Turning A Book Into A Movie

Many people, whom I meet at networking meetings, have an idea for a book. I ask them to tell me about it and they usually go into a small diatribe about character, action, plot and location without ever convincing me of the business proposition. When I ask them, “Why would a person want to buy your book?” they look at me puzzled and often get angry because I have forced them to deal on a business level; a concept extremely foreign to most wannabe writers.

If you have the discipline and ability to write, than you should do it. However, you must write with a reader in mind. I know it sounds harsh but that is the only way to get your thoughts down in writing with the ultimate goal of making money from your venture. It takes a lot of work and can take years before you have created a product worth selling.

Those that take the initiative will write their book using a word processor. They then try to find a publisher to market it by sending our copies to hundreds of publishers that they found on the Internet or in a publisher database. Given the power of freelance editors, self-publishing and Internet self-distribution, I think that’s a waste of time.

Years ago I started writing textbooks on equipment leasing. After spending thousands of dollars and talking to dozens of business publishing companies, they all turned me down arguing that the market for a textbook on equipment leasing was too small for their portfolios.

So, I turned to R J Communications to help me publish my book. Fortunately, both of us have done very well as a result of our mutual relationship. R J provides the technical “know-how” on publishing by providing information and resources on Word to Quark conversion, graphics, book covers, paper selection, print options, pre-publishing flight checks, shipping and print-on-demand alternatives. I am still responsible for funding the project, ordering and maintaining my own inventory and marketing of my books. After several marketing mistakes, I now have several keyword-optimized websites promoting my books, pay for PPC for several search engines and use amazon.com for my worldwide order taking and distribution.

After my first two textbooks, I wrote my autobiography called “A Gentleman Drunk”. The book is in essence a recap of my first year in recovery from alcohol. A well-known book critic described it as “an amazing story that makes you believe that anyone, from a Wall Street Executive to a homeless street bum, can beat alcoholism.”

Since its introduction more than 4 years ago, I have developed a small following on the Internet, maintain a website called alcohol411.info and plan to turn my self-published book into a movie.

Before I attempted to write the screenplay, I turned to the experts, attended seminars and read everything I could about screenwriting. I first learned about what makes a great movie. In order for a book to become a movie it has to have a strong, forward-moving plot line and a premise that one can easily picture on a poster. Deal killers are:

1. The story has been done before
2. The concept takes too long to explain
3. The protagonist’s obstacles seem easily surmountable
4. The movie does not easily fall into an established genre like comedy or thriller.
5. The movie costs too much to make
6. The storyline has not enough or too many “central” characters

Having considered whether your book is suitable to be adapted to a screenplay, consider how you might have to “rearrange” it. Generally, there is much more than 90 to 120 minutes of action in a well written book, so your book needs to be trimmed down to what is the really important storyline that can/should be part of the script. In fact, most scripts are 80-140 pages depending upon what is required from the actors.

Some books naturally lend themselves to being adapted while others are more challenging. Considerations include the number of characters, number of different scenes, how much time elapses during the story (days, months, or years), and how much of your book you’d want to use. Sometimes, for a really powerful story, maybe only a few chapters constitute the core of the story, and the rest make up the undertone.

After many attempts my published logline (a teaser to attract attention) was:

“After a drunken auto accident leaves a man hovering between life and death, he is forced to retrace the major turning points, which led him to this moment. Just when we believe all’s lost and our hero will die unredeemed in the original auto accident, we realize the entire film has been a first hand account told to an international gathering of Alcoholic’s Anonymous by the man, himself, now recovered.”

Once I knew I had a basis for making my screenplay, I had a difficult time transitioning from author to screenwriter. Simply, there are two radically different writing styles. As an author I had no difficulty writing for a reader’s imagination. As a screenwriter, I had to write for the camera. It is a lot different and more detailed.

Writing a script requires telling the director where to put the camera in the scene, how to move throughout the scene and coordinate with light, music and sound. You cannot leave anything out since it is a blueprint for making a movie. You cannot rely on a director’s imagination to fill in the blanks you left in the script. Even after I had a good script, I had to hire additional screenwriters to critique my work and rewrite sections that needed improvement.

After I finished the script, I ran it by experts who “covered” the material. They, in essence, critiqued the script based on Hollywood standards and commented on how the material could be improved so that a producer/director would be attracted to the project.

Once I finished the script I had to add additional material for a “package” which included a brief business plan, synopsis and treatment of the movie, comparables, suggested actors for the film, preliminary operating budgets and Return on Investment ROI) Analysis.

Now that I had a script (took 7 drafts) and a “package”, I began “pitching” it to Hollywood. To get the attention of producers and production companies, I listed the logline on independent film blogs, submitted query letters, entered screenwriting contests, attended Pitchfests, and reconnected with friends in the industry. The bottom-line is that I never stopped talking about my project from dusk to dawn. On several occasions I think my wife wanted to kill me; claiming that I was obsessed and that I should let it go.

Initial feedback was painful. Although I thought I had done a lot of homework, I had barely touched on the key issues investors and producers look for in a blockbuster film. When you look at your book/script ask yourself the following questions:

1. Why are movies a good investment and why are they better than alternative investments such as gold, oil, platinum, diamonds and real estate?
2. Why is your movie better than other movies?
3. Why would men, women, boys, girls pay $6-$10 to see your movie?
4. Why should a professional invest in your project?
5. What you have done to move your project forward?
6. Who is associated with your project?
7. Who has already put money in your project?
8. Have you checked out tax incentives, product placement or deferred equity from distributors?
9. Which distributors have you talked to?

Every time I learned something new that would move the project forward, I updated the business plan and created a new “package”. Finally, after three years, I connected with a major studio, which is now first reading my script. Since I am up against more seasoned writers, there is no guarantee that the movie will be made. It only means that I have crossed another hurdle.

So, if want to turn your book into a movie, be prepared to spend lots of time kissing a lot of frogs. And, be careful about all the people you meet who will promise you the world, because, no one can do that without hurting you.

Jeffrey Taylor

Jeffrey Taylor is the founder of Jeffrey Taylor Group, a holding company for Jeffrey’s various operating businesses which include, Showbiz Management Advisors, a film and TV production advisor, Scottsdale Luxury Cruises, a luxury cruise agency and Deep Discount Business Travel, a business consolidator. He is the author of “Selling Leasing In A Tough Economy” and “The Future of Equipment Leasing”, top selling textbooks used by the Equipment Leasing industry. He is the author of “A Gentleman Drunk”, an autobiographical sketch about his life as a recovery alcoholic. His most recent book, “Going From W2 to 1099” is a emotional and thrilling insight into the crazy life of an entrepreneur. Critics claim: “Although the book suggests ‘reading in one setting doesn't make sense’ - I couldn't stop myself. Timely material - timeless advise. Looking forward to reading it again and again.” “I really enjoyed reading your book. It was informative and entertaining, and as a recent 1099-er myself, I found it very helpful.” Between his busy business schedules, Mr. Taylor teaches several commercial real estate courses at the Professional Institute of Real Estate in Scottsdale, AZ and is a recently approved member of SCORE, a non-profit business advisory organization.

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