LEARN HOW TO WRITE AND PERFORM STAND UP COMEDY.A new edition of Be A Great Stand-Up, now fully revised and updated with new material on setting up and running a comedy night and mining almost any subject for jokes.Logan Murray has successfully taught the techniques of stand-up comedy to thousands, and in this book he distills his years of experience into the essential skills for a great and enjoyable performance. He will help you find your creative streak and your ...

Logan Murray has successfully taught the techniques of stand-up comedy to thousands, and in this book he distills his years of experience into the essential skills for a great and enjoyable performance. He will help you find your own creative streak and your funny side, build the confidence to deliver, and explain the finer details of stagecraft, from dealing with hecklers to coping with props. There is a full guide to the practicalities, from finding gigs to securing an agent, with plenty...

This entertaining and sharply written guide—for both beginners breaking into comedy and professionals seeking to improve their sets and advance their careers—examines the work of great comedians such as Louis C.K., Jerry Seinfeld, Eddie Izzard, Moms Mabley, Hannibal Buress, Sarah Silverman, Richard Pryor, and more as a means of illustrating the most important techniques of performing and writing stand-up.Here, Stephen Rosenfield lays out a clear plan for achieving success, candidly ...

If you think you’re funny, buy this book!Whether you dream of becoming a star . . .A better public speaker . . .A more effective communicator . . .A funnier, happier human being . . .You can learn to leave ‘em laughing!David Letterman learned to do it. Jay Leno learned to do it. Roseanne Barr learned to do it. So can you!Now successful sta...

A NEW YORK TIMESBESTSELLERNAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY NPRAmy Poehler, Mel Brooks, Adam McKay, George Saunders, Bill Hader, Patton Oswalt, and many more take us deep inside the mysterious world of comedy in this fascinating, laugh-out-loud-funny book. Packed with behind-the-scenes stories—from a day in the writers’ room at The Onion to why a sketch does or doesn’t make it onto Saturday Night Live to ho...

**#1 New York Times Business Bestseller#1 Wall Street Journal Business Bestseller#1 Washington Post bestsellerFrom the bestselling author of Drive: the insightful and pragmatic book that explores the powerful role selling plays in our lives.**According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, one in nine Americans works in sales. Every day more than fifteen million people earn their keep by persuading someone else to make a p...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • MORE THAN 3 MILLION COPIES SOLD • This instant classic explores how we can change our lives by changing our habits.“Few [books] become essential manuals for business and living. The Power of Habit is an exception.”—Financial TimesA WALL STREET JOURNAL AND FINANCIAL TIMES BEST BOOK OF THE YEARIn The Power of Habit, award-winning busines...

A fully revised and updated edition with writing prompts and challenges in every chapterToday’s writers need more spunk than Strunk: whether it's the Great American e-mail, Madison Avenue advertising, or Grammy Award-winning rap lyrics, memorable writing must jump off the page. Copy veteran Constance Hale is on a mission to make creative communication, both the lyrical and the unlawful, an option for everyone.With its crisp, witty tone, Sin and Synt...

"Reminiscent of Stephen King's fiction handbook On Writing. . . . An accessible indispensable nonfiction guidebook from an authority who knows his subject." — Kirkus ReviewsWhether you're writing a rags-to-riches tell-all memoir or literary journalism, telling true stories well is hard work. In You Can't Make This Stuff Up, Lee Gutkind, "the godfather behind creative non-fiction ( ...

2 Bestselling Guides Packed With Tips to Help You Brainstorm and Plan Your Best StoryFrom Award-Winning and Internationally Published Writing Mentor K.M. WeilandWith over 300 pages of step-by-step guidance, these two individual books have helped thousands of authors write better books.Can Outlining Help You Write a Better Story?These bestselling guides will help you choose the right type of outline to unleash your creativity...

'Nail Your Novel is on my shortlist of indispensable writing books' - Lisa Cron, author of Wired For Story'Comprehensive, concise and packed with helpful tips for all writers' - Geri Ahearn, Amazon Vine reviewerWhat keeps a reader curious? It’s the story. You might have a dazzling prose voice and plausible characters, but if they don’t do anything, the reader is likely to lose interest.So where do you find story ideas?

An “optimistic, warm, unpretentious” (San Francisco Chronicle) guide to unlocking your inner poet, blending thoughtful anecdotes and practical exercises to foster inspiration and promote creativity“This is a wonderful book—smart, wide-eyed, joyful, helpful, inspiring. You’re going to love it, and love writing poetry more for having read it.”—Anne Lamott, author of Bird by BirdIt’s impossible to teach anyone to write a ...