Small screen, big picture: a writer's guide to the TV business

Part I: From the inside out : how the industry is structured. The top of the food chain

Networks, studios, and production companies

Syndication and backend : how TV shows make money

Inside a television network : a lesson in programming

The new show development process : an overview

Part II: Development season : from pitch to pilot pickup. Recipe for a TV show

The pitch

The art of the deal

Development hell

Part III: Pilot season : from pilot pickup to series. Preproduction

Principal photography

Postproduction

Upfronts

Part IV: Staffing season, and beyond : getting the series up and running. Staffing season : how showrunners staff new shows

The writers' room

Production

Staying on the air

Part V: New frontiers : where TV is headed. Cable

Reality TV

Digital media and the Internet

Part VI: Breaking in : your guide to infiltrating Hollywood. Write your ass off

Representation

Networking

Assistants

Getting a job

Other ways of breaking into Hollywood.