Book description
Steve Cuden’s Beating Hollywood examines, piece by piece, how writers, directors, and producers create stories for extraordinary movies by breaking down forty classic films into narrative beats, plot points, and movements to uncover how magic was made.
More than a simple look at what others have done, this book also…
- Coming soon!
- Coming soon!
Why read it?
1 author picked Beating Hollywood as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
I loved the practicality of Cuden’s book, which analyzes forty classic movies, thus revealing what makes them work and what makes them classics. I also appreciated his tips to aspiring screenwriters and found them right on.
His clear writing style made it easy for me to read and a valuable resource for my students.
From Paul's list on start your career as a screenwriter.
If you love Beating Hollywood...
December on 5C4
Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!
On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…
Want books like Beating Hollywood?
Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 4 books like Beating Hollywood.
Share your top 3 reads of 2025!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
1,299
readers submitted
so far, will you?
📚 If you like Beating Hollywood, you might also like...
Karl's War
Karl's War is a coming-of-age-meets-thriller set in Germany on the eve of Hitler coming to power. Karl – a reluctant poster boy for the Nazis – meets Jewish Ben and his world is up-turned.
Ben and his family flee to France. Karl joins the German army but deserts and finds…
Girl in the Ashes
Odette Lefebvre is a serial killer stalking the shadows of Nazi-occupied Paris and must confront both the evils of those she murders and the darkness of her own past.
This young woman's childhood trauma shapes her complex journey through World War II France, where she walks a razor's edge…
