''Small Screen, Big Picture: A Writer's Guide to the TV Business'' is a nonfiction book about the

entertainment business Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz or showbiz (since 1945), is a vernacular term for all aspects of the entertainment industry.''Oxford English Dictionary'' 2nd Ed. (1989) From the business side (including managers, agents, produce ...

written by Chad Gervich. It covers the process of entering the TV writing profession and earning a living as a TV writer. It was published November 25, 2008, by

Three Rivers Press Three Rivers Press is the trade paperback imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House. It publishes original paperback titles as well as paperback reprints of books issued initially in hardcover by the other Crown imprin ...

, and is currently published by

Penguin Random House Penguin Random House Limited is a British-American multinational corporation, multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate publishing company formed on July 1, 2013, with the merger of Penguin Books and Random House. Penguin Books was or ...

Overview

The book explores the ways in which

television networks A television broadcaster or television network is a telecommunications network for the distribution of television show, television content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations, pay television providers or ...

production companies A production company, production house or production studio is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television show, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, and video ...

, and

Hollywood studios Hollywood studios may refer to: *Cinema of the United States, collectively referred to as "Hollywood", referring to an area of Los Angeles, California *Universal Studios Hollywood, a production facility and theme park in Hollywood *Disney's Hollywo ...

intersect. It then demonstrates how those entities work together to guide a writer's creative process. Other topics include modern television business models, new media outlets, and potential paths to employment as a TV writer.

Reception

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is ...

'' said of the book, "This could just be the most informative book ever written about the television industry." ''

TV by the Numbers TV by the Numbers was a website devoted to collecting and analyzing television ratings data in the United States that operated from 2007 to 2020. It was a part of Nexstar Media Group's Zap2it television news/listings site. History An Internet an ...

'' stated, "If you want to break into television as a writer, this is definitely a book for you." Advance praise was written for the book by

Tom Kapinos Tom Kapinos is an American television writer and screenwriter best known for his creation of the Showtime series ''Californication'' and the Fox series ''Lucifer''. Early life Kapinos attended Island Trees School District on Long Island, New Y ...

, creator of the television series ''

Californication Californication may refer to: *Californication (word), an expression that refers to the influx of Californians into various western states in the U.S. *Californication (album), ''Californication'' (album), a 1999 album by the Red Hot Chili Peppers ...

'', who said:

The world of TV writing is much like the hell that is high school, only the nerds are nerdier, the jocks are jockier and all the mean girls want to eat your young. With the help of Chad’s book and breezy writing, one will be able to navigate the treacherous waters and dimly lit corridors and emerge overpaid and well fed, just like the rest of us.

References

2008 non-fiction books Books about television Books about writing Three Rivers Press books {{film-book-stub