John August

John

The Scriptnotes Book is out today!

Follow Up, News, Scriptnotes Book

scriptnotes book coverOur Big Orange Book is finally available in bookstores around the world today. We’ve gotten a ton of preorders and some terrific reviews.

“Bound to be a staple, this guide, just like the podcast, is accessible, engaging, and informative” – Booklist

“August and Mazin’s volume stands out for its wealth of real-life examples taken from cinema and TV over the past decades, its humanizing tone, and its winning combination of the practical with the entertaining.” – Library Journal

“If you’re going to buy one book on screenwriting, then you should probably make it Scriptnotes by John August and Craig Mazin.” – Forbes

A few things you can do to help us out in this crucial first week:

→ Buy it wherever you buy books. Our official LA bookstore is Chevalier’s on Larchmont, which has some signed copies at least for the next few days. Signed copies are also available at Premiere Collectables for shipping worldwide.

→ Post about it on social media. Tag me (@johnaugust) and Scriptnotes (@scriptnotespodcast) on Instagram/Bluesky/Threads and we’ll repost ya.

→ Leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads. The early ones tend to set a tone.

We’re excited to see the book on shelves and in reader’s hands. Please enjoy it and share it with others!

Getting Stuff Written

News

When we turned in the first draft of the Scriptnotes book in late 2023, it was over 600 pages long. Over the following two years, we continually edited it down until it was only the very best stuff — but in order to do so, we had to make some painful cuts.

One was a 13-page chapter that felt essential, but didn’t quite fit anywhere: “Getting Stuff Written.”

  • How do you move from “wanting to write” to actually producing pages?
  • When should you start writing, and how do you know you’re ready?
  • What actually is writer’s block?
  • How do you keep momentum?
  • How do you balance tough love and self-care on any given day?

We were sad no one would get to read it. And then we realized: BONUS CHAPTER!

For the past few months, we’ve been encouraging listeners who preorder the book to send us their receipts. Last Friday, we sent them something back — the “Getting Stuff Written” chapter, fully edited and typeset. The response has been overwhelming.

Ian writes:

I’m sorry to tell you this…But you guys obviously messed up big time!

This bonus chapter is absolutely incredible. It’s practical, empathetic, thoughtful, and succinct. It’s also exactly the message I needed at the stage that I’m at right now.

I can’t imagine how the poor souls that did not pre-order the book will get by without this chapter.

Perhaps I should just be grateful that I am part of a small cohort that has been so fortunate to receive this gem of wisdom.

Tania writes:

Wooho! Excellent chapter.

“Perfectionism is protectionism” is gold.

Tom writes:

That was an amazing read. Thank you guys! If that’s what you’re leaving OUT of the book? My god, I can’t wait to read what’s in it ❤️

Scott writes:

Oh, my. If you took out that chapter, I can’t wait to see the ones you left in.

That said, I urge you to find a way to distribute that chapter widely. It’s as good as Craig’s ‘How to Write a Movie’ episode in terms of straightforward, overall writing advice. It’s exactly the sort of thing I need to hear. I imagine others need it, too.

Scott’s right. Once the book is out, we’ll share that chapter more widely.

If you’d like to read it TODAY, send your pre-order receipt to ask@dev.johnaugust.com. Drew will send you the bonus chapter.

We hope you like it, and can’t wait for you to hold the full book in your hands (in less than a month). Preorder here!

Read the first 30 pages of the Scriptnotes book

Scriptnotes Book

scriptnotes book coverScriptnotes Premium listener Martin Schneider wrote in with a great suggestion:

Gentlemen, as a person who is very conversant in publishing and speaking entirely figuratively, I WOULD KILL TO BE ABLE TO HOLD THAT GALLEY IN MY HANDS FOR THREE MINUTES. It would satisfy some curiosity in me, and it would also spark an interest in seeing the rest.

So then I went to the website you have set up for the book and I clicked on the “SAMPLE PAGES” tab and looked at the inside of your book.

No, of course I did NOT do that because your website has no such section. I think you should have such a section, it is a perfect analog for a movie trailer, to give people a glimpse of the contents of the book.

We’ve all been to Trader Joe’s and we all know that giving you a cracker with a tiny slice of cheese on it can act as a doorway to buying a full box. You should do the same thing.

Martin’s right! We should have put up pages, and now we have.

Head to scriptnotesbook.com to read the first 30 pages of the Scriptnotes book.

You’ll see the table of contents with all our chapters and special guest interviews. Then read Chapter 1: The Rules of Screenwriting and our First Person interview with Christopher Nolan.

Next, please preorder your own hardcover copy!

The Scriptnotes book comes out December 2, 2025. But the time to order it is now.

Preorders are essential for the success of this book. They signal to bookstores and libraries that they should actually stock copies of our book. Plus, they might land us on best-seller lists, which would be kinda remarkable for a book about screenwriting (and things that are interesting to screenwriters).

Once you’ve preordered your book, send Drew a copy of the receipt → ask@dev.johnaugust.com.

Next week, we’ll be sending out a BONUS CHAPTER that didn’t make it into the book: “Getting Stuff Written.” But only to folks who have preordered the book.

We can’t wait for you to read the Scriptnotes book. Get started with the first 30 pages right now.