In this interview, Howard Lovy speaks with Maggie Marr, ALLi’s book-to-screen advisor, a former ICM motion picture literary agent, entertainment attorney, and USA Today bestselling author, about how indie authors can get their books adapted for film and TV. Marr, who has worked on major book-to-screen projects, shares industry insights on what makes a book appealing for adaptation, the role of agents and attorneys, and common pitfalls to avoid. She is also the author of Books to Film and TV: What Every Author Needs to Know, a resource for writers navigating the adaptation process.
Howard Lovy: In my other life, I’m also a developmental editor, and a common question I get from my clients is, “This would make a great Netflix miniseries!” Everybody thinks their book would be. So I want to get a dose of reality from you—what does it actually take to make that happen? And also, what do people need to do to turn that idea into a reality?
First, can you give me your background and explain where you came from, along with your experience in this field?
Maggie Marr: Sure. I’ve been working in the entertainment industry for 24 years. I’m a licensed attorney in three states. I moved to Los Angeles in 2001 and started in the mailroom at ICM, which at the time was the second-biggest entertainment agency in Los Angeles. I worked my way up through the mailroom to become an agent in book-to-film and TV, as well as motion picture literary, where I represented screenwriters and directors.
In 2006, I got a big, splashy book deal. My book sold at auction to Crown, which is a subsidiary of Random House. So I left agenting to write full-time. My kids were little, but my clients followed me and asked me to review their deal memos and look at their scripts and books. Then, when my authors realized that I understood both entertainment and publishing, they started asking me to look at their projects, deal memos, and other materials. Over time, my law firm, which focuses on entertainment and intellectual property, grew organically from people asking me to review materials, negotiate deals, and try to sell projects.
Howard Lovy: It sounds like your life could be the subject of a movie in itself—from the mailroom to the screen. That’s great.
Getting a Foot in the Door
So, first of all, is it more difficult for indie authors—self-published or otherwise—to even get a foot in the door?
Maggie Marr: No, it’s not more difficult. Most producers and studios don’t care where the story came from. It’s not about whether it was traditionally published or self-published. They care about a really good story.
Their business decisions often come down to whether they think the intellectual property already has a market share.
Development executives and studio executives find materials or books the same way we do—through referrals from friends, word of mouth, and also by looking on Amazon, in bookstores, and at different bestseller lists like The New York Times and USA Today. They find material the same way we do.
Three Primary Ways
“The outlier event is the most exciting because it’s like a lightning strike. And we’re all storytellers, so it’s the sexiest story to tell—something like, ‘So-and-so sat down next to me on the beach, we started talking, and it turns out her sister is Reese Witherspoon, and she read my book.' That’s the best kind of story” — Maggie Marr
I think there are three primary ways that producers and development executives find material. First, there’s organic discovery, meaning a development executive comes across a book while looking at Amazon’s Top 100 list, browsing Barnes & Noble, checking The New York Times bestseller list, or even looking at “also bought” recommendations.
Second, there’s the submission process, which is what agents, managers, and entertainment attorneys do for literary properties. We submit them to producers to see if we can find a home for the material.
And third, there’s what I call an “outlier event.” This is when you happen to get on an elevator with Issa Rae, and she asks, “What do you do?” You say, “I’m an author,” and she asks, “What do you write?” You tell her, and she says, “Oh my God, I’ve always wanted to adapt something like that!”
The outlier event is the most exciting because it’s like a lightning strike. And we’re all storytellers, so it’s the sexiest story to tell—something like, “So-and-so sat down next to me on the beach, we started talking, and it turns out her sister is Reese Witherspoon, and she read my book.” That’s the best kind of story.
Of course, that’s not how it usually happens. The more common process is the submission route, where your agent, manager, or attorney sends your book to a hundred producers. It’s not nearly as sexy, but that’s how most deals actually happen.
Howard Lovy: But that actually does happen, though, right? That kind of meeting?
Maggie Marr: It does happen, yeah. That’s why I mention it. But I think those are the three primary ways: organic discovery, submission, or this weird, amazing lightning-in-a-bottle outlier event.
How to Prepare
Howard Lovy: So how do I prepare to sort of have that lightning strike? I have a book coming out in April that I think, like any author, would make a perfect movie or streaming series. Is it necessary for me to have a treatment written or a screenplay written before approaching anybody?
Maggie Marr: No. Do you have a background as a screenwriter?
Howard Lovy: No, I don’t. Nothing but a writer, yeah.
