publisher book movie

Best Sellers (2021)

• User Reviews

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews

• User Ratings
• External Reviews
• Metacritic Reviews
• Full Cast and Crew
• Release Dates
• Official Sites
• Company Credits
• Filming & Production
• Technical Specs
• Plot Summary
• Plot Keywords
• Parents Guide

Did You Know?

• Crazy Credits
• Alternate Versions
• Connections
• Soundtracks

Photo & Video

• Photo Gallery
• Trailers and Videos

Related Items

• External Sites

Related lists from IMDb users

Recently Viewed

BOOK FILMS MEDIA

Creative mind, creative works., present your thoughts to the world..

At Book Films Media, we are passionate about bringing captivating stories to life on the silver screen. As a book to film agency, we specialize in the exciting realm of literary adaptations, where the magic of literature merges with the visual power of cinema.

Whether you’re an author looking to see your words leap off the page or a filmmaker seeking a compelling narrative to transform into a cinematic masterpiece, we are here to make that journey happen. Our experienced team of literary scouts, rights negotiators, and creative consultants are dedicated to identifying exceptional literary works and facilitating the adaptation process, from securing the rights to offering expert guidance throughout production.

In addition to our unwavering commitment to our clients, we have an extensive network of relationships within the publishing industry. We have forged strong connections with leading publishers, editors, and other industry professionals, enabling us to navigate the competitive landscape and secure advantageous deals for our authors. Our agency has a proven track record of helping authors achieve literary success!

We look forward to embarking on this thrilling journey with you!

We are the best literary agency since 2008.

Committed and creative

Trust pays off

Las Vegas, Nevada

Our vision is to become the leading production company in the book-to-film adaptation industry, known for our commitment to preserving the integrity of literary works while fostering innovation in storytelling through film. We aim to create a collaborative environment that attracts visionary filmmakers, talented writers, and passionate book enthusiasts, forging partnerships that bring literary masterpieces to life in new and captivating ways.

Our Mission

Our mission is to bridge the worlds of literature and film by creating exceptional adaptations that capture the essence of beloved books and ignite the imagination of audiences worldwide. We strive to honor the original literary work while translating its unique qualities onto the screen, creating compelling visual narratives that resonate with viewers and inspire a love for both reading and cinema.

By adhering to these principles, our book-to-film and literary mission will guide us as we bring beloved books to the big screen, fostering a love for reading and cinema while honoring the power of storytelling in all its forms.

Featured Author

Know about our featured author.

Dr. Mary J. Guiffra has been counseling couples and families for over 40 years, a tenured professor at New York University where she received her PhD and holds an honorary doctorate of Humane Letters from the College of Mount Saint Vincent. As teacher to hundreds of couple therapists in training, Dr Giuffra has researched couple relationships and is widely published. She has presented at International conferences, TV and radio; served on the boards of professional journals, hospitals and community health agencies. A family consultant to schools, colleges and universities, she served as vice president to her local school board. Dr. Guiffra developed Biological Couples Therapy and presented it at The U.S. Association for Body Psychotherapy and International conferences in the Netherlands and France.

— Mary J. Guiffra, PhD

Book Films Media

Featured Books

You can also publish with us.

We are a responsive company because we understand the importance of communication and customer satisfaction. Our team is always available to answer any questions you may have and to provide updates on the progress of your project

Responsive.

24/7 support..

Our team is always available to answer any questions you may have and to provide updates on the progress of your project

Advertisement

Supported by

The Book Behind ‘American Fiction’ Came Out 23 Years Ago. It’s Still Current.

The movie, with its handful of Oscar nominations, has refocused attention on “Erasure,” a satire of the literary world and its racial biases.

• Share full article

By Sarah Lyall and Alexandra Alter

There’s a scene in Percival Everett’s 2001 novel, “Erasure,” in which the main character, a cerebral Black novelist named Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, goes to a bookstore to hunt, as writers often do, for his own books. He finds four of them — including “The Persians,” an “obscure reworking of a Greek tragedy” — placed, infuriatingly, in the “African American Studies” section.

The only thing “ostensibly African American” about the book, he fumes to himself, “was my jacket photograph.”

“Erasure,” the basis for Cord Jefferson’s new movie “American Fiction,” is a mordant satire of the way the literary world imposes broad-strokes racial stereotypes on nonwhite authors, as well as a moving portrait of a complicated Black man from a complicated family.

In a fit of fury after the rejection of his latest novel, an abstruse story about Aristophanes, Euripides and “the death of metaphysics,” Monk produces an over-the-top satirical novel featuring an uneducated Black teenager who already has four children with four different women. When the novel — initially called “My Pafology” and supposedly written by an escaped convict named Stagg R. Leigh — becomes a massive best seller and cultural phenomenon, Monk responds with utter disbelief.

“It’s not art,” he tells his fellow judges on a literary awards panel who are showering the book with praise and who don’t know that he’s its real author. “It is offensive, poorly written, racist and mindless.”

Starring Jeffrey Wright, “American Fiction” has been a critical success and a hit with audiences; it was recently nominated for five Academy Awards. It’s also refocused attention back on “Erasure” — and on how much, if anything, has changed for nonwhite authors in the 23 years since the book was published.

Lisa Lucas, who in 2020 became the first Black publisher of Pantheon in its 80-year history, wrote on the social media platform X that the film felt “mildly too close to home.” In an interview, she said that she found it dispiriting that the publishing industry had taken so long to engage with the criticism leveled by “Erasure.”

“It took a movie of a book to get publishing to talk about this stuff to the degree that it’s willing to,” Lucas said. “We all need to re-evaluate the openness of who gets to tell stories and how,”

The movie has also come at a time when new authors of color are engaging with the same questions posed by “Erasure” — and publishers have paid substantial sums for novels that satirize the literary world’s racial inequities.

In 2021, Atria published “The Other Black Girl,” a debut novel by Zakiya Dalila Harris , a former assistant editor at Knopf Doubleday. The book, which received an advance of more than $1 million and was adapted into a Hulu series, is a horror-tinged social satire about an ambitious aspiring editor who is the only Black employee in the editorial department of a major publishing house.

Dismayed by her colleagues’ casual dismissal of her ideas and the industry’s narrow views about how race should be portrayed in fiction, she is relieved when another Black woman is hired — only to suspect that the new employee is in fact sabotaging her.

Another satirical novel, R.F. Kuang’s “Yellowface,” published last year by William Morrow, features a white novelist who steals the unpublished manuscript of a deceased Chinese American writer, rewrites parts of it and passes it off as her own under the name “Juniper Song,” using a racially ambiguous photograph.

The novel, about Chinese laborers in World War I, is positioned to be a best seller, but ultimately critics raise questions about the author’s race and accuse her of cultural appropriation and of being “inauthentic.”

Kuang, a Chinese American fantasy writer, has said she is weary of the literary world’s tendency to promote her and her work as “diverse.” In a recent essay in Time magazine, she described the “cringing pleasure” she derived from the scenes in “American Fiction” that captured the “encounters that every nonwhite writer has experienced” in the publishing industry.

