Just when you thought Taylor Sheridan couldn’t possibly add another title to his résumé, he pivots. The busiest man in Hollywood, and possibly the world, is abandoning Paramount, his new deal at NBCUniversal, and television altogether for his latest project.
Simon & Schuster has announced it will publish the debut book from Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Taylor Sheridan. The book, co-written with former inmate Tom Nelson, is titled How to Not Die in Prison and hits shelves on June 23, 2026. Described as a darkly funny, no-nonsense manual for surviving life in a maximum-security prison, the book promises to cover everything from navigating a prison riot or lockdown to surviving stabbings, solitary confinement, and even how to (allegedly) make a shiv.
Sheridan doesn’t pretend to be an authority on incarceration. In fact, he leans directly into that irony in the 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.”
Who Is Tom Nelson?
The lived experience comes from co-author Tom Nelson, who spent more than 17 years behind bars in medium- and maximum-security prisons. Nelson doesn’t shy away from his past either:
“I wish I could’ve heeded Taylor’s advice all those 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. 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.”
The book was acquired by Stuart Roberts, Vice President and Executive Editor at Simon & Schuster, with rights negotiated by Anthony Mattero at Creative Artists Agency. How to Not Die in Prison publishes June 23, 2026.
via Collider