Independent guidance for authors · Your work remains yours.
Film & TV
Screen interest arrives sounding like a finish line. It is closer to a long option period with modest money attached — and the terms you agree at the start decide everything that follows.
Screen rights
Six things worth understanding before a producer sends paperwork.
Ask us about your rightsScreen rights are handled separately from publishing rights. A publisher may or may not control them, depending on what your contract says — the first thing to check is which rights you still hold.
01
An option buys a producer the exclusive right to try to make your book for a fixed period, usually twelve to eighteen months, often renewable once. Most options expire without a film being made, and the rights come back to you.
02
The option fee is small; the figure that matters is the purchase price negotiated at the same time and paid only if the production goes ahead. Agreeing it early avoids negotiating from a weak position later.
03
Film, television, streaming, stage, audio, merchandising, sequel and remake rights can each be carved out or bundled. Read what is being taken, for how long, and in which territories.
04
Author credit, a consultancy role, or the right to be shown a script are all points that can be asked for. None are automatic, and none give you creative control.
05
A screenwriter will cut characters, merge timelines and invent scenes. That is normal craft, not disrespect. Decide in advance how much change you can live with.
06
Screen agreements are drafted by entertainment lawyers for good reason. We can explain what the clauses mean; we do not negotiate deals or introduce producers.
Adapted many times over
Public domain titles, shown for reference. Cover images from the Open Library cover archive.
