My Story

Welcome to the Bruce Ferber website, your premium resource for Bruce Ferber breaking news. Despite the glut of outlets already covering the subject, Ferber thought it might be nice to add a personal touch, and who are we to argue with a dude who writes about himself in the third person and first-person plural in the same sentence? WARNING: For those with heart issues or high blood pressure -- sharp turn ahead to first-person singular.

Hi, guys. Welcome to my cozy little corner of the worldwide web. Like many writers, I’m not especially comfortable with the self-promotion part of the job, but it is cool to be able to talk about my latest work, as well some of the things I’ve done in the past. I started out writing for TV, now I mostly write novels. While they’re completely different forms, there’s an axiom in tennis that aptly describes the relationship: Playing doubles improves your singles and playing singles can make you better at doubles. It also helps if there’s one you don’t suck at.

My first job in TV was writing for Bosom Buddies starring Tom Hanks and the late Peter Scolari. It was a magical introduction to the business, but as with many such beginnings, future experiences proved less enchanting. I’d find myself churning out scripts for shows that weren’t very good or working for people whose definition of “writing room” was “living hell.” There were highlights along the way: penning scripts for the talented cast of Coach;executive producing and running Home Improvement with the hilarious Tim Allen; executive producing and running Sabrina, The Teenage Witch with Melissa Joan Hart and a talking cat. Awards and nominations materialized in the process, but the most gratifying part was getting paid to be in a room with other funny people and making audiences laugh. 

That writing books would turn out to be even more gratifying was the greatest surprise of all. On paper it made sense, because I now had the freedom to tell whatever stories I wanted without having to address creative notes from individuals better suited to manning a car rental counter. Still, when one is accustomed to working with a team of writers, what happens when there’s no longer a team? 

For me, what happened was Elevating Overman, a deep dive into mid-life awakening, and a chance to discover my voice in prose. Readers seemed to like it, one of whom was the great Jason Alexander, who wound up voicing the audiobook and signing on for a potential TV series. The next novel was Foreword prizewinner Cascade Falls, a meditation on the promise of the American Dream, and the fallout that occurs when the dream comes up short. The stylistic approach was a departure from Overman, employing a more realistic technique to dissect the challenge of preserving a marriage when the provider feels he has failed. For the following book, I decided to try something I’d never done before – editing a non-fiction anthology about the film and television world where I got my start. The Way We Work: On the Job in Hollywoodgave me the opportunity to collect stories from people in nearly every aspect of the entertainment world, and their experiences turned out to be fascinating. Critics called the finished product a primer for anyone considering a career in film and television. I think the book’s best quality is its honesty. The reader can come away either inspired to join up or conclude “not for me.”

June, 2022 brought the release of I Buried Paul, in which I had the opportunity to explore two of my favorite topics – music, and the search for creative fulfillment. That the novel was Beatles-centric upped the passion quotient even further. I was heartened by how it resonated with readers, and grateful when it won the Foreword Silver Prize for fiction.

Next up in August, 2026 is Diasporama, a long-in-the-works novel that examines our polarized society and its threat to the preservation of human dignity. While I am incapable of writing anything that is completely devoid of humor, this book is undoubtedly the furthest I’ve traveled from the world of television sitcom. The intention here was to dig deep, take chances, and have faith that the story of these characters would play out in an honest, compelling way. In the end, I think taking the leap was worth it, and I am super excited to hear what you think. Meanwhile, I’ll be posting news about the rollout, book events and other related activities as we get closer to pub date. I’ll also be updating the blog with assorted ramblings, guaranteed by a team of experts to be “a somewhat better use of your time than doom-scrolling.”

All of this is easily accessible by hitting that nifty “Subscribe” button below. As an incentive, I PROMISE not to overload the site with the kind of online self-indulgence that makes you want to throw up. Because if you’re nauseous, chances are I got that way writing it.

Thanks for reading — I look forward to connecting with you in the days ahead.

Unhumblebraggingly yours,

Bruce