I'm one of many out there who can only dream of becoming what Jerry Rannow is; a successful professional writer. Yes, Jerry specializes in sitcom comedy only because that's where his passion and special gifts led him. After reading his book, I learned that it takes more than a "dream" to succeed as a writer. Jerry's insights come from the bowels of the Hollywood monster so many attack and so few vanquish. He had to risk his professional life many times in order to help shape the direction of that profession.Don't pass up this book just because you don't see yourself as a sitcom writer. Yes, many of the specific facts in the book pertain to writing sitcom, however, so much more applies, in general, to what it takes to succeed as a writer in any specialized field of writing. In the context of his successful experience, he explains the necessity for traits like patience, perseverance, learning when to replace anger with wisdom, being where the writing "action" is, forming collaborations and connections, learning to value criticism, and learning to pitch what you create ... just to name a few.For most of us wannabe writers, the prospect of earning a living writing is some kind of serious holy quest. Jerry's writing style skillfully uses brilliant injections of humor to demystify the whole Hollywood world and make it seem almost accessible to us mere mortals. For example, at the beginning of Chapter 8 he begins, "Congratulations! Boot camp is over. Now your story will begin to breathe as you write an actual FIRST DRAFT. You are about to create a new reality. A 'life' that never existed before. EGAD! Frankenscript!" Such humorous diversions really lift the spirits of the reader and the book is full of them; on page after page. In chapter 10, talking about re-writing a draft he says, "After all, nobody gets it all right the first time. The last person to do that was crucified." And on page 131, warning about the need to be able to pitch your ideas Jerry writes, "They have trouble expressing themselves verbally, so they don't sell and end up teaching Chaucer to drill-press majors at the local technical school."Jerry's book is so inspirational that after reading it you might start a bonfire with that 800 page great American novel you've been working on for the last 10 years and buy a bus ticket to Hollywood to write your first sitcom spec script! Seriously, you will be motivated and empowered with valuable inside information to push your level of professionalism as a writer in the direction of the standards that men like Jerry Rannow have set for the profession.Richard Bencriscutto (Author and a technical writer by profession)