Kuang said in an email that the attention that “American Fiction” is generating reflects the creative classes’ willingness to confront their own biases. But it might be masking something more insidious, she said.

“Another angle worth considering is the fact that the industry stands to profit quite a lot from its own self-criticism,” she said. “A certain amount of lip service paradoxically makes institutional racism very profitable. So one must always be careful of being defanged, co-opted and tokenized.”

Erroll McDonald, vice president and executive editor at Alfred A. Knopf and one of the lone Black editors in the upper echelons of the publishing industry, said that many of the themes in Everett’s book feel just as fresh today as they did in 2001. He said he was all too familiar with the book’s depiction of the way white editors and publishers gravitate toward Black stories that reinforce stereotypes, rather than those showing more nuanced depictions of Black life.

The white editors in “American Fiction” — who believe that Monk’s ridiculously overblown book is an accurate account of urban Black life and are enthralled by its possibly murderous fake author — may seem like parodies of tone-deaf executives eager to cash in by exploiting racial clichés. But, McDonald said, they’re actually closer to reality than audiences might realize.

“The marketing and selling of books by Black people remains as problematic as it ever was,” he said. “Publishing remains an industry informed by apartheid.”

Everett’s novel “Erasure” works on two levels: as parody that spins in increasingly outrageous directions, but also as a poignant, multilayered story of its main character’s life. A middle-aged English professor from a family of doctors, Monk spends much of the book in a state of mild crisis, grappling with professional ennui, his mother’s descent into dementia, the legacy of his father’s infidelity and eventual suicide, the sudden death of his sister — and now his own secret identity as the author of a bewilderingly successful work that he hates.

These issues have little or nothing to do with race, and their existence proves the point that Monk has been trying to make all along — that his “Black experience” is just as representative as anyone’s. (Editors “want a Black book,” his agent tells him at the beginning of the movie, when Monk can’t get his new novel published. “They have a Black book,” Monk responds. “I’m Black and it’s my book.)

There’s a certain irony in the fact that at age 67, Everett — an award-winning author of numerous novels, short stories and poetry collections whose 2021 novel, “The Trees,” was shortlisted for the Booker Prize — is now getting perhaps the most attention of his career because of the release of the movie version of his 13th novel, a book he wrote more than two decades ago.

Everett declined to be interviewed for this article, saying he would answer questions about the movie only in interviews with Jefferson, its director and screenwriter.

But in a 2001 interview with The Los Angeles Times , he spoke about “the terrible irony” in readers’ and critics’ response to “Erasure.”

“This book is getting a lot of attention for the very reason that I wrote the book,” he said. “Everybody is interested in the race question … instead of the book itself.”

Sarah Lyall is a writer at large, working for a variety of desks including Sports, Culture, Media and International. Previously she was a correspondent in the London bureau, and a reporter for the Culture and Metro desks. More about Sarah Lyall

Alexandra Alter writes about books, publishing and the literary world for The Times. More about Alexandra Alter

Explore More in Books

Want to know about the best books to read and the latest news start here..

As book bans have surged in Florida, the novelist Lauren Groff has opened a bookstore called The Lynx, a hub for author readings, book club gatherings and workshops , where banned titles are prominently displayed.

Eighteen books were recognized as winners or finalists for the Pulitzer Prize, in the categories of history, memoir, poetry, general nonfiction, fiction and biography, which had two winners. Here’s a full list of the winners .

Montreal is a city as appealing for its beauty as for its shadows. Here, t he novelist Mona Awad recommends books  that are “both dreamy and uncompromising.”

The complicated, generous life  of Paul Auster, who died on April 30 , yielded a body of work of staggering scope and variety .

Each week, top authors and critics join the Book Review’s podcast to talk about the latest news in the literary world. Listen here .

The Rise of 'Cinematic Books': 5 Publishing Insiders You Should Know About

Book adaptations have always been a part of Hollywood. To Kill a Mockingbird, The Godfather, Fight Club, Silence of the Lambs, Blade Runner — the list of iconic books and short story film adaptations is way too long. And growing. Heck, half of the entire horror genre is based on a Stephen King novel . But in recent years, the publishing industry has merged even more with the film and television industries to make literary pieces come to life through movie and TV adaptations. And it's all because of the rise of "cinematic books."

Here's a quick look at why cinematic books and short stories have become so popular in Hollywood, the rise of book adaptations, and a quick look at the five influential writers and publishing insiders who sit on the 2020-2021 ScreenCraft Cinematic Book Writing Competition jury.

What is a 'cinematic' book?

The only thing Hollywood loves more than intellectual property is intellectual property that comes with a built-in audience. Once a piece of literature is a hit, the first thing most fans want is a film adaptation. And film adaptations involve big money for publishers and authors. Hollywood loves a built-in fanbase. But what makes a book cinematic ?

Well, before anything, the best advice for any writer is to trust your instincts, tell the story the way you want it to be told, and let the chips fall where they may. But sometimes it's good to play the publishing game and give industry insiders what they want. It's that age-old compromise — one for them, one for you.

Here are five common characteristics that make a book ready for the silver screen:

• A dominating amount of external character dialogue , actions, and reactions.
• A smaller story window .
• Streamlined timelines that offer a more cinematic experience.
• Swift description and pacing .
• Subject matter that speaks to the average moviegoer.

If a book can tackle even just a few of those characteristics, it might be a great candidate for a screenplay adaptation, and eventually a film or tv show. What's really interesting about cinematic books is how wide open the genre is. ScreenCraft's Cinematic Book Writing Competition industry judges, for example, are looking for great stories with the potential to be adapted for the screen:

• True stories
• Biographies

The length, subject matter, and even format don't really matter — as long as the story is cinematic.  That's incredibly freeing for many screenwriters, and a huge reason to revisit your old prose.

Submissions for the 2020-2021 ScreenCraft Cinematic Book Writing Competition are being accepted through our final deadline of November 30th, 2020.

Introducing the ScreenCraft Cinematic Book Jury: 5 publishing insiders you need to know

ScreenCraft is proud to introduce an impressive jury of judges for our 2020 Cinematic Book Writing Competition, each with their own backgrounds and prolific careers within the publishing and entertainment industry.

James Melia — Senior Editor at Henry Holt & Co.

James Melia previously worked at Flatiron Books, and Doubleday, before joining Henry Holt where he edits and acquires upmarket commercial fiction, narrative nonfiction, and pop culture. He has edited notable books including:

• The People We Hate at the Wedding by Grant Ginder (an Entertainment Weekly Summer Must-Read)
• Chris Nashawaty’s Caddyshack: The Making of a Hollywood Cinderella Story
• Rebecca Serle’s The Dinner List

In 2018, James published Ron Stallworth’s #1 New York Times bestselling memoir Black Klansman , and in 2019 he published Gary Janetti’s instant New York Times bestseller, Do You Mind If I Cancel?

Henry Holt & Co . is one of the oldest publishers in the United States, founded in 1866 by Henry Holt and Frederick Leypoldt. The publishing company publishes American and international fiction, under subjects and genres like:

• Children's literature.

In the United States, Henry Holt & Co. operates under Macmillan Publishers.

