Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: A Novel

Quentin Tarantino's long-awaited first work of fiction-at once hilarious, delicious and brutal-is the always surprising, sometimes shocking, novelization of his Academy Award winning film.

In Once Upon a Time . . . in Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino re-creates the glamorous and gritty heyday of late '60s Hollywood in the weeks leading up to one of the most shocking crimes in modern American history. Revisiting and expanding the story told on film, Tarantino's novel is full of the unusual twists and turns that are a hallmark of his acclaimed storytelling.

The story tracks four principal characters both before and after the events of the film:

RICK DALTON-Once he had his own TV series, but now Rick's a washed-up villain-of-the week drowning his sorrows in whiskey sours. Will a phone call from Rome save his fate or seal it?

CLIFF BOOTH-Rick's stunt double, and the most infamous man on any movie set because he's the only one there who might have got away with murder. . . .

SHARON TATE-She left Texas to chase a movie-star dream, and found it. Sharon's salad days are now spent on Cielo Drive, high in the Hollywood Hills.

CHARLES MANSON-The ex-con's got a bunch of zonked-out hippies thinking he's their spiritual leader, but he'd trade it all to be a rock 'n' roll star.

Vivid, funny, unforgettable, Once Upon a Time . . . in Hollywood teases readers with the imaginative narrative force that makes Tarantino one of a kind.

Tarantinoesque was recently added to the Oxford English Dictionary to describe this unique American storyteller’s work. There is simply no other writer-director like Tarantino—his brilliant dialogue, surprising plotting, and original narrative style have earned him a passionate and devoted fanbase worldwide. He will support the book’s publication with the kind of extensive national media tour he does for his movies.

Tarantino revisits the world of his film, providing original and unique content that makes for a surprising and sometimes shocking reading experience. The novel explores the characters’ backstories, providing important details and information, and expands the story beyond the film’s ending. Tarantino delves deeper into the always fascinating figure of Charles Manson, offering his own take on his motivations, and even answers a central mystery of the film: “Did Cliff Booth kill his wife?”

Once Upon a Time . . . in Hollywood earned almost $400 million at the box office and won Oscars for Best Supporting Actor (Brad Pitt) and Best Production Design, and was nominated for eight more, including Best Film, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Director for Tarantino. But even for fans who have watched the movie multiple times, this book holds a surprise or new spin on almost every page.

We are publishing the book in mass market—alongside e-book and audio editions—to pay homage to Tarantino’s fervent love of the format, and particularly to the lost art of the movie novelization. The book’s package will model mass market tie-ins of the period and will be a love letter to the 1970s paperback. Tarantino’s passion as a book lover will also be on full display as he promotes widely.

Harper will publish a deluxe hardcover edition of Once Upon a Time . . . in Hollywood in Fall 2021 that will feature much more additional material. After that we will publish Tarantino’s first work of nonfiction, Cinema Speculation, which is his unique take on 1970s movies.