UPDATE: It was real! --was: Smells like a scam--- Film rights for a non-fiction book?

Literateparakeet said:

Don't get me wrong, I'm quite fond of my book, but film rights? I don't think so. Sorry I'm getting ahead of myself. Today I got an email that said:



I don't want to be too skeptical, but my book is really short--only 55 pages, and non-fiction. Do people do scams like this? I can't decide if I should respond or just ignore it.

What do you think?

ETA: I googled the name of the company. They have a website, and a very short entry on Wikipedia. Apparently they have been around since 1998.

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That they asked upfront for your agent/lawyer/etc. contact is an excellent sign, imo.

People like to option stuff they think might be useful before it's widely known and would be expensive or copied. It's a good title. No reason to think it's not legit as the company exists and they're asking to go through regular channels. Go for it!

Have a lawyer or agent with relevant experience doing option contracts do this - you want a time limit on the option with specifics to re-up, etc., etc. Options aren't usually that much for unknown stuff, but they like the title - if you have or can find a really good rep maybe they can generate other interest and get some bids.

I am bothered by the syntax - 'Your work "$name"' has a slight whiff of the algorithm about it.

Literateparakeet said:

Thanks so much Cornflake. Wow, what if? I can't even imagine. Thanks for your advice. It was very helpful.

Torgo, I'm not sure what you mean, but I will be very cautious.

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I believe he means it sounds as if it was generated by a bot trolling around for titles to stick in that email. Which could certainly be, but as they're not asking you to sign anything and ask for an agent or lawyer's contact, I don't see the harm in exploring. If you don't have an agent or lawyer familiar, you could cautiously write back and check it out yourself, ask about what they do with their options, how many have progressed, that sort of thing.

Also, just as an fyi, from what I know, most options don't go anywhere. They don't go for much and end up not used. Even options for stuff that cost $$ and could go somewhere tend to languish. One of my fave books has been optioned, that I know of, I think three times, once by Damon and Affleck a few years back. Still no movie. I'm pretty sure that author is getting good money. Other people get maybe a couple grand and the option runs out eventually. Occasionally, something hits, you never know. That's why people do this though, because it's cheap to pick them up and you never know if you'll have grabbed the next big thing before everyone else - it's competitive.

Literateparakeet said:

Torgo, I'm not sure what you mean, but I will be very cautious.

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Well, let's say I was way less scrupulous than I really am, and I thought a good scam was to try to con people on Kindle Editions in some way. I would want to approach lots of people at once, so I would try to automate it; and I would scrape Amazon for the titles of Kindle Editions books and send out loads of emails generated by algorithm. So, you would get emails that use oddly vague language like 'Your work'; which perfectly replicate the capitalisation you use in your book title; which don't mention anything specific about the content of the book or which suggest that the book has been read by a human.

In the scenario in which this is a scam, you would either be asked to give up some economically valuable rights to your work for nothing, or be asked to pay some kind of fee for representation. So I would say, yes, there is a faint and entirely syntactical whiff of scam about it, but you can approach it as if it's a real offer, and merely look out for those possible pitfalls.

Literateparakeet said:

Thanks Cornflake, this is all new to me, so your advice is very valuable and appreciated!

ETA: Sorry Torgo, we cross-posted so I almost missed your second post. Thanks so much for explaining. It is much clearer to me now. Your response does see like the most likely scenario. So I won't get my hopes up too much. But I will cautiously explore this. Thank you for your help!

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Sounds like a good idea. I'm with Cornflake though - that they've been around since 1998 and they mention contacting a lawyer agent makes me think it's legit.

Though it's non-fiction, I could see the title alone inspiring some sort of 'Kindergarten Cop' type movie, or a heist film.

Good luck, at any rate!

Wow, that's pretty cool, LP! Since your premise is unique, I'm actually not surprised that someone might be interested in optioning your book. The length isn't as important as the concept, in my thinking. (Obviously, I have no idea what I'm talking about, so there is that.)

Do you have someone who can give you legal advice and look over any contracts?

I've sold options on a few non-fiction books, and in every case the company which optioned the books approached me, and not the other way round. There are, I'm sure, companies which sweep up options just in case, and only pay pennies for the options they buy: but there are also companies which only buy options on books they think have potential.

