Write to TV: Out of Your Head and onto the Screen

by Martie Cook

In Write to TV (third edition) industry veteran Martie Cook offers practical advice on writing innovative television scripts that will allow you to finally get that big idea out of your head and onto the screen. With this book you’ll learn to craft smart, original stories and scripts for a variety of television formats and genres, including comedy, drama, pilots, web series, and subscription video on demand.

This new edition has been updated with expanded coverage on writing for global audiences, content creation for streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon and Hulu, as well as writing the web series, podcasts and utilizing free platforms such as YouTube. It also features new chapters on writing for niche markets; breaking into the writers’ room; creating binge-worthy series and how to accompany pilot scripts with a series pitch document. Plus, expanded information on creating complex and compelling characters including writing anti-heroes and strong female protagonists and much, much more.

Including information directly from studio and network executives, agents, and managers on what they’re looking for in new writers and how to avoid common pitfalls, advice from successful creators and showrunners on creating original content that sells, and tips from new writers on how to get into a writers room and stay there. This book contains information from more than 20 new interviews, access to sample outlines, script pages, checklists, and countless other invaluable resources, and is the ideal book for anyone who wants to break into the TV writing industry.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction

364 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Agnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very thorough, but get the most recent edition you can-t.v. is constantly changing.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very honest and introspective look at the writing industry from an up and coming writer's perspective. Cook takes you through moving to LA and writing your first spec script to the WGA and more. I found this book to be helpful, honest, and even humorous at times. A great read for anyone who's looking to going into television.

[MJ Halberstadt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, and use it frequently in the screenwriting classes I teach at Emerson College. Cook manages to speak generally and candidly about the industry through instructive anecdotes. There is great advice in here for those interested to learn about the creative process, the business, and the teaching of screenwriting.

[Autumn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informational. A good text to read if you are thinking about becoming a TV writer. Some sections could have been condensed, and I still have a few questions that weren't addressed.

[Inky]

This was a school book I read a few months ago but I forgot to include. I forget the actual date I read it so I'm just putting in today's date.