The Truth About Movie Options

As an author, one of the greatest moments is when a producer or a director contacts you about the film rights to your book. It can even trump seeing your book on a shelf in a bookstore for the first time. Because let's be honest, who doesn't want to see their story come to life on screen starring your favorite actors/actresses?

I want to tell you about my experiences with the whole movie option ordeal. And yes, exciting as it is, it's definitely an ordeal. Lots of you are sitting there shaking your heads thinking you'd be excited no matter what. And you'd be partially right. There is excitement, but there's also stress, hassle, constantly having your stomach twisted up in knots about the survivability of your option deal, etc. I'm hoping that sharing my experience I can at least prepare you for the rollercoaster ride that's coming should your book be optioned for film.

My journey started back in 2014 when I updated my LinkedIn profile. I wasn't looking for any kind of movie interest. I was more or less trying to utilize it to market my book series, The Ghost Files. I made the profile all about that series. Then I started connecting with people. A few extra sales. That's all I was hoping for.

When I started getting inquiries about the film rights to the book, I was a little shocked. I hadn't even thought about it becoming a movie. The more interest I got from producers and directors who'd found the profile and yes, I had connected with a few not realizing who they were, I started to really think about the opportunity.

It was definitely an OMG moment when some of them started wanting to discuss picking up the movie option for the series.

I ended up with eleven different producers who were seriously interested in the film. All of them from different with different ideas for what direction they saw the film taking. A few talked major motion pictures, some talked about TV series, and others talked about both. It was enough to make my head spin. I didn't understand half of what they were saying. A lot of it was legal jargon. I had no agent to help me muddle through. I still don't have an agent 😊 So what I did was set down and do some research. When I started Googling movie options, the first thing I noticed is there isn't a whole lot of information out there about this. You'd think there would be, but nope. It was a information wasteland. At least at the time I did my research.

So I had to rely on the producers I was in talks with to explain things to me.

And let me tell you, that's an ordeal in and of itself. Not a lot of them want to take the time to hold your hand and explain things. They just want to get the deal done and move on. Not so fast. I need things explained to me before I sign jack. Which irritated quite a few.

The producer I ended up with was fairly new. He had done some work on Showtime's hit series Dexter and understood the horror genre, which is what The Ghost Files is. He answered every questions I had even if he had to explain it different ways to make me understand it. Never once did Rami lose patience with me. He understood the book, he talked about it in the same excited way that I did. He wanted to keep the script as close to the original content as possible, which was so important to me. We all know how bad a book to movie translation can go (City of Bones and Vampire Academy being two examples of this). The script and the cast are so important. Rami understood it and because of all that I decided to go with him instead of a few more well known producers who wanted to turn my series into another teenager angsty film with an element of horror on the side. No thank you.

Once I decided on a producer, everything was set and we could party. Right?

Wrong.

Contract negotiations.

I was sent an initial contract and I'm like, um, do I just sign it? I don't really know about any of this. No agent, remember? And at that time, I couldn't afford a full time attorney to look at this mess.

Thankfully, I reached out to a few entertainment attorney's and one agreed to represent me and act as my agent for the film. He took over negotiations and five months later (yes, I said five months), we had a contract he'd allow me to sign. He explained every aspect to me and answered all my questions. I'm thankful I found such a great lawyer.

So now we can party...no.

Next comes the pitching and financing stage. This is where the producer goes out and drums up interest in the project and tries to find investors or studios who are wiling to look at the project.

There was a lot of initial interest, but at the time, a lot of people passed over it saying it didn't fit what they were producing at the time. This sound familiar to you authors out there? How many of us have had rejection letters from agents saying our book didn't fit their list? Same thing in the movie industry, folks.

After the initial option period of one year had almost expired, we got a lead. Something really big that could finance the whole project, so we extended the option for six months. That didn't pan out. Turns out they didn't' have such a good reputation and we walked away from it. Do your due diligence before you get in bed with a company people. That's all I'm saying.

As that option was about to run out, another niblet came along and we extended it again. For the next year and half, every single time we talked about just walking away, something would nibble a little interest.

