Skip Press

Skip Press has edited a Hollywood entertainment magazine, produced and directed stage plays to rave reviews in the Los Angeles Times, made instructional videos, and a film he wrote and co-produced won a Silver Medal at the New York International Film Festival. He has sold radio, TV, and feature film scripts, served as the Hollywood correspondent for Boys Life magazine (American Boy Scouts), was a staff writer for Algo’s Factory (United Paramount Network), had dozens of young adult novels and nonfiction book series published, sold an online Webshow, and taught an online screenwriting course eventually available in 1,500 schools. His young adult You Solve It Mystery novels were developed for a TV series twice and will soon be rewritten and reissued, with a new fourth installment.

Press has published almost 50 books, including four editions of the Writer's Guide to Hollywood, four editions of the Complete Idiot's Guide to Screenwriting (including one in Russian). His most recent books include the autobiography of a music legend - This Is My Song: A Memoir by Patti Page with Skip Press (2017 ebook following the hardback in 2009), and the Ultimate Guide to Financing a College Education. How To Write What You Want & Sell What You Write, based on his first writing class at UCLA Extension Writers Program (the largest of its kind in the world), sold steadily for a quarter of a century.

Many books he ghost-wrote and edited have hit #1 in their category on Amazon, such as the Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing & Design by Flint Dille and John Zuur Platten, which became the "bible" of the video game industry (Press sold the book and edited it).

In 1989, after being chosen to play singer/songwriter Harry "Taxi" Chapin in a biopic, only to see the project fall apart, Press concentrated on a new marriage and family and began teaching while also being a “Mr. Mom.” With books and courses, he has taught over 250,000 people to succeed in writing.

Press has appeared for almost two decades on radio and television and spoken at writers' events and conferences across the U.S. He helped start the Hollywood Film Festival (which became the Hollywood Film Awards), has been a member of numerous national writing organizations, and appeared in seven "Who's Who" books.

While turning out new books and scripts full-time, he takes time to moderate the "Ask A Screenwriter" space at Quora.com. He helped build it from zero and in just over a year the forum accumulated over 600,000 followers from all over the world.