“I have a great idea for a documentary. Now what do I do?”

The Documentarian is the ultimate go-to source, containing crucial tips and strategies for making documentaries that every filmmaker needs to know.

As well as relating advice from his own experiences, Nygard includes wisdom from experts like film agents, publicists, festival directors, and award-winning documentary filmmakers such as Davis Guggenheim, Liz Garbus, Rachel Grady, Freida Lee Mock, Errol Morris, Sam Pollard, Michael Tollin, Frederick Wiseman, Marina Zenovich, and others.

The book includes a case study profiling the making and selling of the documentary Trekkies; what it took to push it to a record-setting sale to a major studio, with a huge payout to the filmmakers. This book is inspirational and leaves people—after reading a chapter or finishing the book—feeling more inspired to go forth with their own struggle.

Publisher: Applause Books
Paperback and Kindle
Publication date: August, 2024

Cut to the Monkey is the story of a filmmaker’s journey through Hollywood—revealing how the experts find the funny in any project. The book offers techniques from Nygard’s essential bag of tricks, like an editor’s cookbook, as well as a practical guide on how to prosper as an editor in the film business.

Nygard has worked with some of the funniest people in the business, and the book also features contributions about writing, creating, and editing comedy from some of the biggest names in the comedy business, including Judd Apatow (Girls, The 40-Year-Old Virgin), Alec Berg (Silicon Valley, Barry), Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat, Who Is America?), Mike Binder (Black or White, The Comedy Store), Larry David (Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Seinfeld, Veep), David Mandel (Veep, The White House Plumbers), Jeff Schaffer (The League, Dave), Krista Vernoff (Shameless, Grey’s Anatomy), and others.

“This book isn’t just great. It’s essential!”
Jonny Elwyn, Cut/daily

“Roger Nygard’s book Cut to the Monkey is like a secret weapon for filmmakers.”
Chris Gore, Filmthreat

“Enormously entertaining…. An essential read for anyone who wants to broaden their editorial horizons and comes highly recommended.”
Cornelius Galen, First Frame Magazine, British Film Editors

Publisher: Applause Books
Paperback and Kindle
Publication date: November 15, 2021

We are all doing relationships wrong. It turns out there are simple changes anyone can easily make that lead to far greater relationship happiness. That is what Roger Nygard discovered after meeting dozens of psychologists and relationship specialists such as Pat Allen, Robin Baker, Stephanie Coontz, William Doherty, John & Julie Gottman, Matt Ridley, Christopher Ryan, Bonnie Eaker Weil, and many others.

We aren’t taught in school how to have good relationships. We are sent into the world to figure out this complex formula on our own, through trial and error, a bumpy process causing emotional damage. The Truth About Marriage is a funny yet serious examination of these problems, and a guide with specific steps that anybody can utilize to enjoy healthier, happier, more successful relationships and marriages.

“What I really loved is how it’s the viewpoint of a single person trying to understand marriage…talking about what successful relationships and marriages have in common, and what sabotages them.”
Dr. Adi Jaffe, IGNTD Podcast

Publisher: Micro Publishing Media
Paperback and Kindle
Publication date: March 9, 2020