Blake Snyder

Snyder's nonfiction book Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need was the number one selling book among screenwriting manuals on Amazon and in 2018 is on its 34th printing. The book describes in detail the structure of the monomyth or hero's journey, providing a by-the-minute pattern for screenwriting.

The sixth is the first non-screenwriting book, Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book on Novel Writing That You'll Ever Need, written by student and YA novelist Jessica Brody (published on October 9, 2018).

The fifth book was written by his student, Spanish screenwriter and novelist Salva Rubio. It is titled Save the Cat! Goes to the Indies, was published in April 2017, and features the analysis of 50 independent, European, auteur and cult films.

The in-person Beat Sheet Workshops continue, taught by "Master Cats" who were mentored by Snyder. The Beat Sheet Workshops expanded with online courses in 2017.

The fourth book was a compilation of Blake's blogs and other writings on the subject of screenwriting, titled Save the Cat! Blake's Blogs: More Information and Inspiration for Writers, (published in 2016).

Snyder's method expanded the 15 beats further into 40 beats, which are laid out on "The Board." The Board is divided into 4 rows, with each row representing a quarter of the story, namely the 1st Act, the 1st half of the 2nd Act, the 2nd half of the 2nd Act, and the 3rd Act.

According to Snyder, this crucial element is missing from many of today's movies. He referenced Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life (2003) as being a film that focused on making the character Lara Croft "cool" and sexy (via a "new latex body suit for Angelina Jolie") instead of likable. An estimated $95 million was spent on this film, and it only grossed $156.5 worldwide ($65.6 million in the U.S.). This sequel did not lose money, but it earned considerably less than the original Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), which grossed $274.7 million worldwide ($131.1 million in the U.S.).

How to Train Your Dragon :(DreamWorks, 2010) was dedicated to Snyder. Whispers Under Ground (Gollancz, 2012) by Ben Aaronovitch was dedicated to him as well.

Snyder died unexpectedly August 4, 2009, of what was characterized as either a pulmonary embolism or cardiac arrest. A public memorial was held at the Writers Guild of America, West on September 29, 2009.

The third book of Snyder's series, Save the Cat! Strikes Back: More Trouble for Screenwriters to Get Into... and Out Of, was published in November, 2009. This was the last book in the series to be authored by Snyder himself.

As a companion to his books, Snyder developed a story structure software product called Save the Cat! The Last Story Structure Software You'll Ever Need. The software places Snyder's Beat Sheet and Board on an end user's desktop, phone, or tablet. In 2008, Snyder and the software company Final Draft, Inc. specializing in script formatting, became partners in building import/export functions between the two programs. Snyder's company, Blake Snyder Enterprises, LLC, released an iPhone app of the software in November, 2009 and an Android app in 2016. Version 4 of the software and apps, which includes new templates for novelists and television writers, will be released in the fourth quarter of 2018.

In 2007, Snyder wrote Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies. The second book took 50 landmark movies, identified their specific genres, and broke them down into the 15 beats of the BS2.

Snyder's first spec screenplay sale was in 1989 for the script Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, which sold for $500,000 in a bidding war. He went on to sell 12 more original screenplays and was named "one of Hollywood's most successful spec screenwriters". Million dollar script sales include Blank Check, co-written with Colby Carr for Walt Disney Pictures, and Nuclear Family, co-written with James Haggin for Steven Spielberg/Amblin Entertainment.

Snyder went on to earn a B.A. degree in English from Georgetown University, and returned to Los Angeles where he began his career writing for the Disney TV series Kids Incorporated. Snyder began writing full-time as a screenwriter in 1987. He was a member of the Writers Guild of America for over 20 years.

Snyder's father, Kenneth C. T. Snyder, was an Emmy-winning TV producer of many children's shows in the 1960s and 1970s. Among them were The Funny Company, Hot Wheels, animated segments on Sesame Street, Big Blue Marble and the cult classic Roger Ramjet.

Blake Snyder (October 3, 1957 – August 4, 2009) was an American screenwriter, consultant, author and educator based in Los Angeles who, through his Save the Cat trilogy of books on screenwriting and story structures, became one of the most popular writing mentors in the film industry. Snyder led international seminars and workshops for writers in various disciplines, as well as consultation sessions for some of Hollywood's largest studios.