How to Adapt a Book

There are more movies adapted from books and other intellectual properties now than ever before. Producers and production companies actively seek these stories, even if the book isn’t on the New York Times Bestseller list.  

This OnDemand webinar will cover the adaptation process of turning a book into a screenplay from both the perspectives of screenwriters seeking to find books to adapt, and also authors not only wishing to adapt their own books, but also who aim to understand the adaptation process.

The reality is, the movie will never be just like the book. Ever. And this session will lay out the many reasons why, and if it’s possible for an author to have any type of control. 

Jeanne Bowerman adapted the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Slavery by Another Name, into both a feature screenplay and a limited series, pitching it to major production companies and studios. In this webinar, Jeanne covers why Hollywood loves intellectual property, what makes a book attractive for adaptation, and how to cut down a full-size novel into a two-hour story, including advice on limited series.

Attendees will get clear, actionable advice to help them achieve their goals of adaptation.

What You Will Learn:

• Why Hollywood loves adaptations
• What makes an adaptable story
• Book options and film rights
• Pitching an author for the rights and pitching Hollywood
• The screenwriter/author relationship
• The actual process of adapting a book, both fiction and nonfiction
• Screenplay structure
• When and how to get Hollywood involved

Who Should Attend:

• Authors who want to understand how a book gets adapted
• Screenwriters who want to adapt books
• Authors wanting to maximize the success of their novels
• Writers who want to challenge themselves to write in a different medium
• Authors who want to learn how to adapt their own books
• Writers who want to extend their skill set into writing adaptations
• Writers wanting to know what executives are looking for in adaptations

Instructor:

Jeanne Veillette Bowerman is a Senior Executive at Pipeline Media Group and Book Pipeline, Editor-in-Chief of Pipeline Artists, co-host of the Pipeline Artists original podcasts "Reckless Creatives" and "The Story Will Save You," former Editor-in-Chief of Script magazine and a former Senior Editor at Writer's Digest. Her Script column "Balls of Steel" was selected as recommended reading by Universal Writers Program. A compilation of her articles is now available—Balls of Steel: The Screenwriter's Mindset. She is also a partner at Fringe Press and Co-Founder and moderator of the weekly screenwriters’ chat on X, #Scriptchat. She wrote the narrative adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II, with its author, Douglas A. Blackmon, former senior national correspondent of The Wall Street Journal and has now ventured into writing historical fiction. Follow Jeanne on X: @jeannevb