Writing for TV Part Two: TV vs Books
Impressions from a kidlit author in the TV world.
Because so many people have been asking about my experience with the Fred Rogers Writers Neighborhood Fellowship, I’m sharing some thoughts about writing books vs writing for TV. In my last post, I talked about the different creative roles an author might consider in the TV world. If you haven’t, you can read about my path into TV there. In this post, I’m going to talk about my impressions based on what I’ve learned so far.
Writing for TV vs Books
Creative Control: When you write books, you have a lot more creative control and contribution, because you are essentially acting as the creator, head writer, and writers’ room all in one. Writing for TV maybe feels a little closer to writing for hire in books, but even then, writing for TV involves so many people that your contribution is subject to a lot more direction and revision (sometimes without your involvement) based on the rest of the team.
Team: When you write on a TV show, you are a part of a team, including curriculum consultants, head writer, producers, etc. Books are a much more solitary endeavor—though you do work with an editor and sometimes an art director.
Timeline: Once a show is in production, TV moves a LOT faster than books. You might be asked to turn around an episode in a week, and then revisions in another week. With books, even though you have deadlines, they’re less set in stone and your timelines are typically more forgiving. In TV, dependencies mean that missed deadlines will derail the entire production. This also means you generally have less time to ponder/revise/revisit the work.
Lifestyle: As far as I can tell, writing for TV feels a bit more like a traditional job than writing books. You’re answerable to the head writer, who is answerable to the producers/executive producers, who are answerable to the network, etc. It’s like a small company working together with lots of stakeholders. Writing books feels a bit more like an individual artistic and entrepreneurial endeavor, where you define your own work and put it out into the world.
Pay: TV generally pays better than writing books. Obviously, there is a huge range of pay in both industries, but since TV moves fast, your average hourly rate is probably stronger in TV and you can schedule your time and compensation more efficiently than you can writing books. I think it’s more feasible to make a living as a TV writer than as a book author, if you can find steady work (which is no small feat.)
Competition: I’d guess writing for TV is more competitive than writing books, but they are kind of different beasts, so hard to compare. There are fewer TV writing jobs than books being published, though there are more people trying to write books.
Audience: A TV show probably has more visibility to a wider audience than most books. But I think books probably give you a more personal connection with your audience.
Networking: TV writing jobs rely heavily on networking since jobs are usually word of mouth, whereas in books you generally lean on your agent to do most of the business networking.
Those are my thoughts based on what I’ve seen! As an author-illustrator who has recently dipped into the world of TV, I don’t know that I can really provide a fair comparison of them. I love writing books. I love taking the time to develop my stories. I love the freedom to initiate my own projects and work on the ones I’m passionate about. I love doing events and school visits—seeing a kid hugging my book or handing me a drawing they made of the characters or telling me my book is the first they’ve read by themselves! I love encouraging new readers. There is so much about writing books that I wouldn’t want to give up.
But writing for Mr. ZIP was a fun experience! I enjoyed coming up with sweet adventures for a world and characters that are different from what I usually write. I’m excited to see my words come to life through animation when they finally air later this year. I think that will feel amazing, in a totally different way than books.
So where does that leave me?
I think weighing writing for TV vs books also depends on where your passions lie—what medium do you love enough to go above and beyond? Where are you willing to put your time and effort? What projects best meet your goals, dreams, and requirements? For me, I am just keeping myself open to the possibilities and following the projects that keep me excited and fulfilled.
What excites and fulfills you?
Back to Books
That was a quick look at my experience on the TV side of things—but next week, we’re back to books! Christine and I have upcoming posts planned on giving/receiving critiques, creating sell sheets, and more. Until next week! Happy writing.
I loved this series, Vicky! Thank you for taking us through the side door, into that other room of (maze-like, still) possibilities!