You must get yourself good legal advice before you proceed. But perhaps a good first step to take is to ask them the fee they're willing to pay: it might be so low that it's just not worth your while to proceed. I certainly wouldn't sell an option if the fee didn't give me a nice chunk of money after I'd paid my agent's commission on the deal.

I agree good legal advice is essential before you agree to anything. I agree with Torgo the wording makes it seem like a form letter with your title inserted on line A, but that doesn't mean it's a scam.

Not to derail, but I wonder what types of films are made from such non-fic books? I imagine everything from Hollywood blockbusters to TV specials to something a non-profit puts on its website that's based on a book would need to have film rights transferred by the proper vehicle. In any case, this could be an exciting development for you.

I;m also leaning toward it being legit, for the same reasons stated above. Also, length doesn't necessarily mean anything. Wasn't Benjamin Button a short story? Although that was fiction... But you get my drift.

Chris P said:

I agree good legal advice is essential before you agree to anything. I agree with Torgo the wording makes it seem like a form letter with your title inserted on line A, but that doesn't mean it's a scam.

Not to derail, but I wonder what types of films are made from such non-fic books? I imagine everything from Hollywood blockbusters to TV specials to something a non-profit puts on its website that's based on a book would need to have film rights transferred by the proper vehicle. In any case, this could be an exciting development for you.

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A couple of recent ones that spring to mind are the Steve Harvey pic (I don't recall the name and didn't see it, just know it existed), and that horrific-looking 'What to Expect When You're Expecting,' which was obviously 'based off' in a very loose sense.

For something like what I know about the OP's work, heh, I'd think it'd be better suited to pitch as a series, but who knows what anything could end up as, if anything.

As above, length is meaningless. Many, many films and series were inspired by or based off short stories, articles in magazines, etc.

Wasn't Marley and Me meant to be a non-fiction book?

When you consider how much has to be cut from a full-length novel to make it into a film, the length of this book isn't such a problem.

cornflake said:

Also, just as an fyi, from what I know, most options don't go anywhere. They don't go for much and end up not used. Even options for stuff that cost $$ and could go somewhere tend to languish. One of my fave books has been optioned, that I know of, I think three times, once by Damon and Affleck a few years back. Still no movie. I'm pretty sure that author is getting good money. Other people get maybe a couple grand and the option runs out eventually. Occasionally, something hits, you never know. That's why people do this though, because it's cheap to pick them up and you never know if you'll have grabbed the next big thing before everyone else - it's competitive.

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Yes *sigh* some of my favourite books the authors have talked about how the movie rights were sold, there's going to be a movie....but ten/twenty years later, it still hasn't happened, they tell me things are still being worked on, or they fell through.

This is why, when certain small-press publishers crow about their books 'being optioned', my first instinct to automatically lower my opinion of the publisher. Stuff gets optioned all the time, sometimes for good money, sometimes not. Sometimes the people paying the options are not that scrupulous or experienced. Sometimes they are both, and the project still never happens.

It's a nice mile marker of how far you've come, and outside interest is almost always gratifying. Here's hoping it becomes something solid!

That's why you have to find out what they're planning to pay you for this option before you take legal advice.

I've sold options for a few thousand pounds. I've been offered option fees of a few quid. I rejected those offers.

Mclesh mentioned the uniqueness of your book, and I have to agree. The title alone makes me (as either a reader or a moviegoer) want to take a closer look. A few recent non-fiction books that were adapted into successful films are Moneyball, 21, and The Social Network. Granted, they were longer works, but someone saw something in them and decided to invest. Best of luck to you!

Wasn't Orange is the new black a non-fiction book?

Why should it make a difference if it's non-fiction? There sure are enough movies based on true stories.

Another likely cause is that a low-level-ish intern at the prod-co sending out some feelers for possible projects. It's certainly a reasonable first question for them to ask.

I gotta admit .. it's a great title. Some other non-fiction projects that have been bought (apparently) for the title alone are 'She's not just into you' & 'What to expect when you're expecting'.

Heck - even 'Cooking with Julia' was a blog.