An inside glimpse into what it means to be a female writer and showrunner in Hollywood

In her new book about her career as a television writer, Nell Scovell talks about interviewing for a job during one of her pregnancies. "I went to meet Joss Whedon, creator of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer,'" she emailed a friend shortly after. "He took one look at me and said, 'Boy, are you fat.'" Scovell laughed. Then the show's co-executive producer jokingly asked if he should put down a tarp. The postscript: "They didn't hire me."

"Just the Funny Parts ... And a Few Hard Truths About Sneaking into the Hollywood Boys' Club" was in the works long before #MeToo and Time's Up, but it feels very much of a piece with the stories women have been sharing publicly.

As does another new nonfiction book, "Stealing the Show: How Women Are Revolutionizing Television" by Joy Press, who was previously the pop culture editor