Longtime television writer, producer, director, and show creator Nell Scovell has written a book about her career working on shows like The Simpsons, Late Night with David Letterman, The Muppets, and more that hits stores next year. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Scovellâs book - titled Just the Funny PartsâŚand a Few Hard Truths About Sneaking into the Hollywood Boysâ Club â will be published through HarperCollins and be available on March 20, 2018. The book includes a foreword by Sheryl Sandberg (Scovell collaborated with Sandberg on her 2013 book Lean In) and is described as âa combination memoir, writerâs handbook and workplace survival story.â Hereâs the full description:
Just the Funny Parts is a juicy and scathingly funny insider look at how pop culture gets made. For more than thirty years, writer, producer and director Nell Scovell worked behind the scenes of iconic TV shows, including The Simpsons, Late Night with David Letterman, Murphy Brown, NCIS, The Muppets, and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, which she created and executive produced. In 2009, Scovell gave up her behind-the-scenes status when the David Letterman sex scandal broke. Only the second woman ever to write for his show, Scovell used the moment to publicly call out the lack of gender diversity in late-night TV writersâ rooms. âOne of the boysâ came out hard for âall of the girls.â Her criticisms fueled a cultural debate. Two years later, Scovell was collaborating with Sheryl Sandberg on speeches and later on Lean In, which resulted in a worldwide movement. Now Scovell is opening up with this fun, honest, and often shocking account. Scovell knows what itâs like to put words in the mouths of President Barack Obama, Mark Harmon, Candice Bergen, Bob Newhart, Conan OâBrien, Alyssa Milano, and Kermit the Frog, among many others. Through her eyes, youâll sit in the Simpson writersâ room⌠stand on the Oscar red carpet⌠pin a tail on Miss PiggyâŚbond with Star Trekâs Leonard Nimoy⌠and experience a Stephen King-like encounter with Stephen King. Just the Funny Parts is a fast-paced account of a nerdy girl from New England who fought her way to the top of the highly-competitive, male-dominated entertainment field. The book delivers invaluable insights into the creative process and tricks for navigating a difficult workplace. Itâs part memoir, part how-to, and part survival story. Or, as Scovell puts it, âItâs like Unbroken, but funnier and with slightly less torture.â
Scovellâs book is currently available for pre-order over at Amazon. In the meantime, be sure to check out her fantastic essay âInside the Greatest Writers Room Youâve Never Heard Ofâ here.