Pitch Your Book to Hollywood: The Definitive Guide

In this blog post, you’ll learn how to pitch your book to Hollywood

Imagine your book being turned into a film or movie.

Every budding author dreams of one day seeing their script or novel come to life on the big screen.

But to get there, you’ll need to convince Hollywood that you’ve got a story that’s worth telling first.

And I don’t want to burst your bubble – but that isn’t easy.

Nonetheless, as the saying goes, nothing worth having comes easy.

To give you the best chance of successfully getting optioned, we’re going to show you exactly how to pitch your book to Hollywood – the right way.

In this guide to getting your book made into a film, we’ll be walking you through the whole process step-by-step. Ready? Let’s get started!

Step 1: Set realistic expectations for your book

Before we get into the guide proper, I think it’s important to go into this with realistic expectations.

The cold hard truth is that Hollywood is an exclusive club that’s hard to gain entry to, and 99% of people who think their book deserves to be made into a movie won’t get there.

Sure, plenty of books have been picked up by Hollywood before (Harry Potter, Hunger Games, and Fight Club, to name just a few).

However, for every novel that makes it to the big screen, there are thousands more that don’t.

Even if you successfully get optioned (that’s when a potential film producer has you sign a contract giving them exclusive, temporary rights to develop the script), it doesn’t mean the film will ever actually come to fruition.

Sometimes, filmmakers option stories when they see a trend on the horizon that your novel might be a good fit for just in case they decide to pursue it later on.

And because optioning prevents you from sharing your story with any other producers for a certain amount of time, some producers will even option books that are similar to a script they’re working on themselves, just to keep it off the market – even when they have no intention of actually developing it into a movie.

It’s wrong, and it sucks, but that’s Hollywood for you.

Hollywood is a business, just like any other.

I don’t say all this to dishearten you.

On the contrary, It’s absolutely worth shooting for the moon if you have a great story.

I just think it’s important to never put all your eggs in one basket.

Keep it as a dream and don’t give up your day job until you’ve truly made it and the money hits your bank account.

And if you never get there, the worst-case scenario is that you’ll learn a ton along the way.

By going through the process of pitching your book to Hollywood, you’ll probably get to interact with publishers and producers, learn more about the industry, and potentially get valuable feedback that can help you to improve your book or screenplay.

Step 2: Make sure your book is a good fit for a movie adaptation

This should be obvious, but books are different from movies.

Therefore, before you start pitching, you need to make sure your book is a good fit for a movie adaptation.

If your book is to be made into a movie, everything on the page has to be able to be actioned on screen.

This can be more challenging for certain novels that rely heavily on interior voice, for example.

Movies also typically follow a three-act structure (i.e., they have a beginning, a middle, and an end). They also follow a pretty standard narrative structure, with a set-up, conflict, and resolution.

If your book follows a similar structure already, great – that’ll make things a lot easier.

If not, a good screenwriter should be able to adapt your book into a script fit for a movie, but they need to have something decent to work with.

That doesn’t mean you should waste your time writing the screenplay yourself.

You also don’t need to bother noting down your casting ideas or working on a soundtrack – that’s somebody else’s job.

In fact, doing so will hurt your chances of getting optioned as if you haven’t been to film school and you don’t have professional screenwriting experience, it’ll just look amateurish.

The best thing you can do as the author to convince the powers that be that your book is worthy of adaptation is to make the source material as successful as possible.

In other words, put your time and energy into selling thousands of copies.

Books that are best-sellers within their categories already have the kind of social proof and idea validation that producers will be looking for.

People want a proven concept before they invest their money into producing films, and they’re unlikely to move forward with your book unless you can offer that proof.

Another way to make sure your book is a good fit for a movie adaptation is to write a story based on a gap in the marketplace.

Look for trends already out there, and try to bring something new to the table that you think audiences would go nuts for.

For example, one trend that’s been around in the movie industry for a long time is the ‘Battle Royale’ concept.

The genre originated with the hit 2000 Japanese action-thriller, Battle Royale, and exploded into popularity in the 2010s with movies like The Hunger Games and Circle.

Lately, Squid Game became Netflix’s most popular show of all time.

