How to gain the movie rights to a book?

Nomrulz · Dec 28, 2005

I'm looking to make a feature length film based on a novel.

How many figures am I looking to spend on gaining the rights to the novel, does the Author decide or his agents.
How do you approach the Author on the subject of buying his story to use in a movie?

Is there a place I can go to read up on how to go about doing something like this?

Any comments will be appreciated.

Thanks

Digigenic · Dec 29, 2005

I would like to know more about this as well; I'll move this topic into the screenwriting section and leave a shadow of it here in the filmmaker cafe.

temerson · Dec 29, 2005

It's actually not the author who holds the rights to their books. Well, let me rephrase - they don't ALWAYS hold the rights to their books. You need to figure out who has the publication rights to the book, try both the publisher AND the author.

If the author has the rights and an agent, you need to contact the agent about wanting to buy the rights to the book.

If the author has no agent, then you need to find a way to contact the author themselves about obtaining the rights to the book.

When it comes to the money question, I try to write a letter to the author first - telling them what you want to do, that you're a fan, all that jazz. If you can get the author on your side in an options battle, you have a better chance of getting the rights. If the author really likes you, you might be able to get them for a lower cost.

One caveat:

Don't try to option a book by Michael Crichton if you're not a successful, established, probably award-winning screenwriter. Same goes for other major authors.

Kim Welch · Jan 18, 2006

Small Potatoes

Small Potatoes

contact the publisher of the book and ask who has the movie rights. see what they want or what the auther wants. Tell them you are small potatoes and you love the book and want to make a movie of it and make them and offer. you never know untill you try and I have heard of all kinds of deals being made.

Truly
Kim

BigBeaner · Jan 29, 2006

Don't try to option a book by Michael Crichton if you're not a successful, established, probably award-winning screenwriter. Same goes for other major authors.

Same goes for michael Crichton himself. Runaway anyone? I shouldn't say that it's not that bad for the time and Tom Selleck is good. But Gene Simmons as super evil genius?

MarkG · Jan 30, 2006

Same goes for other major authors.

Didn't the guy who adapted 'Shawshank Redemption' have no previous credits other than adapting a short story by Stephen King? From what I remember King liked the short so much he happily let the writer have rights to the other story.

One issue which I could do with some clarification on: when a book goes out of copyright, presumably anyone can adapt it even if someone else previously owned the movie rights? I have a semi-adaption of a book that's been out of copyright for about twenty years, but wouldn't want to shoot it and then have someone complain that they own the rights: of course so much has been changed in the adaption process that I could eliminate most of what's left and claim it's not an adaption at all

.

Dan Selakovich · May 20, 2006

If the book is little known, you may be able to work a deal with the publisher to cross promote the book and film. This is more likely to work if the book is on the publisher's back list, and they are looking to push sales. Of course, you'll have to prove to the publisher that the movie will actually get made and that you can pay them rights on the back end based on grosses on the film.

Dan
www.DVcameraRigs.com

KGB · Sep 12, 2006

Film right to book

Film right to book

if i could continue along the original line of questioning about adapting a book:
what is the difference between optioning the book and actually purchasing the rights?
what is a good way to determine how much you should offer?
any help would be greatly apprectiated