Meet Amy Sewell, a former stay-at-home mother of twins with no filmmaking experience, who fell in love with a story about ballroom dancing kids. She went on to make and sell one of the most successful documentaries of all time.

Is that possible? How did she do it? In this engaging and insightful book, Sewell, the writer and producer of Mad Hot Ballroom, takes readers through the process. She describes her struggles and shares what she learned, from refining an idea, to raising money, to hiring a crew, to the festival circuit,...