John Beach — Literary Manager and Founder of Gravity Squared Entertainment

John has worked in the entertainment industry for nearly 20 years. He started as a literary agent at Paradigm, until later moving on to ACME Talent & Literary, selling movies like Oliver Stone’s World Trade Center (starring Nicholas Cage) and Youth in Revol t (starring Michael Cera).

John and two producers later created Fortress Features. Working as Director of Development, John worked to acquire and develop excellent film and television projects.

In 2015, and after surviving cancer, John started Gravity Squared Entertainment, a Los Angeles based management/production company. Gravity Squared has over 100 books, treatments, and scripts under management — many of which are written by Pulitzer Prize winners and New York Times bestsellers.

The company currently has over 25 projects in various stages of development and production, including:

• A Primetime TV ABC Sitcom based on a Chicago comedienne’s life
• A project with Mosaic & Legendary Pictures with Will Ferrell starring and Adam McKay producing
• An optioned a book to DreamWorks Animation TV about a unicorn being raised by narwhal, which is being developed for Netflix
• A TV series about female nurses on the frontlines of WWII with Mel Gibson attached to produce and direct.

Mikki Daughtry & Tobias Iaconis — Screenwriters

They are also contracted to write Nightbooks for Netflix with Sam Raimi. The tale follows Alex, a boy obsessed with scary stories, who is trapped by a witch in her modern, magical New York City apartment. His original hair-raising tales are the only thing keeping him safe as he desperately tries to find a way out of this twisted place.

Mikki Daughtry is originally from Atlanta, Georgia. She graduated from Brenau University, where she studied theatre arts. She is now living in Los Angeles.

Tobias Iaconis was born in Germany to an American father and a German mother. He studied English literature at Haverford College in Philadelphia, and now also lives in Los Angeles with his wife and son.

Read a full interview with Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis about how to adapt a book for the big screen.

Katrina Escudero — Agent at Media Rights and UTA

• The House of Spirits (Hulu)
• Panic (Amazon)
• Light as a Feather (Hulu)
• Kill Creek (Showtime)
• After (Netflix)

She currently oversees a roster of accomplished literary clients such as Lauren Oliver, Pablo Cartaya, Maurene Goo, Hope Larson, and Loren Grush. Most recently, Escudero facilitated a deal for Netflix to develop Tanya Smith’s upcoming memoir The Ghost in the Machine with Issa Rae and David Heyman producing.

As a bilingual Chilean American, Katrina finds it important to champion for Latinx voices and has seen tremendous success with clients such as the world-renowned Chilean author Isabel Allende. A Southern California native, she obtained her bachelor’s degree in Comparative Literature at UC Berkeley.

Rachel Kahan — Executive Editor at William Morrow/HarperCollins

• The Friday Night Knitting Club
• The Pearl that Broke Its Shell
• The Summer Wives
• Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows
• Hidden Figures

Hidden Figures was adapted into a critically-acclaimed Oscar-nominated film.

She works hard to acquire and edit works of fiction and non-fiction in both hardcover and paperback original for the William Morrow imprint, including many New York Times and international bestsellers. Rachel proudly publishes a diverse group of writers from around the world.

How to write a cinematic book

Hollywood is hungry for new stories. And the good news is that you don't even have to be a screenwriter to get your foot in the door anymore. Submit your novel to the ScreenCraft Cinematic Book Writing Competition and take the first step in your screenwriting career. You might be surprised by what happens next.

Ken Miyamoto has worked in the film industry for nearly two decades, most notably as a studio liaison for Sony Studios and then as a script reader and story analyst for Sony Pictures.

He has many studio meetings under his belt as a produced screenwriter, meeting with the likes of Sony, Dreamworks, Universal, Disney, Warner Brothers, as well as many production and management companies. He has had a previous development deal with Lionsgate, as well as multiple writing assignments, including the produced miniseries  Blackout , starring Anne Heche, Sean Patrick Flanery, Billy Zane, James Brolin, Haylie Duff, Brian Bloom, Eric La Salle, and Bruce Boxleitner, and the feature thriller  Hunter’s  Creed  starring Duane “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman, Wesley Truman Daniel, Mickey O’Sullivan, John Victor Allen, and James Errico. Follow Ken on Twitter  @KenMovies

For all the latest ScreenCraft news and updates, follow us on  Twitter,   Facebook , and  Instagram .

Get Our Screenwriting Newsletter!

Get weekly writing inspiration delivered to your inbox - including industry news, popular articles, and more!

Facebook Comments

Free download.

Screenwriting Resources:

$ 15.00 Original price was: $15.00. $ 12.00 Current price is: $12.00. Add to cart

Popular Posts

Recent Posts

Next Related Post

Get Our Newsletter!

Developing your own script.

We'll send you a list of our free eCourses when you subscribe to our newsletter. No strings attached.

You Might Also Like

• Hidden Name
• Comments This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Connect With Us

Writing competitions, success stories.

© 2024 ScreenCraft | An Industry Arts Company

Books , Featured , Film

The Best Holiday Films about Writers and Publishing

As long as there’s been a holiday season, there have been writers inspired by it. During this 2020 pandemic holiday, we’ll likely be spending a lot of time couchbound and watching movies. So, here’s a roundup of some of the best films about writers, literature, writing and publishing.

1. Christmas in Connecticut Directed by Peter Godfrey, 1945; (watch on Amazon Prime) 

In this comedy of errors, Barbara Stanwyck plays Elizabeth Lane, a Smart Housekeeping food writer who’s also supposed to be a Martha-Stewart-esque domestic goddess, living in a Connecticut farmhouse with her husband and child. The real Elizabeth Lane is single, lives in a tiny NYC apartment, and dreams of a mink coat. Her column ideas come from her Hungarian chef friend Felix: Inspired by his recipes, she writes sensory prose for readers, painting domestic scenes of picking endive from her garden, using her spinning wheel by her hearth, and slinging pork chops for her family. Just before Christmas, her publisher demands she host a gourmet holiday dinner for him and a wounded war hero. In a panic, Elizabeth enlists Felix and her boyfriend’s Connecticut home and plays hausfrau, complete with pancake-flipping, tree-decorating, and cuddling a (borrowed) baby. Hijinks ensue when she and the handsome soldier fall for each other, and the whole plan falls into shambles and hilarity. 

2. Bell, Book and Candle Directed by Richard Quine; 1958; (watch on Criterion Channel) 

What says Christmastime more than a bit of witchcraft? Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak starred in this strange, wonderful film (released on Christmas Day the same year as Vertigo ) about Shep Henderson, a publishing exec who falls for beatnik, black-magic witch Gillian Holroyd (Novak) during the Christmas season. One plot twist involves Henderson seeking out an author (played by writer Ernie Kovacs) to write a book about contemporary witches, a project Gillian shuts down with a deft spell. The cinematography shows off New York at holiday time, and costumes evoke the era’s fascination with beatniks; in one scene, Novak wears a floor-length hooded velvet cape with a magenta-fur muff and red leather gloves, emitting major holiday-glamour vibes. Witches and warlocks hang out in fuzzily-lit, red-boothed underground jazz speakeasies and walk amongst the regular folks. The lovebirds’ path to romance isn’t easy; witches can’t fall in love without losing their powers, Henderson’s engaged to another woman, and who’s to say if it’s true love…or just a clever spell cast by Gil?

