The Comedy Bible: From Stand-Up to Sitcom--The Comedy Writer's Ultimate How to Guide

by Judy Carter

Book Overview

Judy Carter, guru to aspiring comedy writers and stand-up comics, tells all about the biz of being funny and writing funny in this bright, entertaining, and totally practical guide on how to draw humor from your life and turn it into a career.

Do you think you're funny? Do you want to turn your sense of humor into a career? If the answer is yes, then Judy Carter's The Comedy Bible is for you. The guru to aspiring stand-up comics...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743201256
• ISBN13: 9780743201254
• Release Date: September 2001
• Publisher: Atria Books
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

The Best for starters

I obviously started from scratch and unlike several other books I have read this one does actually what it says it will do. It helps. It's like a workbook for the serious comics. Plus all the help from her website. She makes it a point to actually tell you HOW to do WHAT you do. And what NOT to do. Like I said before I bought this book first and several after and I still use this book over all the others. If you are feeling down after a show this is the suicide prevention book for Stand up comics. I fall asleep after a bad show holding it in my arms tears weeping and somehow Judy makes it all ok. :)

As a graduate of the Comedy Workshops program...

Yes, I'm quite satisfied with the results. I headlined at my showcase night at The Improv - Hollywood, and thanks to Judy's personal touch, we played to a packed house of 250 with consistent unique and tight delivery, and came away with the experience of a lifetime. The audio CD's and DVD's help with understanding how you need to apply the step-by-steps found in this book - but the point is: you have to get out of your own head and work the material like a maniac. The average rate is about 200 hours of writing per hour of performance rough material, so there's lots ahead. Judy herself points out that she didn't "invent" this methodology - she merely thought enough to actually organize all of the years of experience she's gained in writing, living and loving comedy and put it into a single tome. But that doesn't mean it will write material for you. It points you in the direction you need to go - which is start noting down every single premise you discover and forensically tear it down thoroughly. Then, grab your comedy writing "buddy" and start working it through to death. And get in front of every audience or person that will listen. Think of this as a common sense guide to what are the "magical" things that make people like Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Robin Williams, and Billy Crystal funny. And how you can take your personal point of view and find the "funny" in it.

The place to start

This is simply the best book on standup comedy I have read. I wish I could take her class! This book helped me to improve a five minute routine I have and perform it in front of a crowd. I also appreciate that Judy Carter does not have the sexism that mars other books on the topic such as Comic Toolbox by John Vorhaus. If you had to buy only one book on standup, this should be it. Greg Dean's book is pretty good too, but it's just not as comprehensive. Thank you, Judy, for being a great teacher through this book.

Comedy: For Those That Need To Know How Something Works

For many reasons this is a well done book. Judy Carter interviewed and studied many famous comedy people for this book. Quotes by the dozens throughout the book powerfully build on the point made in the text. Stand up comedians are not the only ones that need to be funny. The most widely used clique about professional speaking is: "You don't need to be funny unless you want to get paid." Reading this book is more useful than reading all the joke books you can find. Carter says it the most clearly and the most forcefully. You need to first get your message sorted out completely and then make it funny or at least entertaining. Your personal message is more critical to your success than copying other successful people no matter what you field of speaking, entertaining or communication.The book seemed like one giant personal conversation with the author Judy Carter. You may not break out laughing very often reading this book. Carter would have made a good engineer or scientist, she breaks down into the tiniest imaginable pieces what makes something funny and then puts it back together. Reading and working with this book will make you funnier, it is by far the most promising book I have found so far. That is the good news. The bad news is that you can not just read this book. It is more like a highly serious work book. While it is ultra easy to read, it is very demanding to work your way through the book--- At least in the manner Judy Carter expects the book to be used. The book benefits from the years that Judy Carter has taught comedy performance and writing. If you are interested in writing comedy, jokes, sit com or speeches this is the book to buy. Be ready to roll up you sleeves and really work with this book. It is designed and written to the full range of people that are serious about entertaining other people with humor. In another book on comedy Steve Allen wrote in a foreword: "How to books on comedy are a dime a dozen." For the intensely thinking person on comedy that craves an in depth understanding, I will be surprised if a better book can be found. I will search for that potential gem, but my suspicions are as follows. When a better book is written on comedy, it is likely to be written by Judy Carter. As you can see by my review I thought her original book was outstanding and this one is even better. While I have read it once through carefully, the big pay off is going to come by doing the exercises and the introspective work laid out in this book.

Making it in the funny business!

This is the difinitive book on stand-up comedy! In this highly anticipated sequel to STAND-UP COMEDY, Judy Carter goes far beyond writing a stand-up comedy act. Although she still gives the in's and out's of writing killer comedy (in ONLY 26 days), she also gives the reader goals and contracts to determine exactly why you want a career in stand-up comedy.Not interested in stand-up comedy as a career? No problem! Judy teaches readers how to write sitcom specs in ONLY 19 days! ALL CAREERS are covered in this book: Stand-up comedian, sitcom writer, One-person shows, writing for other comics, writing and performing radio shows, Improv, TV Warm-up, Humor writing and essays, Motivational Humorist!If you've ever dreamed of a career in comedic entertainment,this is the book for you. Hundreds of practical exercises give the reader EVERY opportunity to succeed in this demanding field! (Am I only saying all of this because Judy mentions me, by name, on page 289? Absolutely....Not!)I've been performing stand-up comedy for over 5 years now, and using this book, I am able to take my show to a whole new level. If you are a comedian, and you do not own this book...what are you waiting for?