Taylor Sheridan to Release His First Book, How to Not Die in Prison, This Summer

Taylor Sheridan continues to prove that he can really do it all. The Fort Worth native, Oscar-nominated screenwriter, and Emmy-nominated producer behind hit television shows Yellowstone, Landman, 1883, Lioness, and more, is now publishing his first book this summer — How to Not Die in Prison.

According to its publisher, Simon & Schuster, Sheridan’s debut book is a “no-bullsh*t, darkly funny survival guide to life inside a maximum-security prison, cowritten with prison-hardened ex-con Tom Nelson.” Nelson’s rap sheet includes auto theft, assault & battery, armed robbery, and drug dealing. He spent more than 17 years in maximum and medium security prisons. Now, he’s a father, husband, and personal trainer.

So why did Sheridan decide to co-write a book about prison? He explains in the book’s introduction:

“You might wonder what in the world gives me the knowledge or wisdom to write a survival guide to prison. Well, I’ll tell you — absolutely nothing. I’ve never been to prison. But, like every man, I’ve certainly wondered how I would survive if circumstances ever put me there. That morbid curiosity sent me on a journey to understand the politics and dangers of prison. When researching for Mayor of Kingstown, I learned very quickly it’s way better to avoid going to prison than figuring out how to survive one.”

There’s not a lot of info on how the two know each other either, but Nelson mentions in the book that he wishes he could’ve heeded Sheridan’s advice years ago and “read the F*cking Book.”

“But that’s exactly the point: there was no F*cking Book to speak of because I hadn’t yet been spit out through the system and gained the knowledge that my co-author currently refers to as wisdom,” Nelson writes. “Hey, one of us has written hit TV shows and Academy Award-nominated movies, and the other has spent much of his adult life behind bars in medium and maximum-security prisons. If that’s what makes for good wisdom and entertainment, I’ll take it.”

Lately, Sheridan has had a lot going on in the filmmaking world, as the news of his leaving Paramount for a deal with NBCUniversal made headlines. His current Paramount series include locally filmed Landman, Lioness, Tulsa King, Mayor of Kingstown, as well as Yellowstone spinoffs The Dutton Ranch, The Madison, and Marshals. He even teamed up on a music reality series with Blake Shelton called The Road. Sheridan also recently debuted a new members-only club at Cattlemen’s Steakhouse in Fort Worth.

Releasing on June 23, pre-orders for How to Not Die in Prison are now available wherever books are sold.