About the Book:

How to interview successfully with agents, managers, producers, and casting directors.

The Actor Takes A Meeting is the first book to address the actor's self-presentation at an interview or meeting. It shows the actor how to be the host of a meeting and the initiator of an exciting experience that may lead to offers of representation, auditions, and project participation.

Interviewing doesn't come naturally to many actors. We want the job, we want to impress or please our auditor or interviewer – and it's this very mindset that prevents us from either booking the job or being remembered favourably when the next one comes along. Why are we so self-conscious when meeting a new agent? Why do we blow a callback by trying to ingratiate ourselves with the director?

The Actor Takes a Meeting addresses these questions head-on, rooting out the mistakes actors make in pursuit of work. Using actual interviews with members of his acting class and offering corrective exercises to improve their interviewing skills, Stephen Book pinpoints all the places we go awry: being overeager, using false flattery, seeking approval, asking permission, talking ourselves up or down, wanting something from the interviewer so much that we forget to be who we are and instead try to make him or her like us. All of these spell death to the interview, Stephen Book says.

When we show that we want something from the interviewer, he explains, it puts that person in a position of ultimate power, with the actor as nothing but an overeager or desperate person hoping to find favour. What could be less attractive? Stephen Book seeks to adjust this equation, teaching actors how to behave as equals with their interviewers. Most importantly, you will learn how applying Stephen Book's practical teachings can bring about remarkable transformations of your meeting skills.

What people say:

"As someone who has worked on both sides of the business, I can tell you firsthand that Stephen Book gets it exactly right. If you want to walk into a meeting or an audition with the kinds of tools and knowledge that give you the confidence to be your absolute best, The Actor Takes a Meeting is a book you should study and enjoy." — Grant Heslov, Academy Award-nominated Producer

"Until Stephen taught me how to take a meeting, I was always shooting myself in the foot. His technique has cleaned up all that self-destructive behavior and smoothed the way for making the transition from stand-up to acting and starring in a series. Now, I can be in a room with the most powerful people in show business and shine." — Christopher Titus, actor and comedian

"If you're not getting the representation or acting jobs you deserve, this is the book for you. Stephen Book illustrates exactly what you've been doing wrong and how to correct it. As a former agent, manager, and producer I've taken countless meetings with actors who desperately needed this advice. He even paints a clear picture of how I've been reacting to what you've been doing wrong. I had no idea it was that transparent." — Bruce Smith, President, OmniPop Talent Group

"Stephen Book's interview technique is one of the most valuable tools for the actor. It is a “how-to” for making an authentic connection. I vividly remember one of the best general meetings I had: It was easy, fun, and the time just flew by. As we were saying goodbye and I finally glanced at her résumé, I saw that she had indeed studied with Stephen Book. I was not surprised." — Liz Dean, Casting Director

About the Author:

Stephen Book is an acting coach, teacher, and director whose students have won Oscars, Emmys, Tonys, Obies and Grammys. A former long-time faculty member of The Juilliard School and the University of Southern California, he has also taught at Stanford, Brown, the Bread Loaf School of English, and the Esalen Institute and continues to teach and coach at his workshop in Hollywood. The Actor Takes a Meeting grew out of his workshop's curriculum.