It follows a similar concept to Battle Royale, with players forced to battle it out in a series of violent games.

However, it offers a new twist on an old idea, tying in children’s games and themes of egoism vs altruism.

This is a recipe for success in Hollywood: take a trend that you know has mass appeal and high commercial intent, and do something new with it.

If you can write a novel that does that, you’ve got a concept Hollywood will be interested in buying.

Books also have a better chance of getting picked up for movies if they’re high concept (have a simple but very poignant tale) and appeal to the four quadrants (males, females, under-25s, and seniors).

Step 3: Write The Screenplay

Film producers are consistently looking for literary work to be transformed into a motion picture adaptation.

So the chances are that if you have written a book, there’s the possibility that someone could be interested in turning it into a movie.

But, of course, to get your screenplay noticed, you’ll need an edge.

This article guides you through the process of getting your book turned into a film.

But why would you want your book to become a film?

Before you even consider this prospect, you must understand that not every story has a strong case for becoming a movie.

Yours must be special in some way.

Turning your book into a film means making a lot of money.

If you have a great story on your hands, there’s no doubt that producers will be keen to turn it into a film.

With more people watching movies than ever before, the money-making potential of your book is endless.

Many authors feel that their work cannot be judged or compared to someone else’s work and that by selling the rights to their book, they will be compromising the integrity of the story.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. If you have a great idea for a movie, then, by all means, do something about it.

Just be sure that you’re in control of the process, like writing the screenplay instead of delegating it to someone else.

Anyway, let’s look at the fail-proof steps in turning your book into a film:

Hire a screenwriter or do it on your own.

You get to choose to write the screenplay yourself.

However, unless you’re incredibly talented at writing screenplays, this might not be the best option for you.

To avoid turning into something completely different from your book during film production, let somebody who knows how to turn books into good movies take over the process.

If you can’t trust anyone to write your screenplay, then why not do it yourself?

After all, you have a better understanding of the story than anybody else.

Your novel might even be full of hints and suggestions on where you intended the story to go.

It’s easier for an outsider to turn a book into a movie when they don’t know everything about the story.

But then again, your lack of experience in screenwriting comes into play.

To remedy this, spend time reading screenwriting books to familiarize yourself with the concepts of literary adaptations and screenplay structure.

Use screenwriter software

Screenwriter software is meant to assist you with turning your novel into a screenplay.

With the right software, you’ll find it’s easy to explore different ways of transforming your book.

You’ll also learn about things like character development and plot structure.

This means that if you decide to undertake this project alone, you’ll be more confident in what you’re doing.

Start with free software, i.e., Celtx and WriterDuet, before you pay for a premium service.

If you like what you’re seeing, then upgrade to a paid version.

Watch as many film adaptations as you can.

To get a good idea of how to transform your book into a film, watch as many successful film adaptations as you can.

This way, you’ll be able to learn from the screenwriters who have done it before.

There’s no shortage of box office hits out there that are based on books, i.e., Stephen King’s “The Shining,” J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” series, and J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter,” to name a few.

Outline those films.

When you choose to write a screen adaptation yourself, you should outline the entire story before starting your screenplay.

This way, you don’t get lost along the way and end up with a document that has everything but the essential parts of your story and characters.

Well, practice makes perfect, so why not outline your favourite screen adaptations?

Doing so allows you to understand the flow and dynamics of movie storytelling.

Practice this enough, and you’ll find that it’s easy to come up with your film adaptation without turning into a Hollywood cliché.

 Decide on the medium for your screenplay.

Once you’re done writing out your story, decide whether you want to work on a theatrical script, television pilot, or teleplay.

These involve different structures and formats that will determine how you write the book into a film. So, think about this before you begin writing.

Add the right elements from your book to the screenplay.

Keep in mind that screenwriting and book writing are different types of storytelling, so certain aspects of your book might not work well with a film adaption.

For example, if your story is told from multiple points of view, you might not want each character’s voice to be heard in the screenplay.

The reason for this is that it makes the structure too complicated for the film.

So, figure out what can be included and what has to go during this stage of adaptation.

Finalize your screenplay.

