Lou Grantt, who says she's "old enough to know better, young enough to learn," is editor of Hollywood Scriptwriter (HS) at www.hollywoodscriptwriter.com. She took time from her editing tasks to give an e-mail interview to Screenplayers.

Grantt lives with her "kids" - a cockatiel, a parakeet, and a white rabbit named Alice. She said she relies on her "spousal substitute," associate editor Bob Stone.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU PUBLISHED HOLLYWOOD SCRIPTWRITER IN PRINT?

HS has been in publication for almost 21 years. I bought it four years ago when it was a 10-page, subscription-only newsletter. It's now 20-24 pages, and is on glossy book with a worldwide subscription base and newsstand distribution all over Southern California.

WHEN DID YOU START THE WEB PAGE?

Shortly after I bought the magazine in 1997. Note - HS has been alternately called a newsletter, a magazine and a trade paper. We call ourselves a trade paper for screenwriters but most call us a magazine.

WHY DO YOU MAINTAIN A WEB PAGE?

We feature interviews and articles on the site that are exclusive to the site, or after being cut for size to fit the print edition, are on the Web site unedited and uncut.

The Bill Martell interview is a good example of a piece that had to run short for the mag, but is so chock full of great info and advice that I was very pleased to put all of it on the site, unrestricted by size limitations.

We also have a news feed, sign-ups for our free email bulletin and our free discussion group, and an e-store where people can subscribe to HS, buy back issues, and even buy just the most recent issue on The Newsstand On The Web area of the store.

HOW WIDE IS THE CIRCULATION IN PRINT? ONLINE?

Our print edition is read by thousands of screenwriters, producers and directors each month. Online visitors fluctuate between 8,000 and 18,000 per month. These are unique visitors.

IS EDITING HOLLYWOOD SCRIPTWRITER YOUR FULL-TIME JOB?

Well, there's an understatement. It's permeated my being. I eat and sleep HS. I'm publisher, editor, and chief cook and bottle washer. That's not to minimize the contributions of my staff. Without them, I'd be a basket case every day. They're truly the best.

PLEASE EXPLAIN ITS SLOGAN: THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY'S ONLY TRADE PAPER SPECIFICALLY FOR SCREENWRITERS.

There are trade papers that cover the entertainment industry but they cover the whole industry and aren't specific to any segment of it. There are also magazines for screenwriters that are monthly or bi-monthly that are full magazines but by their nature are unable to do more topical and timely news.

We're a trade paper that focuses on screenwriters and screenwriting for film and television. We also have interviews and articles on the art, craft and business of screenwriting (recent and upcoming interviews with Carrie Fisher, David Mamet, and Spike Lee) as well as industry news that pertains to screenwriters.

DID YOU STUDY FILM IN COLLEGE?

I graduated from the Telecommunications and Film Department of San Diego State University with my B.S. degree in 1985. It's a great school and an excellent department.

WHAT IN YOUR WRITING BACKGROUND LED YOU TO EDITING A SCREENWRITING MAGAZINE AND WEB PAGE?

When I moved to L.A. in '89, I started as an agency reader. I quickly found out that I had a knack for critical analysis and started offering free feedback (with my boss's permission) to the writers who submitted their scripts to him.

In a year's time, I had developed a "following" (as my hairdresser calls it) and began my own business as a script consultant. I had a fair amount of success with that, and part of that was because of ads I ran in Hollywood Scriptwriter.

I was also occasionally writing articles for HS and did an interview or two.

When the previous editor decided to move into a different area of the business, he approached me about the possibility of my buying the newsletter and taking over. I was incredibly flattered, and having no idea what I was getting myself into, I happily pounced on his offer and bought HS forthwith.

That was January 1997. It's been an E-Ticket ride ever since. (Note from the Disney-challenged editor who asked Grantt to explain E-Tickets: "Before Disneyland went to one price for all day, all rides, you'd buy "tickets" for the various rides. The best, most exciting - and sometimes scary - rides needed an "E-Ticket" to get on them.")

WHY DO YOU THINK SO MANY PEOPLE ARE FASCINATED WITH READING ABOUT SCREENWRITING?

Are they? I think aspiring screenwriters will devour books on the subject (and there are a plethora of books on the subject these days), but I'm not sure the movie-going public knows or cares that movies are written down on paper before that handsome A-List actor gets his pretty nose powdered and says those brilliant lines in front of a camera.