3. Metropolitan Directed by Whit Stillman; 1990; (watch on HBO Max, Criterion Channel)

A low-budget, surprise indie hit set shot on Super 16, Metropolitan revolves around a group of wealthy young preppies during Christmas debutante season on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. (Basically, college kids donning formalwear in different rooms of The Plaza Hotel, playing bridge and talking about ideas while flirting.) But the deft, hilarious and literate dialogue — adolescent/sophisticated banter, references to Jane Austen and Charles Fournier, and earnest discourse about their “UBA” (urban haute bourgeoisie) identity — elevate the film into something truly entertaining and satisfying. 

4. Mixed Nuts Directed by Nora Ephron; 1994; (watch on Tubi, Amazon Prime, iTunes, Google Play) 

This overlooked 1994 gem was directed by Nora Ephron and co-written by Ephron and her sister Delia. It’s set in bohemian, pre-startup-culture Venice Beach, CA, on Christmas Eve, just as a landlord is handing out eviction notices to tenants at a building that includes suicide-prevention hotline group. There’s a powerful cast of weirdos — leads are a bumbling Steve Martin as the hotline director and lovelorn Rita Wilson, with supporting roles by Madeline Kahn, Juliette Lewis, Parker Posey, Adam Sandler, and Liev Schrieber in his first film role (he tenderly portrays an isolated transgender woman). It’s not afraid of bleak subject matter (i.e., suicide hotline, a strangler on the prowl), yet carries off a lighthearted, even hopeful tone. The literary tone comes from Ephron’s sarcastic, and wacky screenplay, and the earnest ‘90s vibe of bohemians trying to make it on the crusty Venice boardwalk. By placing the artists and infringing yuppies in conflict due to skyrocketing rents, Ephron explores culture versus capitalism. For example, when Adam Sandler’s writer character is asked what he does for a living and says he’s a writer? “ What do you write?” /  “T-shirts. I wrote Save the Dolphins.” /  “What do you mean you wrote it?” /  “I wasn’t the first person to write it, I was the first person to put it on a t-shirt.” All in all, it’s got a smart, chaotic and unhinged energy perfect for the 2020 holidays. 

5. If You Believe Directed by Alan Metzger; 1999; (watch on iTunes, YouTube)

This has all the elements of a throwaway holiday rom-com —a Scrooge-like character, a bump on the head that leads to a spirit visitation, and a serious lack of production values. But it’s also got solid literary deets that lend a sense of vérité. Ally Walker plays Susan Stone, a jaded literary editor at a publishing house. She’s rude to her assistant, ruins Santa for her niece, and blames others for her stalling career. After a fall, she begins seeing visions of herself at age 10, and her “inner child” (Hayden Pattierie) starts forcing her to rediscover things she used to love — opera, bubble baths, finding new writers. Through this metaphysical journey, literary details abound; at an editorial meeting, a colleague notes a writer they discovered via Ploughshares who’s “a shoo-in to win the Pushcart,” Susan skillfully edits a magical realism novel, and there’s a dog named Thoreau. It’s clear that Susan feels a disconnect between her working-class upbringing and the status she gained by attending Vassar and entering the elite publishing industry. This is ultimately what led to her unhappiness, and the dissonance between young-Susan and jaded-Susan; the therapeutic journey of seeing the two selves reconnect to create a new, whole person is satisfying and hopeful.

6. You’ve Got Mail Directed by Nora Ephron, 1998; (watch on HBO Max, Vudu, Google Play) 

You might not think of this rom-com as literary, but not only do the main characters work in book and publishing professions, it’s framed by the anonymous, highly literate emails that Tom Hanks’ and Meg Ryan’s characters exchange. Ryan plays Kathleen Kelly, the owner of a beloved Manhattan children’s bookstore that’s about to be closed down by mega-bookstore owner Joe Fox. Because they inhabit similar social spheres, they end up at the same publishing events with their partners, who work as a literary agent (Parker Posey) and lefty writer (Greg Kinnear). Because neither knows that their enemy is the recipient, their emails include intimate daily observations like the smell of a bakery pumped full of flour, Pride and Prejudice characters, and a butterfly that stows away in a subway car. Most poignant is when Kelly, who inherited the bookstore from her mom, muses about children’s literature: “I used to help my mother and it wasn’t just that she was selling books, she was helping people become whoever it was they were going to turn out to be…Because when you read a book as a child it becomes part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life does.”

7. Little Women Directed by Greta Gerwig; 2019; (watch on Sling TV, Starz, Amazon Prime) 

Greta Gerwig’s version of this Louisa May Alcott story of four sisters centers the emotional, feminist, and writerly journey of Jo March (Saoirse Ronan). It opens with her walking into a publishing office and haggling for payment for her short stories. (The publisher takes them, but tells her to make the next ones short and spicy, and make her heroine either married or dead by the end.) The timeline focuses on two different, pivotal Christmases, with the writing of March’s novel built in. Until the death of a beloved family member, she used her writerly talent only as a money-making venture. As viewers, we get to watch the birth of an artist, as March reluctantly leaves the loving confines of her sisters and family, struggles with her craft, and emerges with a writerly maturity that deeply intuits the importance of telling the real stories of women’s lives.  

8. A Christmas Story Directed by Bob Clark; 1983; (watch on Hulu Premium, YouTube, Vudu, Google Play)) 

Will Ralphie ever get his official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle? Chances are you know the answer, since this movie’s been overexposed on TBS’s 24-hour Christmas programming for years. Too, capitalism has swallowed this film whole; Target now sells Ralphie’s pink bunny suit at holiday time and the infamous “Leg Lamp” beloved by Ralphie’s father is available online. But the film was based on a short story by Indiana-born writer Jean Shepherd, about coming of age, longing and family. The velvet-voiced Shepherd (he was a radio raconteur) narrates this funny, satiric tale about the holiday’s commercialism, disappointments, and — if you’re lucky — love and understanding, too.

9. Desk Set Directed by Walter Lang, 1957; (watch on Amazon Prime) 

This comedy is set in the reference department of a ‘50s TV network, and pairs real-life paramours Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. Bunny Watson (Hepburn) manages an all-woman team responsible for researching questions on topics which can range from Santa’s reindeer to Shakespeare to scientific facts about oceans. When computer expert Richard Sumner (Tracy) arrives a few weeks before Christmas, Bunny is threatened by his ability to automate and render her department obsolete, even while grappling with her attraction to him. Christmas is interwoven into the story, with views of Rockefeller Center’s Christmas tree, Hepburn’s glamorous dresses and coats in shades of red, green, white and silver, and stunning mid-century holiday decor adorning interiors. The literary tone exudes from the library setting, where the highly intelligent reference-desk ladies answer all manner of questions from biblical texts, fairy tales, Bartlett’s quotations, facts about American forests, and the “truth about the Eskimo habit of rubbing noses.” And throughout the plot around issues of artificial intelligence, Tracy and Hepburn give off a winning, convivial energy. 

