Adventures in the Screen Trade, written by William Goldman, published by Warner Books, 1983

Here are some of the screenplays that William Goldman wrote: Masquerade; Harper; Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid; The Hot Rock; The Great Waldo Pepper; The Stepford Wives; All the President's Men; Marathon Man; A Bridge Too Far; Magic; and Mr. Horn. That said, what can you learn from William Goldman about the screen trade? Here's just a sampling of the nuggets he shares with the reader:

~ "You never know what's going to work in Hollywood—it's always a guess."
~ "Stars are a hedge against disaster."
~ "The target audience is between sixteen and twenty-four."
~ "Changing the ads is a sure sign the picture is in trouble."
~ "An agent's interest is not in the art object, but in the deal."
~ "Very few people in the business will read a script that is unrepresented."
~ "Agents are the Catch-22 of the movie business."
~ "There is one crucial rule that must be followed in all creative meetings: Never speak first."
~ "Note to fledgling writers: Under threat of torture, never write a long novel."
~ "Never never write for Broadway."
~ "In my own case, from the first phone call to the first draft being submitted takes six months."
~ "A movie, as a rule of thumb, runs a minute per page of screenplay."
~ "All stars get profit percentages, and the biggest ones work off gross."
~ "Screenplays are all about structure."
~ "More often than not, the movie begins with the producer."
~ "As a writer, I believe that all the basic truths are known."
~ "Writing is finally about one thing: going into a room and doing it."

You get the drift. And if you'd like a second helping of nuggets, take a look at Which Lie Did I Tell? (More Adventures in the Screen Trade), also by William Goldman.