There are more screenwriting books out there than any one person can – or should – read. But the best advice is still to pick up a book on craft or two and read through it if you want to be a screenwriter.
The problem is, how do you decide which book? I'm sure most of us have been gifted a copy of Save the Cat or two after we told our friends and family that we wanted to be a screenwriter, but after that, there are so many to choose from. Some people swear by Field's Screenplay while others only recommend Story by McKee.
If you search online if the best screenwriting books, you'll get mostly the same 15 or so books recommended to you again and again. But you don't want to read all of these books. And also, you don't need to. The authors are mostly saying the same thing, just repacked slightly, from a different point of view or with a new twist. Most of them offer important insights and have worthwhile things to say, but you certain don't need to read every book on the most top ten lists to learn about screenwriting.
Instead, what you should do is read just a few of these books – maybe one or two or three – to see how others talk about the craft, and here's how I think you should decide which books are right for you.
I recommend watching or listening to interviews or lectures from the authors, and if you like the way they talk about story, if something in the way they explain things clicks for you, go do the right thing and buy their book. Film Courage is a great video channel that has interviewed most of the top names on any "best screenwriting books" list. I love their interviews, and most of the big names in screenwriting have in-depth interviews on their YouTube channel. The Indie Film Hustle podcast has featured a good number of these authors as well.
Don't get spend too much time in this phase, however. You'll learn more by reading actual screenplays and writing yourself.
Do you have a favorite book? One that's helped you more than most? One you highly recommend? Let me know in the comments below!
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