Craig Mazin and John August may lend their storytelling expertise while hosting their podcast Scriptnotes, but now the hosts are ready to offer that knowledge in book form.
The Hollywood screenwriters will release SCRIPTNOTES: A Book About Screenwriting and Things That Are Interesting to Screenwriters, based on their hit podcast by the same name, offering an “ultimate guide for writing screenplays or building a screenwriting career,” The Hollywood Reporter can exclusively announce.
John August
Dustin Bocks
On their podcast, Mazin and August discuss “everything from writer’s block, to getting started in the industry, to the vagaries of work-for-hire and copyright law,” all the while sharing “their expertise and best tips for working in film and television.” For their podcast they have spoken to a myriad of entertainment figures, including Christopher Nolan, Greta Gerwig, Michael Schur, Rian Johnson, Aline Brosh McKenna, Ashley Nicole Black, Seth Rogen and more about the process of making a great script.
Now, in their first book, August and Mazin “draw on more than one thousand hours of Scriptnotes podcast conversations, as well as their own storied careers, to help readers begin, refine, and sell their own scripts.” The book will be “part writing class, part informational interview with the best creators in the business.”
Craig Mazin
Luke Fontana
The book will highlight the basic rules of screenwriting, the craft of creating a “compelling story with captivating protagonists, worthy antagonists and a sound structure” and give an overview of the business of pitching a script and the “do’s and don’ts of working collaboratively on a project.”
“After 700 episodes, we’re excited to extend from the digital world into atoms. Sure: we’ve made T-shirts. And drinkware. And thumb drives. But you can’t put those on your shelf to show off on a Zoom call. The orange Scriptnotes spine stands out, like that black CENTURY book everyone has but never read. Plus, our book turned out great and people will get a lot out of it. So they should actually read it, not like that CENTURY book,” Mazin and August said in a statement to THR.
“Essential for veteran and novice screenwriters, film buffs, and anyone who enjoys analysis of iconic movies, Scriptnotes is a one-of-a-kind resource that provides exclusive access to the screenwriting process—and will inspire anyone ready to pen their own successful screenplay,” Crown said of the book.
Scriptnotes will be published by Crown in a deal negotiated by Jodi Reamer at Writers House Literary Agency for North American rights.
Among the screenplays August has written are scripts for Charlie’s Angels, Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Frankenweenie and Aladdin. Meanwhile, Mazin’s credits include being the creator and showrunner for acclaimed and Emmy-winning series Chernobyl and The Last of Us. His feature credits also include The Hangover Part II and III and Identity Thief.
Both are former members of the WGA Board of Directors.
SCRIPTNOTES: A Book About Screenwriting and Things That Are Interesting to Screenwriters will release on December 2.