Now it’s time to turn those words on the pages of your novel into a synchronized dialogue between characters on the big screen.

To make this process as easy as possible, start with your outline.

From there, you can move on to the meat of your story: the dialogue.

 Don’t forget the logline.

Your logline is your one-sentence summary of your film.

It tells the reader what the movie is about and why they should watch it. A good logline should convey everything that’s revealed in the trailer without giving away too much information.

 Submit your screenplay for feedback.

Once you finish writing your screenplay, you should submit it for feedback from experienced readers, i.e., other screenwriters, producers, and directors that you have connections with.

Your screenplay must be error-free before submitting it because a grammatical mistake can taint your script.

If there are too many errors, you’ll end up making the readers think that you’re an amateur screenwriter.

Turning your book into a film doesn’t have to be an intricate process.

By following these tips, you’ll get a much better chance of seeing your book adaptation on the big screen.

Producers don’t usually buy books – they buy screenplays.

There are rare exceptions to this rule: The manuscript for “The Shining” came to director Stanley Kubrick in a reading pile before being made into a screenplay, for example.

Therefore, if your story is super compelling and timely, it’s not out of the realms of possibility that a producer would pick it up and be willing to hire a screenwriter to turn it into a screenplay for you – but it is unlikely.

You’ll dramatically improve your chances of success if you have it made into a screenplay before you start pitching to Hollywood.

And for that, you’ll need to hire a professional screenwriter. Ideally, one with a proven track record of full-length movie scriptwriting.

You can check a screenwriter’s credits on IMDB to see if their scripts have been made into movies with reputable companies.

When you hire a screenwriter, just pay for the script and don’t worry about the synopsis and other extras.

A full screenplay should be around 100 pages long (each page should translate to around a minute of screen time).

The screenwriting process can take a long time, so you’ll need to be prepared to wait.

It can take upwards of 100 hours to complete the first draft, so expect to pay at least a few thousand dollars and a three-month turnaround, minimum.

The writer should start by reading your book and writing a beat sheet listing the main plot points.

Once you’ve approved that, they can start working on the first draft.

Once that’s done (and you’ve read it), they can polish it up in Final Draft and print it to Hollywood Standard.

There are a few legal points to think about when hiring a screenwriter.

For example, you might want to have your script ghostwritten under an agreement in which the writer won’t be credited or paid royalties.

It’s up to you to look into the legal side of things yourself and make sure you’ve got it all ironed out.

Step 4: Protect your work

Before you start pitching, you might also want to protect your work so that the people that read it can’t steal your idea.

I’m no legal professional and I’m not an expert in copyright law, so I can’t give you qualified advice in this area.

However, as far as I’m aware, you can’t copyright ideas and plots, but you automatically own the rights to whatever you type on the page (i.e. “original works of authorship that are fixed in a tangible form of expression”.)

That being said, proving you wrote the original script in the event of any legal disputes can be a different matter entirely.

Many writers choose to register with the Writers Guide of America (WGA) in order to create a paper trail and establish themselves as the original author of the script.

This isn’t the same as having a US copyright, but it can help to provide valid evidence in case you ever need it.

I’d recommend checking out this article for more information about protecting your work.

Step 5: Create a database of contacts

Now, you’re ready to start pitching. There are two ways to go about this: alone or with the help of an agent.

Some production companies will only accept pitches from licensed literary agents, but others will have more open policies.

The problem is that, while a good literary agent can help open doors for you and connect you with producers in the industry, they can be hard to find if you have no credits.

Therefore, I’m going to show you how to pitch directly to producers and agents yourself by sending out cold emails and letters. Here’s how to go about it.

First, you’re going to want to make yourself a list of companies and agents in the entertainment business, along with their contact information. The easiest way to get this information is by browsing IMDBPro.

Sign up for IMDBPro and look for movies that are similar to your book/screenplay.

Next, drill down to the production companies behind them and try to find their contact information.

Google the movie to find out which writer(s) wrote it, and then find their IMDB page.

Click through their IMDB page to find the writer’s agent, grab their contact details, and add it to your list.

Repeat this for multiple movies until you have a huge list of contacts (ideally, hundreds).