10. Bridget Jones’s Diary Directed by Sharon Maguire; 2001; (watch on Amazon Prime and Hulu Premium)

Helen Fielding’s titular novel is loosely based on Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice and Austen’s details trickle into this romantic comedy — for example, the love interest for Bridget (Renee Zellwegger) is named Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), and she works at a large publishing house, ( Pemberley Press, for those in the know). Her editor-in-chief is the rakish Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant, playing Austen’s Wickham character). The story takes place between two Chrismases in London. When they first meet, Jones and Darcy insult one another, but slowly grow closer, even while the heroine begins a dalliance with Cleaver. Publishing references abound: Bridget isn’t a literary writer (her job involves writing press releases), but she sorts out her feelings by writing in her diary. At a publishing launch for Kafka’s Motorbike , she chats up both British novelist Jeffrey Archer and Salman Rushdie, who are discussing the novella versus short story formats. Parts of the film haven’t aged well (casual racism from Jones’s mother, smoking indoors), but it’s good-natured heart is intact, complete with a dramatic, running-through-the-streets ending and solid chemistry between Zellwegger and Firth.

Runners-Up: 

11. A Christmas Memory Directed by Frank Perry; 1966; (watch on Open Culture, YouTube)

Truman Capote penned the short story on which this nostalgia-thick TV movie is based. The 50-minute film, which relates a simple story of the bond between a young boy and his elderly relative, is an autobiographical retelling of the time he spent in rural Alabama with his cousin Sook and their last Christmas together. Sentimental but not treacly (due to a touching performance by Geraldine Page), the film depicts the duo going about their day-to-day life in poverty as they prepare for the holiday — scraping together change to buy ingredients for fruitcakes to give as gifts, cutting down their Christmas tree in the woods, and flying kites together on Christmas day. It’s a sweet and touching film, made infinitely more compelling because it’s voiced by Capote himself. 

12. Home for the Holidays Directed by Jodie Foster; 1995; (watch on Hulu Premium, Amazon Prime)

In this warm, messy ‘90s tragicomedy, Holly Hunter plays Claudia, an art restorer who loses her museum job right before Thanksgiving, and has to fly home to spend the holiday with her erratic family, resulting in multiple meltdowns. There’s her mother (Anne Bancroft), father (Charles Durning), highstrung sister (Cynthia Stevenson), gay brother (Robert Downey Jr.) and her brother’s friend Leo Fish (Dylan McDermott). Its literary merit comes from Foster’s deft, poetic directorial hand, and, since it’s based on a short story (Chris Radant), the tone just feels literary and lyrical .  The tale is anchored by the sensitive performances by Hunter and Downey and by the universal feelings the performances evoke — the simultaneous dread and contentment that come with eating too much food with your family at the holidays. 

13. Elf Directed by Jon Favreau, 2003; (watch on Hulu Premium, Starz) 

This Will Farrell vehicle isn’t exactly literary in tone, but Buddy the elf does travel from the North Pole to New York to find his birth father who manages a publishing empire, specializing in children’s books. We meet Walter (James Caan) at Christmas-time, and he’s a Scrooge-y, telling a nun that indigent orphans will no longer receive free books. When Walter’s job is threatened, he brings in uber-successful children’s book contract Miles Finch to create a best-selling book that will save the department. Throughout the film, Buddy not only brings Walter’s family together with his infectious Christmas spirit, but also re-invigorates his father’s passion for publishing and storytelling. In the end, Buddy (VERY belatedly) comes of age by writing down his story about his journey through the “candy cane forest, through the sea of swirly twirly gumdrops,” becoming a successful children’s author, and founding a publishing company with his father. 

14. A Christmas Tale Directed by Arnaud Desplechin, 2008; (watch on Criterion Channel)

This French film revolves around an estranged family coming together at Christmas because matriarch Junon (Catherine Deneuve) has leukemia and everyone must get tested to see if they’re a match for a bone marrow transplant. The film’s tone fluctuates between dark, ribald, and funny and it’s structured so that each character gets to tell their story, leading the Village Voice to call it, “wry in the manner of a New Yorker story about small insights into the lives of characters.” Over several days at the family’s country home, there’s lots of smoking and lyrical dialogue; at one point, the playwright daughter muses, “I had to see my brother again, and see him triumph to understand physically that he is the disease.” The family’s artistic nature is apparent: they put on plays, read, play instruments and watch classic films. When the daughter asks her father for advice, he reads to her from Nietzche’s The Genealogy of Morals ; “ We have never searched for ourselves; how should it then come to pass, that we should ever find ourselves?” Still, Tale has an inherent warmth — this family is screwed up and knows it, but they’re still capable of finding laughter and connection at Christmas. 

Photo: Criterion Collection

Follow Vol. 1 Brooklyn on Twitter ,  Facebook , and sign up for  our mailing list .

Publishing Perspectives

• Submit Rights Deal

Books To Screen Edition: Literary Agents’ and Rights Directors’ Film Deals

In News by Porter Anderson February 11, 2022

The year ahead already is a standout for news of film and television adaptations, both in recent releases and shows going into production.

By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson

Also in our Books to Screen Edition Interview: Producer Beata Rzezniczek’s Rap on ‘Other People’ Diogenes Verlag: Patricia Highsmith, New Film and Television – via Zurich

Books at Berlinale is Next Week

And when we spoke with international rights directors and literary agents about their projects in the works, they had lots to talk about, at a time when the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic has intensified audience consumption and the streamers’ development of content.

Not for nothing did Ryan Faughnder write at the Los Angeles Times in Tuesday’s (February 8) Oscar nomination report, “ Don’t Look Up and The Power of the Dog powered Netflix to 27 Oscar nominations Tuesday morning, the most of any studio, reflecting a year when streaming was again the dominant force in Hollywood.”

Much of what Faughnder and colleagues in the film and television press are seeing is that, as he writes, “the film academy’s reluctance to recognize Netflix has faded in recent years.”

And Netflix, of course, is simply the tip of the streaming-service spear, now encountering forceful competition from a growing array of big-budget rivals.

That same-day streamed release was on HBO Max, a service that gave all its 2021 releases a 31-day run simultaneously with cinema showings.

When we made a quick survey of rights directors and literary agents working in international development, we were able to put together a list of projects for you, and can give you a quick outline of some of them here. We’ll start in Paris.

Éditions Calmann-Lévy and Éditions Kero

At Calmann-Lévy ‘s offices on the Rue du Montparnasse, Patricia Roussel–the rights director at Calmann-Lévy and Kero–decided that in film, she’d like to point us to three properties, the first of which releases in France this month.

