Route one: option and adaptation

A producer options the rights for a fixed term, then attempts to finance a production. Most options never become films, and that is not a mark against your book.

Optioning is slow and rarely lucrative on its own. Treat it as a lottery ticket you did not pay for, not a plan.

Route two: adapt it yourself

Adaptation rewrites the book as a screenplay: scenes, not chapters; dialogue, not interiority. Much of what makes your prose good is cut by design.

Full independent production requires crew, cast, locations and post — a different profession from writing.

Route three: the performed edition

A film book performs the whole book on screen — narrated, cast, scored and cut to picture — with your prose intact rather than rewritten.

It is priced as arithmetic: 12% of your word count. 90,000 words is $10,800 and runs about 9h 41m.

It is the only route with a known price, a known runtime and a known delivery date on the day you ask.

The order of the work

1. 01Establish your rightsConfirm you hold film and audio rights. Check any publishing contract before you speak to anyone.
2. 02Decide the routeOption and adaptation depend on a producer's yes. A performed edition depends only on your word count and your budget.
3. 03Prepare the materialA clean, final manuscript. Adaptation and performance both punish an unfinished text.
4. 04Choose the vesselA film book keeps your prose word for word; a screen adaptation rewrites it as a screenplay.
5. 05Commission and castChoose voices, sound design and score, then seal the Charter and begin the build.

Asked and answered

How much does it cost to option a book?

Options are paid to you, not by you, and amounts vary enormously. Never pay a party who asks you for money to option your work.

Is a film book the same as a movie adaptation?

No. An adaptation rewrites the story as a screenplay; a film book performs your existing prose, word for word, on screen.

Do I keep my film rights if I commission a film book?

Yes. The edition is produced for you, and the house takes no share of your book or its rights.

How long does a film book take?

It depends on length and casting; the build passes through the house's stages and you follow it from your Chamber.