Maggie Marr: Well, screenplay writers are writers.
Howard Lovy: Yeah, not that kind of writing.
Maggie Marr: Yeah. They’re all writers—they just work in different mediums and may be more skilled in one over the other.
Five or ten years ago, I would have said to an author, don’t write an adaptation. I’ve changed that a little. If you want an episodic series, I do not think it’s helpful—especially if you’re a U.S.-based author—to write a pilot script. Episodic series require a showrunner, and most showrunners are writers who want to develop a great story themselves. So for episodic series, it’s not going to be helpful for you to write a pilot script.
It’s a little different with film. And when I say film, I don’t mean just theatrical releases. I mean anything that’s 90 minutes—the thing we traditionally think of as film, though now it might be something we watch on our couch instead of in a theater. Film is different because you don’t need a showrunner, and you don’t have a writers’ room like you do with episodic series.
So if, as an author, you want to do an adaptation of your work and you’re thinking of it as a new endeavor or something you’ve always wanted to try, then by all means—since it’s your own book, and you own the film and TV rights—do the adaptation.
But here’s the hypothetical I always put to authors. Say you write a book and think, “I’ve always wanted to write a screenplay. I’m going to try with this book.” So you do the adaptation. Then Shonda Rhimes or J.J. Abrams finds out about your book and decides they want to make it into a feature. They come to you or your rep and ask if the film and TV rights are available. You or your rep say, yes, they are. Then you say, “Oh, by the way, I also have an adaptation.”
Shonda Rhimes might say, “I really want Greta Gerwig to do the adaptation on this.” Or J.J. Abrams might say, “I really want Aaron Sorkin to do the adaptation on this.” At that point, you have to make a decision. As the owner of the underlying intellectual property and the screenplay adaptation, is the screenplay the way you’re trying to get into the industry as a different type of writer or expand your career? Or was it just an interesting thing for you to do?
Because the value of having Aaron Sorkin or Greta Gerwig attached to your book and possibly doing the adaptation makes the value of the project much higher than your adaptation. And it’s not about whether your adaptation is good enough—it’s about their gravitas and credits within the industry.
So I always ask authors to consider: Would you be willing to give up your screenplay to get the project made if a producer said they don’t want it? Or is this your Rocky scenario—like when Stallone said, “I’m starring in this, or it’s not going forward”? If your screenplay is your Rocky scenario, I respect that. But know that they may not want it if they can’t put the screenwriter they want on it.
Howard Lovy: If J.J. Abrams, Aaron Sorkin, or Greta Gerwig said, “I want your story,” I’d say, “Take it.”
Maggie Marr: Right. Because everybody has a unique relationship to their work. For me, I love that answer because there are very few things I’ve written that I don’t think couldn’t be elevated by a great screenwriter. But that’s me—that’s not every author’s relationship to their work, right?
Do You Need an Agent?
Howard Lovy: Right, exactly. Yeah. I mean, it’s their baby. I like what you said about the Rocky scenario.
Now, do I need an agent to even get in the door—to have people pay attention to what I’ve written?
Maggie Marr: Do you need an agent to pay attention? Those are two very different things.
Howard Lovy: I didn’t have an agent when publishing my book. I’m a bit of an outlier because I found a traditional publisher—a small publisher—but I didn’t have an agent. So I don’t have one, and most members of ALLi don’t have one. Would it help to get an agent specifically to pitch a movie project?
Maggie Marr: Most production companies do not accept unrepresented or unsolicited materials, and there are a number of reasons for that. One big reason is that many of the passes I received from producers weren’t about the quality of the material—they were simply because they already had something similar on their slate.
If you think about how many books are published in a year—ALLi probably has the exact number, but I’d guess it’s close to a million or more if you include indie authors. A very small percentage of those ever become film or television projects. There aren’t a million new productions every year.
Producers want material to be vetted because they’re very wary of legal risks. Let me give you an example. Say you’ve written a dystopian thriller set in the year 2145. The producer you want to submit to already has a dystopian thriller in development that’s set in the year 2165. Their concern is that if you submit your material without going through an agent, entertainment attorney, or literary manager, you might later claim that their project is based on yours—even though they already had it in development.
A lot of times, producers already have something similar on their slate, and they don’t want to take on another project that’s too closely aligned. Part of what representatives do in entertainment is build relationships with buyers, so we know what different production companies are looking for. We know what Shondaland, Hello Sunshine, or J.J. Abrams’s company is seeking. It’s a constant process of figuring out their current mandates.
