User:Nerdypunkkid/Stand-Up Comedy: The Book

Stand-up Comedy: The Book (1989) is a how to book on making people laugh. According to the cover the book contains. The funny test. How to turn your anxieties into a killer act. How to make your sense of humor pay off. Secrets from the stars of comedy.

Composition
The book is divided into a series of chapter that each focus on an aspect of stand-up comedy from creating material to creating and audience. Each chapter contains a mix of advice from the experts in stand-up as well as workshops to help you progress.

Warm up
This is an introductory chapter and it asks the question: Just how funny are you? and it introduces the funny test as a way for you to answer that question. It also contains a glossary of frequent comedy terms that you might encounter within the book or career and it gives you excuses not to get on stage.

Getting Started
What makes people laugh? The five big secrets to making people laugh. As well as workshops that has you study comedians and learn from them. And how to learn from your critics.

Getting Material
How the hell do you come up with material? You all ready have plenty: Your life. Through a few lectures and a series of workshops you will learn how to examine your life and your experiences and you them to pick a topic and develop material.

Getting it Funny
Now that you have material. How and when should you introduce the punch line. Through workshops and lectures the pro and cons of various stand-up comedy formulas are introduced.

Getting it Styled
This chapter focuses on the extras to give your act that extra bang. Such as the use of props, impressions, music, characters and political humor.

Getting it Ready
You have material now learn to use it. Through lectures and workshops you the stand-up

Getting It Up Onstage
How to get a gig and prepare as you countdown to showtime.

Getting Feedback
What you should do the morning after a performance and workshops on evaluating your material and audience and altering the material to meet your audience expectations.

Getting Rich
Stand-up comedy is a business and this chapter deals with the business end. From ways to make money and places to perform as a stand-up comedian to creating your own events.

One last word
Judy concludes the book with some final thoughts.

Publication
Stand-up Comedy: The Book was published on August 5th 1989 by Dell publishing which is a subsidiary of Random House books. It launched on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

Reviews
"All the world loves a clown and whether you want to clown around at parties or make a living as a standup comic, comedian Judy Carter can show you how to "do" comedy."

"This is a fine book and can improve your stand up comedy as long as you don't take it up on stage with you." Garry Shandling