During all of this, my nerves started to fray. So many times, I was so close to giving up on it, as was Rami. Not because we didn't believe in it, but because it was just freaking hard. Uncertain. My stomach would be in knots every time I knew it was with a potential investor. And then when they said no? I wanted to sit in the corner and cry with a pint of ice cream because it just felt like all those times agents told me no when I sent out an MS for them to read. It's not an easy thing, people. It's actually devastating to hear a studio or finance partner denied you. It feels like they're telling you your book is crap even though it's not the case.

Another producer came on board, Sharyn. She loved the series as much as Rami and I did. She went to bat for it. They even got it into Dreamworks. Their contact there loved it, but said the studio wasn't doing book to film adaptations at that time. She did encourage them to try back later in hopes the studio might take on those types of projects at a later time. Even though they had nothing but good things to say, I was still a little heartbroken.

I was about to give up. As was Rami. We'd even talked about just letting the option expires as he'd done everything he knew how to do and we just weren't getting the results we wanted.

As a last ditch effort, Sharyn and Rami took the project to Sundance where Sharyn entered the book into a grant proposal contest for scriptwriting money. And she won! I was super stoked about that. With a script, they had a better chance at actually garnering interest in the project instead of just a proposal. With a script, they had something to showcase what the movie would be like. It was a chance.

Sundance is where it hit the fan so to speak.

Here is also where I have to get super vague because I'm under an agreement not to be broadcasting information until I am given permission to speak about it, so apologies for that. I will tell you what I can.

Sundance put them in contact with someone who agreed to read the books. I didn't know about any of this for a couple weeks. When I got the call from saying that there was interest that could be huge, I didn't let myself believe it. So many times, I'd gotten that call and so many times it ended up with a no. I wasn't excited and I think they could tell that, but they were stoked.

I was told the acquisitions person who read it passed it on to the person who would ultimately make a decision. They didn't expect an answer any time soon as he was on vacation and even then, they said the decision would most likely be based on what his teenage daughter thought of the book.

The fate of my book in the hands of a teenager?

I so wasn't getting my hopes up 😊

We were all a little shocked when the producers got a request for a conference call within only a few days. Seems the guy read the book and loved it. Him not his daughter. Though I'm still fairly sure she did read it as some point because let's be honest. If we're going to say yes to a young adult project, wouldn't you want the opinion of one said young adult?

So contract negotiations began again. This was not me, though. It was between the producers and the other "person" we'll call them.

I knew how long it took my lawyer to let me sign a contract, so I was prepared for many months of negotiation. I wasn't wrong either. Toward the end, it almost fizzled out. I had started to let myself hope and then when I heard this, I hung my head. Hope is a fickle beast. She likes to slap you around and laugh when you cry out, why do you do this to me?

So another month and half went by and things were tense. They sent in a last best offer. I fully expected a no. That's just our luck on this. But they said yes.

I was floored. I don't think it sunk in until days later, they said yes.

So now it's time to party?

NO.

Now it's time to wait. There is so much to be done still. Things have to be done before it moves into production and no official announcements will be made until that time. Sorry guys!

But my point to all this is that while your film can be optioned, it doesn't mean anything's going to happen for a very long time if ever. I got lucky that the project fell into the hands of the right people at the right time. It could have gone differently. I could be looking at a dissolved option contract.

Hearing those words, optioned for film, is amazing and you have every right to feel that way. Just don't think things happen overnight. Hollywood moves slower than mollasses and sometimes is slower than a snail. Things fizzle out, they can cause you stress nightmares.

There isn't a lot of research out there, so do your due diligence if you get offered a contract. Talk to people, make the person answer your questions even if they have to do it ten different ways.

Be excited, but be realistic as well. It's not just a mountain you're about to climb, it's Mount Everest times a thousand. And for the love of all that's holy, find a decent entertainment attorney if you don't have an agent!! Don't try to navigate the contract by yourself. It's a landmine!

And remember, you're never alone in all this. Reach out to people in the author community who can help and answer questions. And make sure to pay it forward. Be there for the person who's struggling to understand the option process.

If anyone would like to read The Ghost Files, the book that has been optioned, it is free to read in full on Wattpad. I convinced my publisher to leave it up as a way to say thank you to the fans and to Wattpad. This book would not be where it is today without all the love and support of Wattpad.

The Ghost Files: https://www.wattpad.com/story/5922157-the-ghost-files

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