Writer's Digest

Film and Audio Rights 101

Publishing a book is a huge accomplishment. Once that’s done, though, thoughts turn to other things, such as film and audio rights.

Film deals don’t come along for every book, but if you do have film/TV interest, a contract should include such information as option money and purchase price, royalties, and the time frame for the option.

It’s the norm for a deal to include both film and TV rights. The producer will determine which of those is the right venue for the project. They can’t have someone trying to make a TV series out of something they are working on for film at the same time. Think of it like this: Your book wasn’t published by two publishers at the same time. One publisher bought your book and some subsidiary rights along with it. It’s a similar scenario for film/TV rights, although sometimes the license may be for just scripted rights or just unscripted rights.

There are

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