Hello all,
I'm an author of five psychological thrillers published by Harper Collins, but I've also written one rom-com manuscript that's not published and I feel it would make a terrific movie.
What's the best process to get that from book manuscript to film?
Can I pitch just the idea to film people, or would I have to write the film script first? Or should I try to get the book published then sell the IP? Or should I try to find a US agent / literary manager?
Any advice welcome, thank you so much, Annabel
Annabel, your question is incredibly salient. It's really coming down to how much time or money you have to turn your romantic comedy into a film. Obviously, you've had some success already as a writer of psychological thrillers. You've got a name. My suggestion would be to contact the agents of a-listers (actors, screenwriters, real production companies). Get someone who is actually someone interested in your romantic comedy right from the ground up. At that point in time you will have leverage.
Everything in this business comes down to leverage. You already have some by being a successful author of psychological thrillers. Your romantic comedy gives you some leverage by being as yet, unpublished. This gives you the leverage of offering someone real (actually working, making money) in the film industry the chance of putting something on the screen for the first time as opposed to an adaptation of an already published (or posted: self published) book. Right, I get it, just about everybody has written a book that mysteriously remains unknown. In your case, you've actually being published, as opposed to posting something on line and calling yourself an author, and you've got a name to go with it. That, is your leverage, along with the publicity gained from your previous works. If you bring an a-lister on board you will have more leverage.
The only other option I see is to spend a vast amount of time publishing your romantic comedy through a traditional publisher, and then a king's ransom advertising and promoting it. If you're lucky and it claws its way on to the New York times bestseller list, you might get some attention from the film industry. But, by crikey, it'll take years.
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Dear Morgan, thank you so much for such a detailed and in-depth reply. I really appreciate it and am thinking about my strategy...
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Hi Annabel - congrats on your books! Do you have an agent? Because I would say it's the agent's job to do the pitching for you, even if it's a totally different genre. They will have all the contacts and even if it isn't done in house they should be pitching it to the scouts for production companies.
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When you pitch anything remember to advertise first. You only have a certain amount of time (5 minutes max) to show it and sell. Compare it to other work Example- “This is like” or “If you love’”. Give a brief description for the book and the characters. Entice their interest. And don’t miss a beat. If you hire an agent don’t be robbed of your money. That is- don’t hire a Snake Oil Salesman.
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Good point, D.E. White! BTW, Annabel, DE is the other real writer in-lounge, I alluded to in DM.
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Lol Morgan - we are all real writers ;-)
I beg to differ, D.E. For instance, I sure as shite, ain't a real writer. I think the real part comes from having a track record to point at, or real publishing houses pubbing your stuff.
I've, on more than one occasion, danced around in my underwear in front of an iPhone (and there was that CCTV footage from the lift that went viral), but does that make me a movie star? Does it make me a real actor? Does it even make me an actor?
... 'nuf said: you and Annabel are real writers. Others? Meh... prove you're more of a writer than I'm a movie star.
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From a few seminars Ive watched, they said its best to 1) have the author’s permission to adapt the book to a screenplay (but i thinky you’re the author correct?). 2) find the assistants of certain directors that specialize in the genre the book/script is written in (they suggested searching through IMDB for this) 3) have a clear storyline concept/stake high theme. The main thing about adapting books is they dont always stay word for word with the book when you’re writing it as a screenplay. Hopefully this helped :)
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Hi Annabel :) Getting the book published and then selling the IP is the best way. A lot of streamers are looking for IP of published work with decent success.
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If the book gets published and becomes a bestseller, people will come to you with option offers. That's when the hard part starts. "Eleanor Oliphant" got optioned by Reese Witherspoon back in 2018 and it's still not in production yet. And rightly so IMO. Not all great novels translate well to the screen (eg The Goldfinch). So that's a big question to ask about your novel: Will it translate well to the screen?
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Thank you all so much for your replies. Absorbing them all!