My favorite guilty pleasure read on the film industry is The Devil's Guide to Hollywood by Joe Eszterhas. I think his experience in the industry, the players and discussing screenwriting will either make a person run screaming out of Hollywood or make you dig your heels in deeper and just do it. It's hilarious and, at times, the most unbelievable book I've ever read.
I have a lot of books on writing, but there's one that I would suggest for rom/com writing, Writing the Romantic Comedy by Billy Mernit. It's a quick read and covers formulaic high concept rom/com screenwriting. I think this is a solid book on rom/com's, but I also think it's great to use it, put it aside, and then break all of rules.
Next on my list is Shooting to Kill by Christine Vachon with David Edelstein. I adore this book and the bent pages are a testament to how over-the-moon I am for this book. It's great for indie producers looking for some insight. It's a bit dated now, but still a good read.
Lastly, the Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler. Okay, my copy of this book looks like it's been thrown in a washer - highlighter and coffee stains are forever slopped across the pages. This book takes you on a bit of a Greek journey and provides examples of how myths of yesterday tie into contemporary film. I think there are a bunch of reprints to this book, so get the latest and dive on into it.
