I was recently telling some friends this story, and I realized that it would make an interesting (and amusing) blog posting. So here goes…
My book, The Complete Film Production Handbook… the one that many people are just discovering, has actually been building a following since it first came out in 1993.
It was 1990, however, when I made a deal with my first publisher, (a company I’ll call “Publishing Company X”). The publisher/owner was also the editor (I’ll refer to her as “Ms. X”), and to say that we had a combative relationship is an understatement. It took this company an agonizing three years (after I signed my contract) to publish the book, and we had arguments about everything, including the cover design (which is a story for another time).
So, as most of you know, the book has a lot of forms in it. And right before it was to be published, Ms. X tells me that she wants me to fill out the forms as a way of illustrating how to fill them out. Okay… makes sense. But at the time, I was working on a show and extremely busy.
I had fun making up the fictitious names for the forms (Hollywood Mann, Harry Honcho, Scarlet Starlet, etc.) My fictitious company was XYZ PRODUCTIONS, and it was located at 1234 FLICK DR. (References I hand-printed in capital letters over and over and over again on multiple forms – very quickly.)
When I brought the forms to Ms. X’s office, I told her that I had rushed and the pages needed to be proofed – had to be! She gave me that “you have got to be kidding” look and said they looked fine the way they were. But after I insisted again, one of her co-workers jumped in and volunteered to take the pages home to proof read that night.
So the book was finally published, and I immediately sent out a few copies to friends and family. The day my folks received their copy, my stepfather called and accusingly asked, “What kind of book did you write?” What the hell was he talking about??? Then he instructs me to turn to Page 136. I grab a copy and quickly opened to Page 136.
OMG! OMG!! OMG!!!!!!!!!!! No one ever proof-read those pages, and as it turns out… on several of the forms I had filled out, the L and the I in FLICK DR. were written too close together. And my stepfather wasn’t the only one who discovered that. It kinda jumped right out at you like a flashing red light! And I was getting a LOT of calls… but they weren’t necessarily to congratulate me on my great new book!
I was furious and mortified. I had not only waited three years for the book to come out and hated the cover, but now my new book was a big, fat joke. And when I called Ms. X to see what she had to say for herself, all she could manage was a stiff: “All of our authors know that the work they turn in has to be camera-ready.”
Needless to say, as soon as I could get out of my contract, I took the book to Focal Press and never looked back. Publishing Company X is no longer in business. And considering the success of the book, I’m sure that Ms. X is sorry she was so mean to me.
The Complete Film Production Handbook is now in its 4th edition and is co-branded by Variety. It’s used in film schools and by industry professionals throughout the world. It’s listed on scores of “must reading” lists for filmmakers, will soon be featured on the new website www.ProductionYak.com, is often referenced on the Film Method Podcast (http://film-method.com), is given away as a prize in several competitions and grows in popularity each year. (So there, Ms. “your work has to be camera-ready” pants!)
As you can see… with time and perspective, I eventually found the humor in the situation (and I’m not quite as bitter about it as I had once been).
Upon hearing the story, my friend Jenna said that if Facebook had been in existence in 1993, the book would have been a runaway hit, because everyone would have wanted to see my Flick Drive references. She’s right! And all that extra money might have helped to ease some of the humiliation.
