The Business of Screenwriting: “God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason”

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

I’m at lunch with our agents in Beverly Hills. It’s February, 1987. The deal where Universal Pictures bought our spec script K-9 is finalized and my agents are setting up meet-and-greets for us all over town. Amidst the jovial banter befitting the successful consummation of a hefty six-figure movie deal, my agents are feeding us information, grooming…