Writing the Pilot

By William Rabkin,

Book cover of Writing the Pilot: Creating the Series

Book description

When I finished Writing the Pilot a few years back, I figured I’d managed to cram everything I had to say on the subject in that little 90-page package. But that was 2011, and in the years that have passed, a lot has changed about the television business.And when I…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Writing the Pilot as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This is a short but excellent volume, dedicated to the design of a TV series.

It contains a brief history of U.S. Television, which in itself is enough to justify reading the book. As the title suggests, it focuses particularly on writing a pilot, a key part of any series project. William Rabkin is a veteran showrunner with hundreds of hours of produced shows under his belt, yet I really enjoyed the conversational tone in his book.

Make sure you get the most recent version, as the first edition of this classic dates back to 2011 and Rabkin has updated…

Want books like Writing the Pilot?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Writing the Pilot.

Browse books like Writing the Pilot

Book cover of Television Development: How Hollywood Creates New TV Series
Book cover of TV Writing On Demand: Creating Great Content in the Digital Era
Book cover of Writing the TV Drama Series: How to Succeed as a Professional Writer in TV

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,173

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in television, screenwriting, and storytelling?

Television 58 books
Screenwriting 26 books
Storytelling 127 books