• Tom, a film adapted and directed by Fabienne Berthaud, is based on the novel Tom, petit Tom, tout petit homme, Tom by Barbara Constantine, and features Nadia Tereszkiewicz and Félix Maritaud. It’s produced by Rhamsa for a release this year, the date to be announced
• La Chambre des merveilles, directed by Lisa Azuelos, is adapted from the novel La chambre des merveilles by Julien Sandrel and casts Alexandra Lamy and Muriel Robin in a production from Jerico Films for release later this year, the date to be announced

And in television, Roussel points to:

• Et la montagne fleurira ( And the Mountain Will Flourish ), directed by Éléonore Faucher in a six-episode series adapted from the novel Le Mas des Tilleuls by Françoise Bourdon, the cast featuring Guillaume Arnault, Claire Duburcq, Philippe Torreton, and Constance Dollé in a production by Storia for release this year on France Télévisions, the date yet to be confirmed

Literarische Agentur Michael Gaeb

Andrea Vogel in Berlin at Michael Gaeb’s agency —a big assist with our production of a conference at Frankfurt in October on independent publishers—is reporting strong interest from both film and literary scouts in Eva Wagendorfer’s Die Radioschwestern: Klänge einer neuen Zeit  ( The Radio Sisters: Sounds of a New Era ). 

• Netherlands: Luitingh Sijthoff (a two-book-deal at auction)
• Czech Republic: Omega
• World Spanish: Planeta (in a two-book pre-empt)
• France: Laffont
• Hungary: Offer pending

While waiting for confirmation of a film/television deal, Vogel tells us that the book is the first installment from Wagendorfer in a trilogy from Penguin Germany . Set in the 1920s, the story is about women’s friendship in the early years of radio–in Frankfurt.

An English sample is available.

Immaterial Agents

Tom Grater at Deadline writes , “The book was inspired by the Greta Thunberg movement. It follows a group of young graduates from a mountaineering academy in the southeast of Iceland who get stuck in a fierce storm, taking refuge in an old hut. There, they decide to set up a free state dedicated to nature and sustainability. When one of the girls in the group, an established environmental activist and influencer, is found dead one morning, everything changes.”

Gunnarsdóttir is a two-time winner of the Reykjavik Children’s Book Award, a four-time winner of the Iceland Women’s Literary Award for Children, and the author of 25 titles.

Also on Toniolo’s desk is a deal recently made for a television adaptation of I Founded the United States by Hilde Susan Jægtnes about Alexander Hamilton, his childhood in the Caribbean. A deal has been closed with Nicola Donata directing with an as-yet unannounced producer in the States.

And “Claudio Fava’s book Mar del Plata ,” Toniolo says, “now has an agreement signed with the Munoz Brothers” for development.

Pontas Literary and Film Agency

The adaptation, she says, “is to be written and directed by Academy Award-nominated Indian-Canadian filmmaker Deepa Mehta.”

Translation rights for the novel have been sold into 26 languages.

And as Publishing Perspectives reported from Frankfurt in October , the Spanish author Dolores Redondo ‘s La cara norte del corazón   ( The North Face of the Heart, Planeta), and Baztán Trilogy “ have been acquired by Heyday Television,” Soler-Pont reminds us.

That’s part of NBCUniversal International Studios—a division of Universal Studio Group—and the deal is for a television series.

David Heyman, the founder of Heyday with production credits including the Harry Potter adaptations, will oversee the projects.

Having been released in 2019 by Planeta, the book now has sold into 15 languages, Soler-Pont tells us.

Grand Agency

In Stockholm, Lena Stjernström at the Grand Agency on Vanadisvägen is, as usual, hardly at a loss for words when asked about adaptations. Here’s the list of recent deals she’s looking at.

Film and Television Premieres

• The Unlikely Murderer , based on a book by Thomas Pettersson, has been adapted as a five-episode television series under the Netflix Originals banner, produced by FLX Sweden, released last November
• So Damned Easygoing , based on a book by Jenny Jägerfeld, was screened on January 28 as the opening show at the Götenburg Film Festival. Its Swedish cinematic premiere is set for February 25 in a production by Cinenic Film of Stockholm
• Comedy Queen , based on a another book by Jenny Jägerfeld, has a cinematic premiere today (February 11), in an adaptation from FLX Sweden written by Linn Gottfridsson with Sanna Lenken directing. It’s about a 13-year-old who wants to be a stand-up comedian

In Production This Year

• Nora Sand, another crime series based on books by Lone Theils, also goes into shooting in the autumn for a television series, the producers in that case being ReInvent Studios Denmark and Shuuto Norway

Adaptation Rights Sold

• The Sprint Tides , still another crime series, this one by Cilla and Rolf Börjlind, for a television series, sold to Pampas Film, Sweden
• The Decomposition , a thriller series by Lotta Fritzdorf and Johan Rosenlind, has been sold to Art & Bob in Sweden for a television series
• Monsters in Therapy , another novel by Jenny Jägerfeld (with Mats Strandberg), for a television series, bought by ITV Sweden
• Sparkle, Daze, Amaze , yet another novel by Jenny Jägerfeld, has been sold for feature-film development to BReel Sweden

• Blood Cruise , another novel by Mats Strandberg, picked up for television series co-production by Northern Fable, Sweden; Imaginarium UK; and SVT Sweden
• Into a Raging Blaze , which is an espionage thriller by Andreas Norman, bought by Anagram Film Sweden for a television series
• 1007 , a tale by Johannes Pinter, for feature-film development by Solid Entertainment Sweden

Cappelen Damm Agency

In Oslo, Cappelen Damm rights manager Anette S. Garpestad highlights Ida Takes Charge , based on Kjersti Halvorsen’s 2019 book about a young woman who becomes involved at university with Aksel, “a lone wolf with a dubious interest in weapons.”

Kjersti Halvorsen is also out with a new book this spring, I’m the One Who Can Help You , another novel that I also think has great screen potential.”

Gulraiz Sharif’ s stellar bestselling novel  Listen up! —which has sold literary rights into Germany, Italy, Denmark, and the Netherlands—is also in development, Garpested says.

Producer Yngve Sæter of Motlys is producing a film based on the book, for production this spring and summer.

“Will we see it premiering at Berlinale 2023, perhaps?” she asks. “We have a great feeling about this one, and the manuscript written by Erlend Loe, a good sign for where the project is going.”

DTV Verlagsgesellschaft

At DTV’s offices on Tumblingerstrasse in Munich, rights manager Luise Hertwige points out that Liebes Kind ( Dear Child ) by Romy Hausmann is among the German shows Netflix announced in what Georg Szalai at The Hollywood Reporter describes as a doubling of its German content commitment to US$570 between 2021 and 2023.

Hausmann’s book is about a family raised in a remote forest location, the children “conceived and born in captivity” and protected by a father fearful of dangers “out there.” And the book has had heavy literary rights sales, including:

• English UK/US: Quercus/Flatiron
• Bulgaria: Lettera
• Croatia: Znanje
• Czech Republic: Euromedia
• Denmark: Superlux
• Finland: WSOY
• France: Actes Sud
• Greece: Metaichmio
• Hungary: Müvelt
• Italy: Giunti
• Japan: Shogakukan
• Korea: Balgunsesang
• Lithuania; Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House
• The Netherlands; HarperCollins Holland
• North Macedonia: Sakam Knigi
• Norway: Cappelen Damm
• Poland: Grupa Wydawnictwo Foksal
• Portugal: Porto
• Romania; Editura Lebada Neagra
• Russia: Eksmo
• Slovenia: Ucila
• Spain/Castilian: Alianza
• Sweden: Nona
• Turkey: Eksik Parca Yayincilik

More from Publishing Perspectives on Books at Berlinale is  here , and on adaptations of books to film and television is here and here . More on rights and licensing is here .

