Buy Film Rights to a Book

Many movies are based on books, graphic novels or life rights for biographical films. Movie rights are subsidiary rights to a book. Although the book is turned into a screenplay and may not follow the book exactly, it is derivative of the book and usually needs the author's involvement. A film company or screenplay writer must secure rights before producing material. These rights can be controlled completely or partially by the author or publishing house. It is important to secure a book's film rights before beginning a screenplay or seeking producer involvement. Read more to find out how to buy film rights to a book.

Steps

  1. Read the material thoroughly. You should be very familiar with the book's characters and its value to film companies before approaching anyone about film rights. This will help you to be familiar with the author, publishing company and possible concerns with turning the book into a film.
  2. Research who controls the film rights to the book. You should first find the publisher at the beginning of the book and contact the publishing house about subsidiary rights. Some publishing companies have departments dedicated to dealing with republishing and film rights, called a Rights and Acquisitions Department.
    • Write or fax a written request for information on the film rights to the book in question. Be sure to include a legitimate proposal that proves why you should get information on book subsidiary rights. Also include your contact information, so that they can give you a response.
    • Contact the author's agent or the author to inquire about the rights, if you cannot get the information from the publishing house. You may be able to find the author's contact information on their website. If you have a great idea for adaptation, and the author likes it, you may be able to secure rights more easily.
  3. Wait for a response from the publishing company or the agent. This can take a few days to a few months. You may receive a response saying the rights are not available; however, if the film rights are available you can continue attempting to acquire them.
    • If the film rights are not available, you should not work with the material because someone else owns the rights to make the book into a movie.
    • If the film rights are public domain, this means that anyone has rights to adapt the book into film. Books move into public domain when the author's copyright on the material expires. This is the case with Shakespeare, Jane Austen and Mark Twain.
  4. Develop a proposal to option the book. You should do extensive research on competition, target demographics and the connections required to get the movie made. A production company will not get involved unless the rights are secured.
    • A book option means that you reserve the rights for a limited period of time in order to make the film, and you pay the author and/or publishing company a stipend based on those rights. For example, you may pay $100,000 for a 1 year option on a book. The author receives a percentage, such as $10,000, and they receive the balance if the film is made that year. After an option expires, you may be able to option it for another year.
  5. Contact an entertainment lawyer or agent to negotiate your option. This is an important step to negotiating a legal and advantageous contract to adapt the book into film. Many publishing agents are not knowledgeable enough to handle film rights negotiation.
  6. Contact producers, directors and actors to get them interested in the film. This is essential to get the book made within the option time. Many options have to be renewed because it takes a while to gather interest and money to make films.

Tips

  • Buy a Publisher's Weekly Magazine in order to research book options. In each issue, they list the amount of money that books are optioned for.
  • It is rare that options are given for a low price. The author's agent or the publishing company will want to negotiate the best option for their client, because they each get a cut of the option price received.
  • If you do not have money to option a book, then choose a public domain book. You can do an Internet search with the terms "public domain books," in order to find options.
  • If you are unable to find the information for an author or an author's agent, contact the Writer's Guild of America, or another country. They list the agents and can give you contact information.

Warnings

  • Do not choose to option the book if it is a story that has been told many times before or if the concept is hard to explain. This is known as a "soft concept," and it is difficult to adapt a book with this concept into a movie. These are not safe investment options.
  • Do not begin writing a screenplay adaptation until rights are secured. The company that holds the rights can begin litigation to stop you from writing. Screenplay writers are first hired by a company and then given projects to work on, or they are not likely to read the script.

Things You'll Need

  • Book
  • Publisher's contact information
  • Author or agent contact information
  • Film option proposal
  • Entertainment lawyer or agent
  • Producer

Related Articles

  • Make a Movie Based on a Book

Sources and Citations

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