Best Books on Entertainment Law

Just as important as learning the craft is learning the business of the entertainment industry & the entertainment law that governs it. As a screenwriter, your script is your product, and entertainment law is the force that can either protect or exploit that product. Making a screenplay sell is the first step – these books on entertainment law and the intricacies of the business will help guide you and your script to the screen, hopefully with some money still in your pocket.

Entertainment Law in a Nutshell, by Sherri Burr –

If you’re looking for a technical overview of the entertainment law in all its complexities, this tome is the ultimate guide to becoming knowledgeable in the field. Taught in entertainment law classes and seminars across the country, it’s a foundational textbook, and although not exactly written with verve, it is not dense, legalese either.

Unlike some other guides down the list, this book is not solely focused on screenwriting or legal terms regarding only the field of writers. In that way, it is a welcome addition to some of the later books on this page, as it supplies great background on the rest of the legal proceedings in the industry. Few writers are familiar with law relating to their own work, let only a director, producer, agent, or manager’s, so having this as either reference or study tool can help you become master of all domains in Hollywood, formulate better business strategies to drive your screenplay to the sell, and know why and when someone else may try to use or abuse your talent. Pick this up, clear some shelf space, and dive in to get a huge leg up on a lot of the competition. Plus, being able to shoot business tips, tricks, and language back and forth with an agent or producer will be sure to make you the pick of a very large litter of (mostly legally illiterate) screenwriters.

Contracts for Film, by Mark Litwak —

A working entertainment attorney and law professor at USC, Mark Litwak is a true, award-winning authority on the subject of entertainment law, across both film and television, and has been for decades.

Although written in traditionally dry legal language, Litwak has been in the writing business long enough to know how to keep it reasonably easy to understand. The edition has been recently updated to include many modern changes in the entertainment industry – such regular updates prove Litwak’s dedication to his provided service. Included within its pages are instructions and advice on how to format legal contracts of all types, with examples provided. Many working producers within the industry use this text as the basis for the creation of their own formats, so it’s a great resource with which to become acquainted with the types of terms & conditions you’ll face in the industry, be it a manager’s contract or a purchase option. Many film teachers across the nation teach out of this book to their students, so the higher-end purchase price may be worth it, if it gives you the same resources somebody’s paying high-end film school class prices for!

The Writer Got Screwed (but didn’t have to), by Brooke A. Wharton –

When looking for a book on entertainment law as it pertains to screenwriting, you always want to make sure the author’s credentials check out, and Wharton passes with flying colors. An entertainment attorney herself, Wharton has dedicated her life to protecting the rights of creatives within the industry, and personally tells her clients and readers to live by the motto: “Don’t make your lawyers rich.” Talk about one-of-a-kind.

This informative book covers a diverse series of topics, all focused on entertainment law and how best to protect your screenplays when you’re in the mood to sell. Wharton covers all types of screenwriting contracts, from ones officially drawn up by lawyers to those hastily written down after pitch meetings by producers. Included within this book are many example contracts for you to look through and familiarize yourself with the mystifying language of Hollywood law – but no fear. Wharton also provides helpful definitions and glossaries of all the terms you’re going to need covered when headed for the sell. Copyright issues? Covered. The inner workings of the WGA and registration issues? Covered. Working for hire as a writer, or signing on for a three picture deal? Covered. From all of this, through legal advice on how to best navigate credit disputes, and intellectual property right management, this book will keep you on the right side of the screw – the best place to be in this industry, and a sadly rare place for most writers.

Hollywood Dealmaking: Negotiating Talent Agreements for Film, TV, and New Media, by Dina Appleton & Daniel Yankelevits —

Being a screenwriter just entering the industry, you’re a babe in the woods. The legal resources at studios, networks, and production companies fingertips greatly out number those financially available to individual screenwriters. With this book, Appleton & Yankelevits have outlined, in simple English, the type of information Hollywood insiders usually gather over a lifetime of work in the entertainment industry. The book goes into great detail about the negotiation techniques executives and agents use, and explains language that might otherwise fly over a writer’s head.

Focused in on talent agreements, the most important and usual document a screenwriter will come across in Hollywood, Hollywood Dealmaking outlines and picks apart these types of contracts, going into great detail on every single clause, phrase, and term.

Up to date on the latest trends within the entertainment industry, from blockbuster films to reality TV to video games, mobile apps, and web series, this book is not limited in scope or detail. Learn about back ends, gross adjusted profits, merchandising, distribution, and more. Essentially, learn how to best prepare yourself, with writing that is fun, informative, and never pretentious or confusing, for a career in this beautiful, bloodthirsty business of ours.