You can also browse trade publications like The Hollywood Reporter or classified sites like Craigslist to find ads from producers looking for screenplays, and add them to your contact list.

The reason we’re aiming for so many contacts is that pitching is a numbers game.

Most people will never get back to you, so by pitching to dozens of different agents and producers, you’re maximizing your chances.

It might seem like a lot of work, but that’s why it’s so effective.

Most people won’t bother carrying out this kind of research to find valuable contacts, and will instead just pitch into the abyss.

Follow this method and you’ll automatically get ahead of 90% of the competition.

Step 6: Send an inquiry email

Once you’ve got your list of contacts, you can start cold emailing them or sending out letters.

The trick here is to be patient, polite, and tactful.

Producers hate seeing unsolicited, rude emails in their inbox with a screenplay attached right off the bat – it comes across as arrogant and is a sure-fire way to make sure your email gets relegated to the trash folder straight away.

Instead, personalize your first email for each agent/producer you’re reaching out to, say hi, and ask if you can send your screenplay along (keep it brief).

If you get a response giving you the green light, you’re officially solicited and can go ahead and send it.

Brevity is key here.

Don’t send a huge page with your whole life story.

Producers and agents are busy; they don’t have time to read all that. Just send along the script alongside a very short letter with a 1-3 line logline that summarizes your story.

That’s pretty much all there is to it Repeat this for all of your contacts, cross your fingers, and hope somebody likes your screenplay.

If they do, they’ll call or email you. If they don’t, they probably won’t respond to your submission.

In the latter case, it’s not worth following up with them – if they don’t get back to you, no amount of pestering is going to change their mind.

Entry ticket to the cinema with popcorn around. Clipping path included.

Step 7: Get connected.

There are trade magazines that screenwriters should subscribe to get connected to producers, other writers, directors, and actors they want to work with.

The good thing about these publications is that they often list job opportunities for screenwriters.

Developing these connections is important because it’s impossible to get your screenplay read by producers and other people in the industry if you don’t know anybody.

Subscribing to trade magazines helps you build a rapport with people who’ll read your work.

Pitching to the big production companies

Before we wrap up, I wanted to take a quick look at how to pitch to specific production companies.

How to pitch your book to Netflix

Unfortunately, Netflix doesn’t accept unsolicited submissions – they only accept submissions through licensed literary agents or people they have a preexisting relationship with.

Therefore, if you want to pitch to Netflix, you’ll need to know someone with their foot in the door or get yourself an agent first.

How to pitch your book to Amazon Studios

Amazon used to have a very open submission process, which promised to let anyone with a good idea have the chance to break into the showbiz industry. However, they shut down their open script submission program in 2018.

To submit your idea to Amazon, they now recommend signing up to IMDbPro to share your work with other professionals (I guess the idea is that networking might open doors for you) or publishing on Prime Video Direct.

How to pitch your book to Apple TV

Again, you can’t pitch your book to Apple TV directly.

You’ll need to know someone who’s already got their foot in the door with Apple or go through a licensed agent.

The best way to go about it is to get an agent or production company that accepts unsolicited pitches interested in your idea.

If they like it, they can try to sell it to companies like Apple TV for you.

You can find agents and production companies using the same steps we listed in this article.

Final Thoughts

That concludes our complete guide on how to pitch your book to Hollywood. As you can see, it’s a tough road to walk down.

Writing a fantastic story that has the potential to be turned into an equally fantastic movie adaptation is hard enough, but even that isn’t enough to guarantee you’ll make it to the big screen.

You’ll have to put in the work networking, finding valuable contacts, and pitching your idea – and you’ll likely get knocked back hundreds of times before you catch your big break (with no guarantee that you ever even will catch your big break).

However, nobody said success came easily. And the good news is, after reading this guide, you’re already one step closer to your goal.

Good luck on your journey – we’re rooting for you!

Further Reading

How To Write A Book Proposal That Commands A 6 Figure Advance

How To Write Your Memoir: 10 Step Guide

10 Reasons To Hire A Ghostwriter For Fiction

How To Write Dialogue: The Ultimate Guide

How To Write An Elevator Pitch For Your Book