Breaking into TV Writing

How to Get Your First Job, Build Your Network, and Claw Your Way into the Writers’ Room

De: Anton Schettini

Narrado por: George Newbern

The old screenwriting motto is, “Work on your script, and the jobs will come.” This is false.

A great script is only as good as the effort you put into your career, but there is little information for the aspiring screenwriter about how to break in. Even those who study TV or film in college are taught to simply “get a production assistant job.” But then what? And how do you get that job to begin with? Breaking into TV Writing contains all the crucial information left out of most screenwriting books, like:

• How to get your first job in TV
• What TV writing samples you need
• How to break into the elusive TV writers’ room
• How a writers’ room creates an episode of TV
• Which assistant jobs are worth your time (and which you should avoid at all costs)

Anton Schettini provides a rare insider’s glimpse of the modern-day network and streaming TV writers’ room. Here, you will find practical advice, career path strategies, and first-hand accounts for how to establish your network, grow within it, and acquire the necessary tools to become a TV writer.

The industry would love to tell you to put your head down, work hard, write a lot, and pay your dues; Schettini will show you why that hackneyed mantra is misleading, and how you can put yourself in the best position to break through the barriers and see your work on the TV screen.

©2024 Anton Schettini (P)2024 Dreamscape Media

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Of the thousands of aspiring writers I’ve encountered in over forty years of teaching, Anton Schettini is among that happy few who actually managed to become one. Now he’s written a book that will help others who want to do the same." (Robert Thompson, Director, Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture, Syracuse University)

A Master of his Domain

Anton writes lucidly about his experiences climbing the ranks of the TV industry, providing invaluable insight to aspiring writers. If you went to college for this stuff, you probably had to read books by professors who barely scratched the surface of the business. Well, that's not the case with Breaking into TV Writing. I mean, look at the title. He didn't capitalize "into." This guy knows his stuff.

Seriously though, this book is chock full of helpful information, but is also a breeze because it's so effortlessly funny and engaging. Plus, with the voice of the Man of Steel himself, you will literally not be able to put this audiobook down.

Whether you're interested in pursuing this career path or you just want a glimpse at the inner workings of a writers' room and the life of a TV writer, give this book a spin. You will not regret it.

A REAL roadmap to TV writing

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I recently listened to Breaking into TV Writing on Audible, and I was hooked from start to finish. First of all, the narrator nailed the tone—sarcastic, witty, and incredibly real. It’s rare to find a book about the television industry that doesn’t go overboard with self-congratulations or exaggeration, but this one is refreshingly grounded in reality. The humor is humble yet sharp, which made even the "how-to" content entertaining and easy to follow.

What really stood out to me was the practical, detailed advice. The book doesn’t gloss over generalities—it digs into specifics, from job roles to navigating the path to the writers’ room. I had no idea how many positions existed just in that one corner of TV. Anton breaks down which jobs will get you closer to writing and which are dead-ends. His descriptions, filled with a mix of sarcasm and practical tips (like avoiding any job where they ask how many words per minute you can type—that means an asshole boss), were both invaluable and entertaining.

This book offers a rare insider’s look at network and streaming TV writing, while giving real and actionable strategies on how to get noticed and establish yourself in the industry. Anton shares networking tips, contests worth entering, websites, groups, first hand accounts from other screen writers, heck even what Reddit threads to look at. It's not often you find a book that goes into this kind of actionable detail. Even the salary information, which was current given the recent strike, added a layer of realism that’s missing in so many career guides.

Non-fiction "how-to" books can sometimes be a slog, but I was captivated the entire time. Anton is an amazing storyteller, and his advice on pitching, choosing a genre, and putting together your samples is invaluable. Stick to one genre, drama or comedy, or people won’t know how to place you. That advice alone is gold!

Highly recommended for anyone looking to understand the industry in a practical, no-nonsense way.