"Something Out of Nothing . . . A Hollywood Maverick's Rule Book" is an often funny, enlightening insider's view on how to break into the world of show biz and navigate its shark-infested waters. Each chapter, a rule like "Good Ideas Don't Just Fall Off a Turnip Truck" to "Never Get Your Hopes Up Higher Than the Lowest Drawer in Your Desk," includes anecdotes of "war stories" about working with legendary and Academy Award-winning talent. Something is funnier than Julia Phillips's "You'll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again," less "sour grapes" than Joe Esterhaz's "Animal," and more broadly encompassing than William Goldman's "Adventures in the Screen Trade."