Many of my books have and are currently under something called an ‘option', so I thought I’d take a quick minute and explain what that means! An option happens when a producer (in my case, I am working with four different producers) reads your work and wants to develop it for either a television series (National Geographic Book Series is one) or a movie (The Forensic Murder Mystery series, and even my not-as-of-yet-published manuscript DRAGONFLY EYES!).
Here’s how it works: a producer contacts either me or my agent, and they settle on a price and a length of time that said producer can develop a script and ‘shop it around’ with the hope of getting it into production. For example, my Forensic Series has been optioned by producers from New York. I, in turn, receive a check for one year, where the producers basically ‘own’ the rights to develop my work. No one else can try to develop it! If the NY producers have some nibbles (as is the case right now) and time runs out on the first or second option, the producers will renew the option for another year.
Options are amazing opportunities, but every writer knows that there are a LOT of stories that are being pitched to Netflix, Amazon, Disney etc., which means most books that are optioned don’t make it all the way to the small or big screen. Still, to be optioned means a producer has believed in you and your characters, which is completely affirming. Plus, you as a writer get to keep all the option money, whether or not the book is ever filmed. A win all the way around. (And I can always dream….!)
So tell me, if YOU were casting the movie for my Forensic Series, who would be your DREAM CAST? Let's have some fun in the comments and tell me your lineup :-) Post pictures too
