"Comedy Writing for Late-Night TV" is the first book ever written about the subject. Its author, Joe Toplyn, has written and produced comedy/talk shows for over fifteen years. Now he reveals his proven methods in this one-of-a-kind insider's guide.

Toplyn analyzes each type of comedy piece in the late-night TV playbook and takes the reader step-by-step through the process of writing it. This comprehensive manual is packed with detailed tips, practical techniques, and hilarious backstage anecdotes.

Toplyn began his television career on the writing staff of the groundbreaking "Late Night with David Letterman," where he won four Emmys. He went on to become co-head writer of "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and head writer of "Late Show with David Letterman."
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"Comedy Writing for Late-Night TV: How to Write Monologue Jokes, Desk Pieces, Sketches, Parodies, Audience Pieces, Remotes, and Other Short-Form Comedy" by Joe Toplyn is available in paperback from Amazon. 6 x 9, 444 pages. ISBN 978-0-615-95389-2.

See Amazon product listing

A first time post without claiming to have 'stumbled across' something. And for once it is for a very interesting book - so well done Joe, and Aaron for link.

This late night TV-is it those ITV quiz phone in shows? Or the repeats of shows shown earlier? Or it is Later with Jools Holland? Or Newsnight or Question Time?
I think early evening TV is a better market?

Thanks for your interest in the book, guys. It's about how to write comedy for American late-night comedy/talk shows like "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" (and its predecessors hosted by Jay Leno, Johnny Carson, etc.), "Late Show with David Letterman," "Jimmy Kimmel Live," and Conan O'Brien's show.

The comedy on those shows is short-form in that it consists of jokes and segments under about ten minutes long: topical monologue jokes, sketches, man-on-the-street comedy, funny photo captions, hidden camera pranks, commercial parodies. So my book is really a comprehensive manual about how to write that sort of short-form comedy.

You'll also find short-form comedy all over the Internet, on sketch shows and reality shows, in advertising and magazines, on the radio, and in other media.