaggio
Making a Good Script Great, 3rd Ed.
by Linda Seger
The Moral Premise: Harnessing Virtue & Vice for Box Office Success
by Stanley D. Williams
On Writing
by Stephen King
Poetics
by Aristotle
Reading for a Living: How to Be a Professional Story Analyst for Film and Television
by T.L. Kathy
Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting
by Syd Field
The Screenwriter’s Bible: A Complete Guide to Writing, Formatting, and Selling Your Script, 6th Ed.
by David Trottier
Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need
by Blake Snyder
Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies: The Screenwriter’s Guide to Every Story Ever Told
by Blake Snyder
Save the Cat! Strikes Back: More Trouble for Screenwriters to Get into… and Out Of
by Blake Snyder
Writing Screenplays That Sell: The Complete Guide to Turning Story Concepts into Movie and Television Deals
by Michael Hauge
Writing Television Sitcoms
by Evan S. Smith
Cinematic Storytelling: The 100 Most Powerful Film Conventions Every Filmmaker Must Know
by Jennifer Van Sill
Directing Actors: Creating Memorable Performances for Film & Television
by Judith Weston
Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics
by Michael Rabiger
Directing the Story: Professional Storytelling and Storyboarding Techniques for Live Action and Animation
by Francis Glebas
Directing Your Directing Career: A Support Book & Agent Guide for Directors
by K. Callan
Film Directing: Cinematic Motion, 2nd Ed.
by Steven D. Katz
Film Directing Fundamentals: See Your Film Before Shooting
by Nicholas T. Proferes
The Film Director Prepares: A Practical Guide to Directing for Film and TV
by Myrl A. Schreibman
In the Blink Of an Eye: A Perspective on Film Editing, 2nd Ed.
by Walter Murch
Kazan on Directing
by Elia Kazan
MasterShots Vol 1: 100 Advanced Camera Techniques to Get an Expensive Look on Your Low-Budget Movie, 2nd Ed.
by Christopher Kenworthy
MasterShots, Volume 2: 100 Ways to Shoot Great Dialogue Scenes
by Christopher Kenworthy
Master Shots, Volume 3
by Christopher Kenworthy
Moviemakers’ Master Class: Private Lessons from the World’s Foremost Directors
by Laurent Tirard
On Directing Film
by David Mamet
On Film-making: An Introduction to the Craft of the Director
by Alexander Mackendrick
Rebel without a Crew: Or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker With $7,000 Became a Hollywood Player
by Robert Rodriguez
Sense of Direction: Some Observations on the Art of Directing
by William Ball
The Visual Story: Creating the Visual Structure of Film, TV & Digital Media
by Bruce Block
The Business of Media Distribution
by Jeffrey C. Ulin
This Business of Television
by Howard J. Blumenthal & Oliver R. Goodenough
Contracts for the Film & Television Industry, 3rd Ed.
by Mark Litwak
Dealmaking in the Film & Television Industry, 4th Ed.
by Mark Litwak
Digital Media Law, 2nd Ed.
by Ashley Packard
Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In
by Robert Fisher & William Ury
Give and Take: The Complete Guide to Negotiating Strategies and Tactics
by Chester L. Karrass
Hollywood Dealmaking: Negotiating Talent Agreements for Film, TV and New Media
by Dina Appleton & Daniel Yankelevits
Movie Money: Understanding Hollywood’s (Creative) Accounting Practices, 2nd ed.
by Bill Daniels, David Leedy & Steven D. Sills
Addicted to Mediocrity: Contemporary Christians and the Arts
by Franky Schaeffer
Art and the Bible
by Francis A. Schaeffer
Behind the Screen: Hollywood Insiders on Faith, Film, and Culture
by Barbara Nicolosi & Spencer Lewerenz, eds.
The Heart of the Artist
by Rory Noland
History of Beauty
by Umberto Eco
Imagine: A Vision for Christians in the Arts
by Steve Turner
More Than A Movie: Ethics In Entertainment
by F. Miguel Valenti
On Ugliness
by Umberto Eco
The Purple Curtain
by Brian S. Chan
Reflections on the Movies (Reflective Living Series)
by Ken Gire
Refractions: A Journey of Faith, Art, and Culture
by Makoto Fujimura
Roaring Lambs: A Gentle Plan to Radically Change Your World
by Bob Briner
Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art
by Madeleine L’Engle
The Saints & The Poets
by Shun Lee Fong
American Cinematographer
Backstage Magazine
Below the Line
Billboard Magazine
Music Connection
Behind the Screens: Programmers Reveal How Film Festivals Really Work
By Jon Gann & Kelly J. Baker
The Complete Filmmaker’s Guide to Film Festivals
By Rona Edwards
Film Festival Secrets: A Handbook For Independent Filmmakers
By Christopher Holland