Hi,
Could anyone recommend me a book about the business side of scriptwriting / playwrighting?

I'm thinking of stuff like: contracts, negotiation, copyright, etc.

thanks,
snikelle

There's an interesting site called Done Deal that show sample contracts etc. American orientated its still worth a look.

Not a book, but the Writers Guild might be useful, and Shooting People, and the Raindance sites. And wherever you live, your local arts board (start with www.artscouncil.org.uk) will almost certainly be able to help.

I bought a book called 'The Art and Science of Screenwriting' by Philip Parker published by Intellect books. It's not heavy on the business side, but has a chapter of handy hints for the beginner. Mostly it focusses on crafting your screenplay - themes, story structure etc etc. Overall though, it was easy to access and I found it handy. I'm sure there are dozens of better ones out there - at least start with the Writers and Artists Yearbook which has valued advice on copyright and the like plus all the addresses you may ever need (but phone to confirm businesses are still trading first...) And Raindance are genuinely enthusiastic and informative, although focussed on film rather than theatre/TV.

Good luck