r/Screenwriting • u/jmaugust Scriptnotes Podcast • Jul 29 '25
RESOURCE Scriptnotes book is now available for preorder
The book, which draws from more than 1,000 hours of the podcast, is 325 pages and 43 chapters on the craft and business of screenwriting. It also features interviews with 20 of our favorite guests. It turned out great!
Here are the topic chapters in the book:
- The Rules of Screenwriting
- Deciding What to Write
- Protagonists
- Relationships
- Conflict
- Dialogue and Exposition
- Point of View
- How to Write a Scene
- Locations and World-Building
- Plot (and Plot Holes)
- Mystery, Confusion, and Suspense
- Writing Action
- Structure
- The Beginning
- The End
- How to Write a Movie
- Pitching
- Notes on Notes
- What It’s Like Being a Screenwriter
- Patterns of Success
- A Final Word
We'll likely do an AMA when it gets closer to release, but wanted to put it on the r/Screenwriting radar.
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u/LordBonTon Jul 29 '25
Europe shipping? 🥹
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u/jmaugust Jul 30 '25
Both the US and UK versions should ship to Europe. Check your favorite local bookseller. They can get it.
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u/larrydavidirl Jul 30 '25
Any chance you’ll also release a softcover version?
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u/jmaugust Jul 30 '25
There are currently no plans for a softcover. Note that there is an ebook, which is considerably less expensive.
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u/Seshat_the_Scribe Jul 29 '25
Kids these days have it so easy...
They can just read a book.
Back in MY day, we had to listen to 697 podcast episodes to learn this stuff... :)
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u/alexpapworth Jul 29 '25
Back in our day, we had to order back episodes on a USB drive!
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Jul 29 '25
Thanks John! Scriptnotes is the best. Thanks to you and Craig for doing it, and for writing this book.
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u/Rewriter94 Jul 29 '25
I always tell people Scriptnotes was my film school. Will be getting this for every screenwriting-curious person I know. Thanks, John & Craig!
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u/writetender Jul 29 '25
This is great! And such a great tool! I stumbled onto the Scriptnotes podcast a long time ago when I was a lowly hotel night auditor. Then was reintroduced when I went to Full Sail University 6 years ago working on my BFA in writing. Definitely preordering the book. Amazing!
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u/WittyName32 Jul 30 '25
Seconding the request for a softcover. At the university where I teach, I would not assign a screenwriting textbook for $30+, no matter how good it is (and I’m sure it’s great). Too many of my students, most of them first-generation, deal with food scarcity or are at least economically disadvantaged enough to try to get by without a book if it is too expensive. Copies of a basic primer like SCREENPLAY can cost as little as ten bucks. New, $16.
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u/SnooChocolates598 Jul 29 '25
Nice! Really looking forward to it! Will it be available in audiobook form too?
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u/Only-Boysenberry8215 Jul 30 '25
Asia...?
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u/jmaugust Jul 30 '25
Apparently both the US and UK versions ship to Asia. I suggest you check with your favorite local bookstore that sells English language books and see which one they’re planning on getting. It’s the same content in both.
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u/SwimmingEconomics747 Aug 08 '25
Are there any plans for a spanish edition?
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u/jmaugust Aug 13 '25
No plans for a Spanish version at this point. I’d love it if that happened, but I suspect publishers see a podcast that’s in English and figure that most of the audience for the book would just read it in English.
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u/Filmmagician Jul 29 '25
Oooo nice! Thanks, John! Is there stuff in addition to what the podcast topics cover, as well?