DO YOU THINK FILM REFLECTS SOCIETY OR SHAPES IT?

There's no definitive answer to that. Sometimes one, sometimes the other.

There's no denying film's influence on society, and of course, it reflects society in its storytelling processes.

DO YOU THINK FILM IS ART OR BUSINESS?

It "has" to be both. The relationships between art, craft and business "must" be symbiotic in the filmmaking process. If a writer only writes "art" and doesn't study the craft and understand the business, then all s/he'll wind up with are words on the page that will occupy space on a shelf and never find their way to a filmmaker.

Likewise with each of those elements, they can not exist independently of the others and the only way to successfully make it in the screenwriting arena is to understand the importance of each aspect of the process and learn how to meld them together.

This is a business first and foremost. If we're to convince the buyers to write a six- or seven-figure check to us, we must know the business inside and out, we must have learned and practiced our craft through three or more screenplays, and we must have the talent, dedication and passion to write saleable screenplays that still retain those elements of "art" that mean so much to us.

HOLLYWOOD IS DELUGED WITH SCREENPLAYS. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT ALL THE WRITERS' DREAMS FOR FAME AND FORTUNE?

All the writers don't dream of fame. Now, fortune is something else. I'd happily sell a script for a mil or two, but keep my name and picture out of the paper. I like my anonymity.

Interesting, isn't it? It's not so much "The Great American Novel" that people are trying to write any more. Now it's "The Great American Seven-Figure, Big Box Office Screenplay."

HOW DO YOU KEEP UP WITH HOLLYWOOD NEWS? AND COULD YOU TELL KEVIN COSTNER THAT I HAVE A SCRIPT FOR HIM?

There are a lot of sources of news these days. The Hollywood Reporter and Variety are dailies. There are also a number of Web sites with daily news, including www.imdb.com. We even have a news feed on our Web site.

And we get phone calls, emails and faxes from agents, managers and the writers themselves with news of their latest sale or assignment.

Kevin Costner? Saw him in a sidewalk cafe on Sunset one day. Quite a handsome fellow, but. . . well, let's let the man eat his lunch without dumping scripts on his pasta salad.

WHAT'S THE FUNNIEST STORY YOU'VE EVER HEARD ABOUT A SCREENWRITER?

There was that time when. . . no, children might be reading this.

Actually, most stories are either about a sale and its celebration or the continued disappointments of not selling.

WHAT'S THE BEST MARKETING ADVICE YOU'D OFFER TO A NEW SCREENWRITER?

Take your time. Don't rush into this thinking you'll find fame and fortune.

This is a business like any other and requires years of study and preparation before you'll have developed your talent, your craft and your business acumen well enough to approach the market.

Equally important - Get out from in front of that monitor, and go live your life. The best stories don't come from rehashing old movies and television, but from experiencing the joys, the surprises, the pain and heartache that is real life. Soak it all up - and take notes!

HOW WILL NEW MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY AFFECT SCREENWRITING?

We can only guess. Ask me again in a year or two.

DO YOU HAVE A PREDICTION ABOUT THE WGA STRIKE?

No, only the hope that it never happens and that avoiding the strike will mean that both sides have come to agreements that everyone is happy with.

(And there's a jungle in Antarctica you can book a six-week vacation in. For free.)

WHAT SHOULD NEW, NON-UNION WRITERS DO IN EVENT OF A STRIKE?

Continue writing, learning and networking. Do Not Scab! Keep up with the latest news of strike talks at http://wga.org.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT YOUR WORK OR THE MAGAZINE THAT YOU'D LIKE THE READERS TO KNOW?

I must have died and gone to heaven to be so lucky to have had this opportunity. I love my work and my magazine.

I'm so incredibly proud of what we've accomplished here, though I'm also not satisfied yet. We still have some plans for the future that I think our readers will like and benefit from greatly.

All in all, I'd like readers to know we're working for them. We're trying to give them the information and news they need in order to succeed. Their feedback has been invaluable to us, and I hope they keep it coming.

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Articles and subscription information are available online at www.hollywoodscriptwriter.com.

U.S. - $36 International - $55

Email text only version - $23
Individual copies - $3.50

A sample issue from September 2000, the e-mail text only version, is available in its entirety, free on the site.