How Authors Get a Film Deal – TWO DATES!

Description

We are giving those who wish to take this class two opportunites to join us.  You are welcome to join us for BOTH sessions if you wish!

Wednesday Sept 9th at 8pm Eastern AND Saturday Sept 12 at 1pm Eastern

You’ve written the book. Now comes the question almost every author I have ever met has asked me: How can this become a movie or television series?

It’s a little like asking “How do you build a car?” But I have done enough book to film deals to be able to give you an overview of the process. Getting a book in front of producers, studios, streamers, scouts, and other entertainment professionals is a very different process from selling it to readers or publishers.

And I have learned the hard way what NOT to do…

This course gives authors a practical introduction to how film and television rights actually work, what entertainment professionals are looking for, and what you can do to make your book easier to pitch.

You’ll learn the language of film rights, understand what happens when someone wants to option or shop your book, and discover how to talk about your story in the concise, plot-focused way the entertainment industry expects. The course also covers the materials authors may need, from a strong logline to a film-focused synopsis, pitch deck and query letter, as well as practical ways to research the producers and companies most likely to be interested in your kind of story.

This is not a promise that Hollywood will come calling. Very few optioned books ultimately make it to the screen. It is a way to understand the process, avoid common mistakes, and put yourself in a much stronger position if an opportunity arises.

What You’ll Learn

• How film and television rights work.
• The different type of dramatic rights and an overview of the new apps and companies looking for stories for the new subscription model that has just emerged in the last few years.
• Understanding exclusivity, option periods, renewals, and what happens if the option is “exercised.”
• The difference between an option agreement and a shopping agreement — and why knowing the difference matters before you say yes.
• How to pitch your book for the screen, with an emphasis on plot, characters, conflict, stakes, and story rather than traditional book-marketing language.
• The difference between a tagline and a logline, and why the entertainment industry cares far more about one of them when evaluating a project.
• What to include in a query to film and television professionals, from your logline and hook to relevant information about you and your book.
• The best places to pitch your story in person and online.
• How to research potential contacts by identifying producers and companies already working with material similar to yours and following the entertainment trades.
• How to think more strategically about your book’s screen potential so that you can present it professionally without trying to turn yourself into a Hollywood insider overnight.

Who This Course Is For

This course is designed for:

• Traditionally published authors who want to better understand what happens when film or television interest develops around their work.
• Independent and self-published authors who want to explore film and television opportunities when they do not have a Hollywood agent.
• Authors with highly visual, character-driven, high-concept, or adaptable stories who want to learn how to describe those stories in screen-industry language.
• Authors preparing to pitch a book for adaptation who aren’t sure what producers expect to see.
• Writers who have been approached about an option or shopping agreement and want to understand the terminology before entering the conversation.
• Authors who are simply curious about how a book gets from the page to the screen and would rather understand the process before an opportunity lands in their inbox.

You do not need an agent, entertainment-industry experience, or an enormous platform to benefit from this course. You just need a book, a willingness to look at your story from a slightly different angle, and a realistic understanding that getting to the screen begins with knowing how the business works.

By the end of the course, you’ll have a clearer picture of the road between “I wrote a book” and seeing it on the screen — along with practical tools to help you take the next step with more confidence.