[Watch the video interview on YouTube here]
Film Courage: John, if we can sort of indulge ourselves for just one question here…that is we are in the process of finishing a book and we’re not totally there yet. It’s a tool book for writers. As someone who has written and released over what 20 books I believe?
John Vorhaus, Author/Speaker/Artist/Screenwriter: Thirty now…
Film Courage: On your website?
John: My own website, BafflegabBooks.com or JohnVorhaus.com. They’ll both get to the same place.
Film Courage: What advice can you give us on getting a book out there to the public?
John: Well, you’re already making one smart move that you might not be aware of and that is you’re writing a how-to book in today’s market.
There are two classes of information. Information that people need and information that people just want. Information that people need people will pay for information they need. They won’t necessarily pay for information they just want because they really don’t have to. Information they want is what we call entertainment.
If I need to know how to be a writer, I’m drawn to books that will teach me that and if I sample the books and I feel like it’s going to move me toward that goal, I’m likely to buy it. I need what this book has. I need this information, so I’m going to pay for it but if all I want is to be entertained by a story, I don’t really need to pay for a story because the entertainment value of one story can be found in another story.
There are a lot of stories. You could read novels for 100 lifetimes for free, find them online and never run out of content that you might enjoy but if you want to be a stand-up comic, you’re going to have to buy a book on standup comedy or just get out there and do it yourself…(Watch the video interview on YouTube here).
BIO:
John Vorhaus is best known for his comedy-writing classic, The Comic Toolbox: How to be Funny Even if You’re Not. He has taught and trained writers in 37 countries on five continents at last count, and created TV shows of his own in Nicaragua, Romania and elsewhere. His writing credits include dozens of teleplays and screenplays, plus seven novels and some two dozen works of non-fiction. His latest book is the little book of STANDUP. Vorhaus is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University and a member of the Writers Guild of America. He lives in Southern California and secretly controls the world from JohnVorhaus.com.
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Film Courage is hosting an online class, Saturday, April 12, 2025
11 Steps To Writing A Great Character – Story Questions Writing Workshop
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