There are ways to submit directly as an author, but if you send something unsolicited, most likely you’ll get a response saying, “We don’t accept unsolicited material.”
One thing I often tell writers is that if you truly want to move forward in the film and TV space, everywhere your name is listed as an author—on your website, Amazon author page, social media, wherever your books are found—you should include something like: “For film and TV inquiries: [email address].”
That email could be for your rep if you have one, or it could be one that you monitor yourself. I wouldn’t use your everyday email because once you put an email out there publicly, you’ll get a lot of spam. But make sure it’s one you check regularly, maybe once or twice a week.
Development executives do reach out. When they find something that fits their mandate, their first question will be: “Are the film and TV rights available?” If they’re not, they won’t spend time reading the book. They have hundreds of scripts and books to review, and they have to prioritize projects where the rights are open.
Another place to make your work visible is The Rights Center. It was created by a former executive in the motion picture and TV space, and it’s free for authors. They make their money by charging producers and studios to subscribe. The Rights Center keeps a database of books, listing the title, author, and contact information for film and TV inquiries. If the rights are available, producers know who to reach out to. You can submit your book to them for free.
These are ways to let the industry know your rights are available.
That said, it’s also been my experience that, often, film and TV will come to you if they want your material.
Now, does having an agent help? Absolutely. It’s a common question I get—“Can I get a film and TV agent?” Yes, you can, and it will be helpful. But if your material isn’t what the industry is looking for, it may still be challenging to find an agent to represent your book for film and TV.
Red Flags for Scammers
Howard Lovy: Yeah, I mean, it’s challenging to find any kind of agent for your book.
I asked some members of ALLi—I told them I was going to talk to you—and I asked them to send me their questions. Some authors have been approached by so-called producers or adaptation services. Are there any red flags they should watch out for?
Maggie Marr: Yes, there are lots of scammy emails, especially right now. I’m not sure why it’s ramping up, but maybe it’s because of the rise of indie authors.
It used to be that when authors had representation, their publishing agent would co-agent their film and TV rights. It was a relationship between the publishing agent and a film/TV agency. We did that when I was at ICM—we co-agented with boutique literary agencies out of New York to represent their books in the film and TV space.
I just saw a scam email like this last week. Here’s the thing: money should always flow to the author. If a producer reaches out and says, “Pay us to do the adaptation, and we will set up your project,” or “Pay us a fee, and we will hire a screenwriter,” that is not how it works. That’s not how this industry operates.
You, as the author, should not be paying someone to write a screenplay unless you actively want to be a producer. I have a client who makes seven to eight figures a year from her books, and she has decided to produce a short film based on one of her books. She is funding that project herself, but that’s a business decision she made as a producer—not as an author simply trying to get her book adapted.
Just this week, I had someone reach out to me saying a producer had asked them to wire six figures to “set up” their project. That’s not how it works.
I have friends and clients—and even people I don’t know well but who are referred to me—who forward me these kinds of emails, asking, “Is this real?” I’m always happy to look into it. The entertainment industry isn’t as big as it seems. At any given time, there are only about 10,000 working executives in the business. After 24 years, if I don’t know someone, I know someone who does. If they’re legitimate, I can usually find out pretty quickly.
But if you get an offer that requires you to sign away your rights, pay upfront, or sounds too good to be true, have someone look at it. Even if you don’t want to hire an attorney, run it by another author who has had a legitimate option in the film and TV space.
And if you’re really unsure, send it to my email. I’m happy to take a look and tell you if I think it’s shady.
Do I Need a Lawyer?
Howard Lovy: Yeah, that was a good segue to my next question. At what point should a lawyer get involved in a book-to-screen deal? Probably before you sign anything, right?
Maggie Marr: Yeah, before you sign anything. I think it’s before you convey anything, before you send any money, before you sign anything.
In my opinion—especially in film and TV—you should always have an attorney review your agreement. It doesn’t have to be me, but you need someone who understands these contracts because film and TV rights deals with studios are all-encompassing. They take all your rights and then reserve certain rights back to you.
I would say that even for an option agreement, a shopping agreement, or an attachment agreement, you want to have someone review it. I often get involved when things have already gone wrong—people reach out saying, “Oh, I signed this deal, and now I’m concerned.”
I’ve seen cases where a nefarious producer managed to attach themselves to a property in perpetuity. That means they are permanently attached to your book, no matter what happens. And that’s not appropriate. Unless they actually buy your rights, they should only be attached for a specific period of time. It shouldn’t be “forever and for always.”