The Dealmaker’s Ten Commandments: The Essential Tools for Business Forged in the Trenches of Hollywood, by Jeff B. Cohen —

You may remember Jeff Cohen from The Goonies, but he’s all grown up, and on the other side of the camera (and table) now. This book, structured helpfully and well in the mentioned “Ten Commandments” is a fast, helpful read that you can return to again and again for great professional advice for all things Hollywood, including screenwriting. And Cohen is a trusted name. I’ve known multiple writers who have had very good experiences with him backing them up. Check that perfect score on Amazon. Why not pick up his advice in book form?

In a voice that is honest, funny, and informed (some, but not all of the qualities required of most entertainment lawyers), Cohen inspires and motivates through the issuing of his Commandments. And more than concrete legal advice, this book offers a psychological guide to navigating Hollywood as a writer, with descriptions of how to handle rejection, how to mentally prep for the big meetings, how to manage the egos of the executives and big shots around you, and the best mindset to have when you throw your screenplay to the wolves on the selling floor. Cohen doesn’t sugar coat – this is a bloody business. That’s why I think this book is perfect for screenwriters. While not as focused on writing as some of the others on this list, it can be used as a weapon by writers – to know the enemy, and how to turn them into a friend. Keep ‘em close, as they say. And keep this book with you.

The Dealmaker’s Ten Commandments: The Essential Tools for Business Forged in the Trenches of Hollywood, , by Stephen Breimer —

Handed out as the one necessary book for writers to have by the faculty at USC’s screenwriting program, I must agree: this book lives up to its title. A sometimes brutal read, it constantly reminds the reader where a screenwriter is located in Hollywood (somewhere between a rock and a cutthroat squad of Ivy League agents and alpha producers). However, it is a complete guide to the contracts of the industry, with example copies provided. It is a great companion, full of advice on protecting your earnings.

This may be my personal favorite guide on the list. While lacking the stylistic and personalized memoir-ish touches and voice of some of the other shorter offerings, and the depth of the larger, more impressive works, this is somewhere in the sweet center. It’s something you can keep in your backpack, briefcase, or favorite writing transportation unit. It doesn’t take up too much space on a shelf. Yet, inside, writing that inspires the screenwriting teachers at USC, the top film school in the country, to teach it to their students! If you’re in film school, chances are this will be recommended at some point and you might as well get a head start. If you’re freewheelin’ on the open roads of screenwriting, this is the map you’re looking for.

Breakfast with Sharks: A Screenwriter’s Guide to Getting the Meeting, Nailing the Pitch, Signing the Deal, and Navigating the Murky Waters of Hollywood,, by Michael Lent —

Breakfast with Sharks takes a slightly different approach, courtesy of its author Michael Lent – not an attorney, but a screenwriter, just like you! Included along with advice on the business side of equations, an equally impressive and useful section is included centered on the pitch process. As much as a deal sets a screenplay into stone (or celluloid…or at least the promise of celluloid), the pitch is where your work is going to first come to life, and it’s a strange mix of both business and creativity. Great pitching books are rare, as its an art form that really has to be seen to be experienced, but Lent’s writing on the subject is some of the best out there, bringing the art of the pitch to life. This book makes you want to go out and sell your screenplay to the first person you see on the street…and then hold out for a better deal, of course.

Go with Sharks and get advice on both at the same time. Lent, being a writer himself, keeps things interesting, making the book a quick read and a good value. The back of the book includes a helpful Q&A section, along with lists of resources such as festivals, competitions, industry magazines, and other insta-help for the struggling screenwriter. Lent is a true vet, with the stories to prove it, and all provide a learning experience for a younger screenwriter. While other books may be like having lawyers on retainer, Breakfast with Sharks is like having a totally cool screenwriting professor in your pocket.

The Biz: The Basic Business, Legal and Financial Aspects of the Film Industry,, by Schuyler M. Moore —

Another read that is more information than entertainment on this fair entertainment industry of ours, it’s a bit slighter and more efficient than some of the above offerings.

While I don’t believe it to be superior to the other behemoth manuals on this list, I felt inclined to include it due to its still-substantial quality. When buying a book like this, it comes down to trust and credentials of the writer, rather than what the book is actually giving you (as its usually pretty similar content-wise). Moore is just as accredited as Burr and Litwak, if somewhat dryer in tone. That said, many I know have found this book incredibly useful, and it is a straight-talker which is sometimes exactly what a confused screenwriter, surrounded by liars, cheats, and scoundrels, really needs.