Q: What percentage do you give to your agent? To your manager? To your lawyer?Ī: Agent '“ 10%, literary manager '“ 10%, business manager/financial advisor '“ 5%, lawyer '“ 5% The executive producer (head writer) of a hit network show can make millions. After that, salaries are negotiated by your agent, and are usually paid per episode as opposed to per week. Story editors (the next level up) make $5000 a week, get $20,000 for each comedy episode and $30,000 for each drama episode they write, and get residuals. They don't get paid extra for any scripts they write, but they do get residuals. Q: How much money does the lowest paid writer earn? Average? Highest?Ī: Staff writers (the lowest position) make $3000 a week.

10 am Wednesday to 5 pm ThursdayĪ: 2 (weekends), but I work 7 days a week (writing or coming up with story ideas to pitch or reading other writer's scripts on at home Saturdays and Sundays.) Q: What's the longest day you've ever had at the studio/office?Ī: 31 hours. Q: How many writers are usually on a drama? comedy?Ī: Dramas: 6-8, comedies: 10-12, but it can be more or fewer, depending on the show and the show-runner (executive producer/head writer).Ī: Dramas '“ 10am '“ 7pm. But contrary to the old adage that 1 page of script equals 1 minute of screen time, a 30-minute multi-camera (sitcom) script is usually around 45 pages, a 30-minute single camera script is around 34 pages, and a 1-hour drama script can be as short as 45 pages (Nip Tuck) or as long as 80 pages (Gilmore Girls.) Q: A 30-minute network comedy is actually how many minutes minus commercials? How about a 1-hour network drama?Ī: A comedy is around 22 minutes a drama is around 45 minutes. She's written for Sex and the City, Courting Alex, Veronica Mars, and just had a new, splendiferous YA novel come out called POP! (Razorbill Books), which you can read all about over at her website:. So, to get you all in the mood, I thought I'd ask a professional TV writer some questions and give you a little inside look at what 'scribes' actually do'¦ '˜cause you can bet your TiVo it ain't like what you see on Studio 60 or 30 Rock.Īllow me to introduce, then, Aury Wallington, a friend, a colleague, and a really funny writer. A little foreshadowing for you: The Nov/Dec issue of mental_ floss (due to hit newsstands any day now) has a fun Scatterbrained theme: TV

Pop by aury wallington