Tinseltown or Bust? The Hollywood Dream, Part One

As writers, we often exist on dreams. We have to, or we wouldn’t write at all. The dream of a finished book, a published book, an agent, a publishing deal… It’s a common shared goal and for many of us, it does evolve from a dream into reality.

But what about the Hollywood dream? How many of us have had reviews where the reader loves your book and suggests it would be perfect for the big screen, or a primetime series? 

It has become much easier to get published, and the book world is flooded new publications every day, making it tough to stand out from a crowd. Self-publishing is now so slick and professional, many writers are turning away from the traditional route and choosing to stay in control of their dreams… and their royalties.

With new book-to-film opportunities springing up, it seems you can not only publish your book, but also venture into the world of TV and film without an agent or a traditional contract. Is it really as easy as it seems?

Bestselling author Amanda Brittany was approached on social media. ‘Her Last Lie’, published in 2018 by HQ Digital (HarperCollins) became an immediate bestseller, but when Amanda was contacted by director Magnus Wake on Twitter, she was sceptical. ‘I thought it was a joke,’ she says. ‘But when I discovered he was an award-winning director, I could hardly believe it.’ 

After a long phone call with Magnus, Amanda passed his details onto HarperCollins, and an option deal was raised. So far so good, but very few books optioned go the distance and make it into production. Amanda is delighted to share her news, ‘Work has just begun on turning ‘Her Last Lie’ into a film!’ 

Magnus is very enthusiastic about book-to-screen and points out some advantages in optioning a bestseller from a director’s point of view;

 “People have already enjoyed the story and like the characters, which is reassuring to a film producer. There’s also potentially a following for a writer and their books which means it’ll be easier to sell the film into the industry market place and ultimately on to the final audience. Of course adapting books can be challenging but they’re good because they can extend the audience a book can go to.” 

Samantha Bertish is an indie author, who has built a hugely successful children’s brand around her main picture book character, Zuma the Dog. Samantha was approached by a rights agent, and networked to find contacts for her next project; Zuma the Dog Productions. She says “We are setting up a motion picture production company. It’s a joint venture partnership with an already established media production company. ”

What made her want to take Zuma the Dog from book to screen? “From a business growth perspective and longevity for the IP I see it as a natural progression.”

Would she pay to have her book pushed forward with a book-to-screen company? The answer is an emphatic ‘no!’ Samantha says, “I would never pay to have my book exposed to industry experts. As far as I can see, it is good enough to stand on its own merits.”

 I’m always keen to explore new opportunities for my own books, so I decided to investigate three book-to-screen companies I have seen mentioned on social media.

Books Office is a book-to-screen start-up with an author at the helm. Founder Elaine Sturgess says;

 “I started BooksOffice because having written my own novel, ‘Gin and It’, I was rather frustrated by how tough it can be to find your voice in the current landscape in media and publishing. I decided to make a cinematic quality trailer to pitch for a film or series.”

 As directed I uploaded my links and covers. This part is totally free. They also gave me a nice shout out when we hooked up on social media.

The next step is to create a movie deck or series bible. Essentially this is your pitch, and similar to a writing submission/pitch but with a TV twist. 

Step three is now to enter your book and pitch into a project. It costs £29 with the fee reduced to £19 if you buy a package deal for multiple submissions, so I stick with the free profile.  

Author Michelle Holland also registered her books with BooksOffice, and she did decide to submit to a project. ‘Inside A Dog’s Mind’, (Jacob’s Journal), was entered into the very first BooksOffice Project – for the best Crime/Thriller/Drama, and she won. She says, “The whole concept is just so exciting. I decided to enter as you have to be in it to win it!”

I’m still curious about the public vote, but Michelle reassures me this was actually very simple, “Once a member of the public has registered and signed in, they are able to give five votes to their chosen book.”

So what’s next for the very first BooksOffice winner and how close is she now to seeing her book transformed for the big screen? Michelle says, “This week we did a podcast with BooksOffice founders Leslie Ash, and Elaine Sturgess, and next is a trip to London to BooksOffice for the very first production meeting.”

I asked a screenwriter friend, and industry professional, Hayley November, who has been in the TV business for many years, what she thought of these new opportunities.  She says, “From a TV point of view, getting any book to screen is costly and time consuming. The whole process takes years and is very expensive.”

Hayley adds, “A lot of people don’t realise need to have the accountable ability to pay up front for development, scripts, cast and crew. The company gets paid on delivery of the completed project. The costs can run into millions, and if the company is lacking the funding and/or experience, they will never get a commission – no matter how good the idea is.”

I’m curious about the writing process when a book is optioned and potentially goes into production. How much input does the book author have? 

Hayley explains, “New writers should check that any production companies they intend to work with are following the guidelines. Working outside the structures, giving away rights or working for free undermines the professional writing community and can leave the new writer unprotected. Finally, a book author needs a huge amount of coaching and support to make the leap to TV writing. They are different genres, which is why so many adaptations are written by screenwriters and not the book author. To give an example, I’m in the process of doing the process is reverse and writing my first novel. I’m finding it incredibly difficult as it is almost the total opposite of skills and instincts used in writing scripts for TV!”

PART TWO COMING NEXT WEEK!

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Daisy White started writing fifteen years ago, scribbling ideas at work on the night shift, firstly flying as cabin crew, and latterly working for the Ambulance Service.

Her 1960’s cosy mystery trilogy, The Ruby Baker Mysteries, was published in 2017 by Joffe Books, followed by psychological thrillers Remember Me and The Forgotten Child (HarperCollins) in 2019.

Daisy’s new crime thriller GLASS DOLLS, (Joffe Books), came out at the end of March 2020, and is the first in the DC. Dove Milson series. 

Daisy is a multi- award-winning entrepreneur, and loves inspiring new writers to put pen to paper to start their own creative journey. She is represented by The Kate Nash Literary Agency.

Website; www.daisywhiteauthor.co.uk

Social Media;

https://www.facebook.com/DaisyWhiteAuthor

https://twitter.com/DEWhiteAuthor

https://www.instagram.com/daisywhiteauthor/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/daisy-white-b6764059/

For book enquiries; lina@katenashlit.co.uk

For speaking engagements please contact; kaye@andromedatalent.com

To contact Daisy; daisy@daisywhiteauthor.co.uk

 

GLASS DOLLS

ONE OF THE MOST ELECTRIFYING THRILLERS YOU’LL READ THIS YEAR WITH A TWIST YOU WON’T SEE COMING.

D.E. White’s hotly anticipated GLASS DOLLS is the utterly gripping new book starring Detective Dove Milson.

Detective Dove Milson is called out to a chilling murder scene by the coast. A teenage girl is found murdered, encased in glass.

The murder is a replica of the work of a serial killer known as the Glass Doll murderer, who entombed his victims in glass to watch them die. He would be the prime suspect but . . .

HE’S ALREADY DEAD

The kicker?

Dove’s own niece was one of the original Glass Doll victims.

When her other niece goes missing, it looks like the copycat killer plans to repeat history in more ways than one.

WILL SHE BE THE NEXT GLASS DOLL?

Time is running out. Dove must race to catch a killer before it’s too late. Then a new lead tears a hole in the case.

Discover a brand new thriller with a jaw-dropping twist you won’t see coming.

Perfect for fans of Cara Hunter, K.L. Slater, Robert Bryndza, Helen Fields and Angela Marsons.

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: Contemporary Women Writers, How To and Tips