Which Stories are Selling?
Howard Lovy: Are there any kinds of stories or content that are really big right now? What is the market looking for?
Maggie Marr: So, I actually gave a market report earlier today, and these are my thoughts.
After the strike last year, we were all anticipating a bounce back like we had with the 2008 strike. But we didn’t get the bounce back we had hoped for or anticipated. Then we had the usual end-of-year break—two weeks off at the end of December—and when we came back, we expected first-quarter momentum. But we didn’t get that either.
One reason, at least in L.A., was the impact of the fires. A lot of people in the industry lost their homes, so that disrupted things. On top of that, there are potential mergers and acquisitions happening with different studios and streamers, and there’s this collective breath-holding over whether we’re heading into an economic recession. So, we’re in this stop-start pattern—just when there’s momentum, something happens, and it feels like we have to press pause again.
That said, I’ve closed four or five book deals with studios and streamers in the last six weeks, but they’ve taken a while to get through.
As for what’s selling right now, there’s always an evergreen market for holiday content. Holiday adaptations are produced in large numbers, so there’s a steady demand, though they don’t go for the highest prices.
Right now, there’s also a market for thrillers—especially smart thrillers. There’s always a demand for thrillers, but I’ve been seeing particular interest in them lately. I’ve also seen some movement in dystopian projects, which is interesting because that market had cooled for a while.
But ultimately, as an author, and I know this sounds cliché, you want to write the best book you can and get the biggest readership you can. The bigger your success in publishing, the more likely you are to find a home in film and TV.
Howard Lovy: Right—nothing succeeds like success, I guess.
Maggie Marr: I’ve never heard it put that way, but it’s probably true. Nothing succeeds like success.
That said, sometimes an actor or director just finds a book incredibly interesting, and that’s what drives a project forward. If I could predict how and why certain projects get picked up, we’d be having this conversation while I was sitting at my home in Italy.
Leveraging Industry Interest
Howard Lovy: I have one other question from a member of ALLi who said they already have an actress or some industry professional interested in their book. How can they leverage that to move the project forward?
Maggie Marr: Interested in their book in that they want to produce it?
Howard Lovy: Yeah, it’s a little vague.
Maggie Marr: It kind of depends.
If you have an actor of a certain level who is attached or wants to do it, then that actor will most likely take the project out to different buyers and try to set it up. The actor probably has management, an agent, a manager, and an attorney, so that team of representatives can help try to set up the project with the actor attached.
If it’s an actor who maybe is not super well known, that may not help to leverage the book being set up, right?
Success Stories
Howard Lovy: One final question, and then I’ll let you go. Do you have any success stories—specifically indie authors—who have successfully done this?
Maggie Marr: You mean authors who have moved their books into the film and TV space?
Howard Lovy: Yes.
Maggie Marr: Yeah, lots of them. Some of them, of course, I can’t discuss because of attorney-client privilege.
Howard Lovy: Right, but you can speak to the ones who have made it public.
Maggie Marr: Yes, I can speak to the ones who have publicly discussed it.
Lucy Score is a client. I also had the opportunity to work with George R.R. Martin when I was an agent. His sale to HBO happened after I had left agenting, but we worked with those books for a long time.
Right now, I have four deals that have just closed, but they haven’t been announced yet.
If you look on Publishers Marketplace or my Instagram, you’ll see announcements when a client gives us permission to talk about their material and its movement into the film and TV space.
Read the Book
Howard Lovy: Okay, well, is there anything I didn’t ask that I should have?
Maggie Marr: I always love that question because it casts such a big net, and I never quite know how to answer it.
So, I’ll do a little plug—I wrote Books to Film and TV: What Every Author Needs to Know. It’s a book that specifically talks about moving your books into the film and TV space. I wrote it because this process seems to be shrouded in a bit of mystery. I used to take calls with anyone who wanted to discuss it, but that became very time-consuming. One of my author friends told me, “Just put it all in a book,” so that’s meant to be a resource.
If you have more questions after reading it, or if I can be helpful in any way, don’t hesitate to email me. And if you think you’ve received a scammy email, I’m happy to take a look.
There’s nothing I love more than seeing books make it onto the screen. In my opinion, I was a book lover before I was a film and TV lover. I love books. And some of the very best things you ever see on screen come from books.
Howard Lovy: Wonderful. Well, thank you, Maggie. I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me. This has been very informative.
Maggie Marr: Thank you! Thank you for having me. And if I can ever be helpful, always feel free to reach out.
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