More from us on the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on international book publishing is  here .

About the Author

Porter anderson.

Porter Anderson has been named International Trade Press Journalist of the Year in London Book Fair's International Excellence Awards. He is Editor-in-Chief of Publishing Perspectives. He formerly was Associate Editor for The FutureBook at London's The Bookseller. Anderson was for more than a decade a senior producer and anchor with CNN.com, CNN International, and CNN USA. As an arts critic (Fellow, National Critics Institute), he was with The Village Voice, the Dallas Times Herald, and the Tampa Tribune, now the Tampa Bay Times. He co-founded The Hot Sheet, a newsletter for authors, which now is owned and operated by Jane Friedman.

Movies rarely portray the publishing industry with any degree of realism, but ‘American Fiction’ is a refreshing exception

Louboutin heels on this salary hahahahaha..

As “ American Fiction” opens, we meet Thelonius “Monk” Ellison in extreme close-up as at the head of a classroom. A Black writer and English professor, Monk (played by Jeffrey Wright) is teaching a Flannery O’Connor short story, one whose title contains the n-word. A white student is so offended she leaves. It’s the perfect start to a movie satirizing the intersection of race, family, and literature.

Adapted from Percival Everett’s novel “Erasure” by writer and director Cord Jefferson, the movie unspools a wild, even surreal story that feels grounded and real in its book-world details — from Monk’s poorly attended book festival panel to the petty, performative bickering among authors judging a literary prize to the cringe-worthy white executives pursuing the window dressing of diversity. When Monk worries that his new project will run afoul of fact-checking, his agent responds, “Fact check? There’s barely money to pay editors anymore!” Both men laugh; It’s funny because it’s true.

This kind of accuracy is rare. Most movies that try to capture what goes on among writers, agents, editors, publicists, and critics fall flat (probably because most of what happens in this world is truly the opposite of cinematic). Below, a sampling of some of the last quarter-century of bookish films, from raves to pans.

Michael Douglas, scarfed and blazered, struts into the first scene of “Wonder Boys” (2000), looking better than most creative writing professors, but we soon learn that his life is an absolute disaster. Over the course of a weekend during which the college is hosting its annual Wordfest, Douglas’s character, Grady Tripp, must manage his needy and wayward students, his pervy editor (a scene-stealing Robert Downey Jr.), and the college’s much more successful author, a criminally underused Rip Torn.

Probably because it’s based on an excellent book — Michael Chabon’s 1995 novel of the same name — “Wonder Boys” gets a lot right. The envy, gossip, and forlorn sexual tension feel accurate. Of course its portrayal of the writing life is a bit exaggerated (Chabon as a writer is a maximalist). Tripp’s uncompleted novel, composed on an already-dated typewriter, clocks in at more than 2,600 pages: “I don’t believe in writer’s block” he says.

Advertisement

The most realistic part is the film’s sadness: Tripp is blocked in every way but writing, and increasingly using his book project to excuse all of his worst behavior. Whether it’s realistic that his editor would fly down to Wordfest to baby-sit him for a weekend (it’s not) is somewhat beside the point. The movie has its flaws (notably the use of a trans character whose treatment feels all-but-offensive to today’s eyes) but even at its silliest, it will feel familiar to former writing students and their instructors.

“Elf” (2003) has become a contemporary holiday classic. It’s also a publishing story. Buddy the Elf’s biological father is an executive in the field of children’s books. This is meant to be ironic: surely everyone in children’s publishing is a sweet, lovable sort — not the gruff, dismissive Walter Hobbs played by legendary tough guy James Caan.

The entire publishing process portrayed in “Elf” is nonsensical. What is Walter’s title, and why do his two underlings combine roles that are typically distinct: are they writers? Editors? Marketers? He pays to fly Miles Finch (Peter Dinklage) to New York to pitch ideas (this is not how things work), and everyone’s expected to present a new book to their publisher at a big meeting on Christmas Eve. This detail, in an industry that essentially shuts down in August and December, is the movie’s biggest laugh of all.

As Sloane Crosley pointed out in a 2019 New York Times article, “The Proposal,” the 2009 rom-com starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, gets nearly everything wrong about book publishing, starting with the characters all mispronouncing Don DeLillo’s name. Bullock’s Margaret Tate, the boss, wears 4-inch Louboutin heels and carries a pristine Birkin — in this field, you’re doing well if you can afford Stuart Weitzman and M.Z. Wallace.

When Reynolds’s character, who works as Margaret’s executive assistant, defends his life in New York to his father, he describes his job as “sitting at a desk all day, reading books.” I want that job, which doesn’t exist in publishing (everyone does their reading outside the office, which is for meetings). Despite all this, and the sight of Oscar Nunez (”The Office”) playing into every Latino stereotype you can name, the movie is still a competent rom-com.

“BestSellers” (2021) opens on the sounds of a person typing on an electronic typewriter and the ringing of a landline telephone. This is how you know someone is a real writer: They live in the past. Aubrey Plaza, as a nepo baby who inherited her father’s once-legendary publishing company, and Michael Caine, as a grizzled, drunken old writer, act their heads off but can’t save this odd mess of a movie.

Plaza seems to run the publishing house by herself, with one assistant. The Times has a single critic who reviews everything and styles himself a modern-day Truman Capote. Caine appears to have supported himself (albeit in reduced circumstances) on the proceeds of one bestseller half a century ago. Famous for having once “shot his assistant,” he’s a blend of William S. Burroughs, Norman Mailer, and Charles Bukowski. Somehow this is seen as lovable.

One scene did make me laugh: When prepping Caine’s character to appear on a television talk show, Plaza asks, “What was the inspiration for this new book?”

His reply? “Money.”

Kate Tuttle is a freelance writer and editor.

• Privacy Policy

We help writers & filmmakers find publishers, agents, and film industry contacts

Publishers & Agents

Film producers & agents, children's publishers & agents, film distributors, foreign agents for other countries, book reviewers.

We also provide you with guidelines for writing a good query letter or can write it for you.

And we can help you with ghostwriting book proposals, books, and scripts.

“ I am OVERWHELMED by the response.

Close to a hundred people wrote back and most of these wanted to read it…I am so grateful for your service.”

“I have used this service a number of times and I am always overwhelmed by the response. Today I had over thirty agents asking to read my manuscript! They are worth every cent!” www.jjflowersbooks.com

Author of "Juan Pablo and the Butterflies" , Simon & Schuster, 2017

“I heartily recommend Publishers Agents Films.

The difference between that service and sending individual queries is like the difference between a rocket ship and roller skates.  

I did get an agent as a result of my query.”

Editor/Writer , Brookline, Massachusetts

“ I’m using your service again.”

“I have used your service previously that led to the successful publication of two books, which received many favorable reviews.”

Author of Heav’nly Tidings from the Afric Muse: The Grace and Genius of Phillis Wheatley, Paragon House 2017. , Author of Becoming Abraham Lincoln, Skyhorse, 2017.

