My favorite books - Producer’s edition
(+ my next reads)
Producing is a learning curve. It is a lot of trial and error kinda journey; however, there are a few books that I read that helped me in my journey.
In this article I’m sharing with you my favorite producer’s book, as well as what I am reading at the moment and what is in my reading list.
My to-go book is definitely Producer to Producer. It is a true page
turner. Each chapter focuses on a main topic, and it is divided into sub-chapters - for example; Chapter 1: Developing, sub-chapters: study the script, log line creation, IMDb, and more.
What I love about this is that the author explains all the concepts very clearly and since it is structured so well, it’s easy to find the topic that I want to read about.
The Movie Business Book is another gem. Unlike Producer to Producer, this one was not a page turner for me. The book gets into a lot of details which I sometimes found more confusing than helpful.
However, just like the previous one, it is very well structured. Each chapter is written by an A-List producer, such as Kevin Feige, Jay Duplass, Alan Horn, and more. In this way each chapter has its own tone and it’s explained by a expert in that specific topic.
I love to compare the two when I’m trying to learn a new concept.
Now, here are the ones I’m currently reading:
The Ride of a Lifetime is not necessarily a producing book as it is more a leadership/inspirational book.
Written by the former CEO of Walt Disney Pictures, Robert Iger explores the principles that are necessary for true leadership: optimism, courage, decisiveness, and fairness.
Mr. Iger tells us about his failures and successes as CEO of Disney and gives us insights and wisdoms he learned along his way
I am actually listening to this book on Audible. While I don’t particularly enjoy the voice that narrates Producing Independent Feature Films that Make Money, I am really enjoying the content.
The author also has workshops to help beginner producers to produce their first feature film. Like the other producers’ books I listed before, each chapter is a different topic based on the steps you have to take to make a movie. However, this book is a true step-by-step guide on how to produce a feature film. Follow the step and you’re all set!
P.S. Because I’m more of a visual person and I love to take notes on the books edges with an insane amount of post it, I’m not really enjoying the audible version and I wished I bought the paper back or kindle. But that’s just my preference!
Lastly, these are my up-next books:
80/20 Sales and Marketing is more of a general business book, not necessarily related to the Entertainment Industry.
I want to learn more about marketing, and while at USC I took a social media marketing class at Marshalls. My teacher recommended me this book as it teaches a concept that can be applied to every industry.
From some reviews I read that it is a page turner, very well written and easy to understand. I’ll let you know what I think about it once I read it!
I lost the count of how many people suggested me to read Big Magic.
A lot of people believe that producing is not creative, that is mainly an office job, but I disagree. A lot of unconventional creativity needs to be invested in this job.
This book is written for whoever wants to live a creative life, regardless of the way they decide to express their creativity.
I’m so excited to read this! I ordered it just a few days ago through Amazon and I can’t wait to get it!
If you want to have more book suggestions, check out my amazon list here.
I hope this article inspired your next read! If you end up reading any of them, let me know as I would love to chat about them - and please send any other suggestion, I’m always looking for more inspiration!
Xoxo,
Ale
*all the links in this article are affiliate links.