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

Chad Gervich Chad Gervich is a published author, television writer and producer, and playwright. Gervich has produced and written for shows such '' After Lately'', ''Dog With a Blog'', ''Cupcake Wars ''Cupcake Wars'' is an American reality competition se ...

. It covers the process of entering the TV writing profession and earning a living as a

TV writer A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. T ...

. 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 imprints ...

, and is currently published by

Penguin Random House Penguin Random House LLC is an Anglo-American multinational corporation, multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate publishing company formed on July 1, 2013, from the merger of Penguin Group and Random House. On April 2, 2020, Bertels ...

Overview

The book explores the ways in which

television networks A television network or television broadcaster is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay television providers. Until the mid-1 ...

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

, and Hollywood studios 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 av ...

'' 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 ...

'' 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) ''Californication'' is a portmanteau of California and fornication, appearing in ''Time'' on May 6, 1966 and written about on August 21, 1972, additionally seen on bumper stickers in the U.S. ...

'', 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