Radio Interview with the Al Cole on the People of Distinction Show November 17, 2020

How Our E-Query Service Works & Frequently Asked Questions

Tons of answers on how our service works and what to expect.

Tips on Getting Published, Produced, and Promoted

Everything you needed to know to prepare you for a successful project launch.

Michael Wiese Productions

• No products in the cart.

NOW ON [HBO]MAX

Howard suber’s 6-part video series.

Don’t miss Turner Classic Movies’ series The Power of Film based on MWP author Howard Suber’s book of the same name. All six episodes are now available on MAX (formerly HBO MAX).

MWP | MICHAEL WIESE PRODUCTIONS

The world’s best-selling books for independent filmmakers, hot off the presses..

Fresh titles out for 2023 with releases from Niceole Levy, William Indick, and Margaret Kerrison.

25th anniversary editions

25 years and counting..

These classics are still going strong, influencing writers, directors, and actors across the industry. 

The Defining Moment

Screenwriters and story gurus Christopher and Kathy Riley share the secret to creating character-defining moments.

The Golden Age of TV is now!

Jerry lewis, the total filmmaker, michael wiese, immersive storytelling, creating worlds.

Margaret Kerrison shares recipes for turning simple ideas into full-fledged immersive experiences.

25% off all titles.

The everyday discount at mwp.com, - popular categories -.

• Screenwriting

The Writer’s Journey – 25th Anniversary Edition: Mythic Structure for Writers

The Hollywood Standard: The Complete and Authoritative Guide to Script Format and Style (3rd Ed)

Save the Cat: The Last Book on Screenwriting That You’ll Ever Need

A Sense of Dread: Getting Under the Skin of Horror Screenwriting

The Writers’ Room Survival Guide: Don’t Screw Up The Lunch Order and Other Keys to a Happy Writers’ Room

Psychology for Screenwriters: Building Conflict in Your Script (2nd Ed)

The future of story, learn from the masters., mwp's industry-leading authors pull from their respective disciplines to offer free, real, applicable knowledge to enhance your filmmaking career, whether you're a seasoned veteran or new to the industry..

Selling Book Rights: How to Price Your Book for Maximum Profit

• March 31, 2023
• , BLOG , PUBLISHING

As an author, you’ve put in countless hours, poured your heart and soul into writing a book , and now you’re thinking about selling its rights.

Whether you’re considering selling the movie or television rights, translation rights, or the audiobook rights, the question remains the same: what’s a good price?

Let’s dive into the various factors that determine the value of book rights and help you figure out how to get the best price for your book .

Understanding Book Rights

Before we dive into pricing, let’s first understand what book rights are.

Book rights refer to the various ways in which a book can be adapted, translated, or sold.

These rights include:

• Movie and television rights
• Translation rights
• Audiobook rights
• Merchandising rights

When a book is published , the author typically retains the rights to their work.

However, the author can choose to sell some or all of these rights to another party.

Factors That Affect the Value of Book Rights

When selling book rights, there are several factors that can impact their value.

Here are a few to keep in mind:

The popularity of the Book

If your book has already gained a large following, it will be easier to sell the rights at a higher price.

Books that have won awards, topped bestseller lists, or have a loyal fanbase will be more attractive to potential buyers.

The Genre of the Book

Certain genres, like romance and crime fiction, tend to be more popular and have a higher demand for adaptations.

If your book falls into one of these genres, it may be worth more than a book in a less popular genre.

The Potential Market for the Adaptation

Buyers will consider the potential market for the adaptation before making an offer.

For example, if your book is set in a foreign country, it may have more value in a market where there is a high demand for stories set in that location.

The Reputation of the Author

If you’re an established author with a proven track record, your book rights may be worth more than an unknown author.

Buyers are more likely to take a chance on a book by a well-known author.

The Production Budget

The cost of adapting a book into a movie, television show, or audiobook can vary greatly.

Buyers will consider the production budget when making an offer for the rights.

Pricing Your Book Rights

How to Price Book Rights: Steps to Follow

Research Comparable Book Rights Sales

• Identify books similar to yours and check their rights sale prices.
• Use this as a rough estimate of your book rights’ potential value.

Consider Relevant Factors

• Evaluate the marketability of your book, including genre, popularity, and potential market.
• Compare your book to similar books that have sold their rights.

Determine What You’re Willing to Sell

• Decide which rights you’re willing to sell and which you want to keep.
• Selling all rights may lead to a higher price, but consider the long-term impact.

Consult with a Literary Agent or Entertainment Lawyer

• A literary agent can offer valuable guidance and negotiate on your behalf.
• They can ensure that you get the best deal possible while protecting your interests.

Here are a few real-life examples to give you an idea of what book rights can sell for:

• The movie rights to Gillian Flynn’s novel “Gone Girl” sold for $1.5 million in 2012. The book had already sold millions of copies and was a New York Times bestseller before the movie was even made.
• The rights to the audiobook version of Michelle Obama’s memoir “Becoming” sold for a reported $65 million in 2018. The book had already sold millions of copies in various formats and was highly anticipated.
• The Spanish translation rights to J.K. Rowling ‘s “Harry Potter” series sold for $3.8 million in 2014. The series had already been translated into numerous languages and had a massive global following.
• The movie rights to the science fiction novel “The Martian” by Andy Weir sold for $500,000 in 2013. The book had gained a large following through self-publishing before being picked up by a traditional publisher.
• The movie rights to John Green’s “The Fault in Our Stars” sold for $1 million in 2012. The book had already been a New York Times bestseller and had a devoted following of young adult readers.
• The translation rights to “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson sold for $1.5 million in 2008. The book had already been a bestseller in its original Swedish language and had gained international attention.
• The television rights to George R.R. Martin’s “Game of Thrones” series sold for a reported $1-2 million per episode in 2011. The books had already gained a massive following and the show had high production values, making it an attractive investment for buyers.
• The merchandising rights to J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” series sold for $180 million in 2010. The books had already been adapted into a successful film trilogy and had a devoted fanbase, making it an attractive investment for buyers.

Final Thoughts

Selling book rights can be a lucrative opportunity for authors, but it’s important to understand what your rights are worth before making any decisions.

By considering factors like the popularity of your book, the potential market for adaptations, and the reputation of the author, you can get a sense of what your book rights may be worth.

Remember to do your research, consult with a literary agent or entertainment lawyer and be realistic about your expectations.

With these tips in mind, you can confidently navigate the world of selling book rights and get the best price for your hard work. Good luck!

Need Help With Your Book Cover or Literary Packaging?

Looking to bring your ideas to life with captivating storytelling and imaginative flair?

Whether you need compelling copywriting, engaging written, visual or video content creation, or literary packaging that stands out, I’m here to help.

Let’s collaborate to turn your vision into reality. Reach out today to discuss your project and let’s embark on a journey of creativity together!

Get Your Copy Of 9 Mouthwatering Marketing Tips for Your Books!

Share this post

Recent posts.

Adapting a Novel Into a Screenplay

Living the dream: inspirational stories from writers, 10 critical writing mistakes to avoid for literary success, when dictators dictate art, keep in touch, you may also like, © copyright vincent and friends media co. all rights reserved..