The TV Writer's Workbook and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more


or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
or
Amazon Prime Free Trial required. Sign up when you check out. Learn More
Kindle Edition
 
   
Sell Back Your Copy
For a $1.24 Gift Card
Trade in
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
The TV Writer's Workbook: A Creative Approach To Television Scripts
 
 
Start reading The TV Writer's Workbook on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

The TV Writer's Workbook: A Creative Approach To Television Scripts [Paperback]

Ellen Sandler (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)

List Price: $16.00
Price: $10.88 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $5.12 (32%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
Want it delivered Monday, February 6? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition --  
Paperback $10.88  

Book Description

March 27, 2007
Why is TV writing different from any other kind of writing? How will writing a spec script open doors? What do I have to do to get a job writing for TV? Writing for television is a business. And, like any business, there are proven strategies for success. In this unique hands-on guide, television writer and producer Ellen Sandler shares the trade secrets she learned while writing for hit shows like Everybody Loves Raymond and Coach. She offers concrete advice on everything from finding a story to getting hired on a current series.

Filled with easy-to-implement exercises and practical wisdom, this ingenious how-to handbook outlines the steps for becoming a professional TV writer, starting with a winning script. Sandler explains the difference between “selling” and “telling,” form and formula, theme and plot.
Discover:

• A technique for breaking down a show style so you’re as close to being in the writing room as you can get without actually having a job there
• The 3 elements for that essential Concept Line that you must have
in order to create a story with passion and consequence
• Mining the 7 Deadly Sins for fresh and original story lines
• Sample scripts from hit shows
• In-depth graphs, script breakdown charts, vital checkpoints
along the way, and much, much more!

Frequently Bought Together

The TV Writer's Workbook: A Creative Approach To Television Scripts + Crafty TV Writing: Thinking Inside the Box + Successful Television Writing
Price For All Three: $33.21

Show availability and shipping details

Buy the selected items together
  • In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • Crafty TV Writing: Thinking Inside the Box $11.32

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • Successful Television Writing $11.01

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details



Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Sandler, whose credits include Everybody Loves Raymond and Coach, offers worldly, practical advice for those hoping for a career in television writing. Sandler emphasizes that the most important thing to do is sit down and write, but before doing so she recommends aspiring screenwriters obtain scripts from their favorite shows and study them carefully, breaking down the structure prior to embarking on capturing the feel and characters of an established show in their own spec scripts. After structure, Sandler moves on to the arc of an episode, which follows a set path and must revolve around the show's central character. She cautions beginners against pitfalls that mark a script as a novice effort, such as introducing new characters into a script for an existing show. After a wealth of writing tips, Sandler offers hints for how to approach agents and managers, how to network at social events, and how to survive a pitch meeting. Sandler's accessible guide is an invaluable tool for anyone aspiring to write for TV. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Ellen Sandler has over twenty years of experience in the TV writing business. She was Co-Executive Producer and writer on the Emmy-winning hit series Everybody Loves Raymond, and has written for over 25 prime-time network television series, including Taxi, Kate and Allie, and Coach. She is a highly-regarded script consultant, and in addition to her Television Writing workshops in LA and NYC, is a frequent featured speaker at schools and universities across the country.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Delta (March 27, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0385340508
  • ISBN-13: 978-0385340502
  • Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.7 x 8.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,849 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

ELLEN SANDLER was nominated for an Emmy for her work as a Co-Executive Producer of the CBS hit series, "Everybody Loves Raymond." She has written for many other prime time network television comedies, including ABC's "Coach," and has created original television pilots for ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox Family, Oxygen Network, and the Disney Channel.

Internationally, she has consulted on series development for The ABC, Australia and The Australian Children's Television Foundation in Melbourne; the CBC, Canada; and for producers in Dubai, Germany, Tokyo and MediaCorp, Singapore's major producer of television content.

Currently, she is Executive Producer and Director of "Marisa Rules," a webisode series for teenage girls, and is the author of THE TV WRITER'S WORKBOOK (Bantam/Dell), which is used as a text by both UCLA and USC film schools.

Ellen is also a playwright and director. She adapted N.Y. Times food writer Mimi Sheraton's book, THE BIALY EATERS, which she produced and directed for the Jewish Women's Theatre in Los Angeles. Her play "Jewish Roots" was produced at the Hudson Theatre in Los Angeles and later performed as a fund raiser for the WGA Strike Fund starring Fran Drescher. "How'd It Go?" which she co-wrote and directed, starred Megan Mullally at the HBO/Warner Bros. Workspace and was subsequently developed as a pilot for the Oxygen Network.

Both a teacher and a consultant, Ellen provides script development and career coaching for professionals and emerging writers in the entertainment industry, as well as writing workshops and seminars at conferences and universities both in the US and abroad. She teaches Comedy Writing for the UCLA Extension Writer's Program, and Television Writing at The Herbert Berghof Playwrights Foundation and MediaBistro in New York. She has been a guest lecturer at many colleges and universities, including New York University, Marymount Manhattan College, The New School, and the University of Southern California.

Ellen is a member of the Writers Guild of American and The Dramatists Guild. She holds a BS from Syracuse University, and an MFA from The American Film Institute.

 

Customer Reviews

22 Reviews
5 star:
 (22)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (22 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb!, February 13, 2008
By 
Justine E. Schroeder (North Hollywood, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The TV Writer's Workbook: A Creative Approach To Television Scripts (Paperback)
I've been using Ellen Sandler's book as a guide for the last few weeks, and I feel I've done much better work in that short time than I did all last year. The book is mainly geared towards sitcom writers, and for those interested in writing a comedy spec, this book is the one to get!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars I can't believe I am saying this, but there are no words for how amazing this is!, June 19, 2007
This review is from: The TV Writer's Workbook: A Creative Approach To Television Scripts (Paperback)
But for the sake of those wondering if they should purchase this or not, I will try to find some. YES, YOU SHOULD BUY THIS! How is that? :) Putting aside the fact that Ellen has written for some of the best TV I've ever watched, I don't see how anyone couldn't benefit from the generous advice she offers in this guide and so inexpensively! Be warned though, this book is not one that you just read. I guess you could, but I would honestly recommend trying the things she suggests. I tried most of her exercises and the differences in my spec script definitely stood out. This book is priceless, in my opinion.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, July 12, 2007
By 
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The TV Writer's Workbook: A Creative Approach To Television Scripts (Paperback)
This is by far the BEST TV writing book I've ever read and I have nearly all of them. Sandler doesn't just tell you the steps necessary to write a fantastic spec script, like all these kinds of books do, she guides you through the creative process of mining story material for it. And she tells you how to fashion subject matter that has the most emotional meaning for you, the author--which is the benchmark of great writing. It was a concept that until now, that no matter how many books I read, or how many harsh notes from execs I received on all my previous specs (or so I thought, now I FULLY understand their notes!) that I didn't grasp until now. TV Writer's Workbook, has provided the creative lightbulb I needed to get me out of my sucky spec script darkness. Highly recommended!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews











Only search this product's reviews



Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
premise line, spec script, page scenes, beat sheet, research chart, slug line
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Central Character, Executive Producer, Desperate Housewives, Mah Nish Tah Nah, Grey's Anatomy, Final Draft, Everybody Loves Raymond, Sara Lee, Act Break, Selective Glossary, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Adam Peck, Focus Lines, Mark Ganzel, Writers Guild of America, The Big Uh Ohhh, Detective Benson, Los Angeles, Half Men
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums





Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject