Are the Rights Available?
The Second Most Frequent Question I Get
Hi friends,
We’ve got a nut and bolt post today for all of your dreaming of our book becoming a movie or tv show one day. This is the second most frequent question I get in my inbox (this first being “is this normal???” from my clients in all it’s incarnations.)
So, let’s say your book is out in the world. No matter the size of the publisher. No matter the genre. Traditional or Self-pub. If it’s out there, someone might be reading it.
That someone might be a scout or an agent at a talent agency or someone at a studio or production company. It’s someone’s job to make sure that the film and/or tv rights are available to anything someone, somewhere might be interested in reading, before they invest a ton of time in reading it. That person emails the rights holder, which could be you if you don’t have an agent, or is most likely your agent (or your editor if they can’t find your agent) and asks Are the rights available?
You might think this means SOMEONE IS GOING TO MAKE A MOVIE OUT OF MY BOOK!!!!! And sometimes that is true!! But what it really means is that they want to make sure your book hasn’t already been optioned, thus making film/tv rights unavailable. Practically speaking, it means that someone heard about your book—from reviews or word of mouth or online or in a bookstore—and thought it might be right for…someone they work for. A talent agent who thinks it might be great for their screenwriter or actor client. A reader for a production company owned by a famous person. Someone at a studio who does “coverage” (i.e. book reports) for the whole company. Basically, your book is on someone’s radar, and that’s never a bad thing.
99% of the time, though, this it all the interaction you have and there are no further updates. Maybe they read it or maybe they didn’t. When I get these emails, I always forward them to or CC our film/tv co-agent, because he knows better than I do which ones are A Big Deal and which ones are Just Some Guy Who Says He’s a Producer. Just like with a book deal—just because they offer, doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. This is why we have a film/tv co-agent.
If someone reads it and someone likes it, they let you know! They want to buy it before someone else does! That’s when the wheels get turning and things could get exciting. (99% of books that are optioned, though, are not made. Think of that option payment as free money and if something goes into production? That’s winning the lottery.)
So, if you or your agent gets one of these emails, take it as a compliment. It’s not, however, your golden ticket to a movie deal. Maybe that will happen one day! But there will be MANY more emails than just that one.
We’ve got a Pub Day Extravaganza Today!
Welcome to the stage A SPINDLE SPLINTERED by Alix E. Harrow—the first of two novellas in the Fractured Fables Series! It’s like Sleeping Beauty in the multiverse and it’s amazing!
And here is NOT YOUR AVERAGE HOT GUY by NYT Bestselling author Gwenda Bond! Find out what happens when you’re attracted to the guy who may or may not bring about the apocalypse!
Get them while they’re, er, hot!!!
OXOXOXOX,
Kate