From Screenplay to eBook to Self-Publishing?

Writing a screenplay can be a daunting task for most people. What is even more daunting is trying to sell your screenplay in a market that is already over saturated with all genre of movies. Hollywood has seen and produced everything, not to mention the fact that fewer movies are being made year after year even with the recovery from the economic recession of 2008. In order not to give up on your dreams and allow your screenplay to gather dust in a draw somewhere or in a folder on the desktop of your computer, one alternative would be to adapt (rewrite) and publish your screenplay as an e-book.

       When I wrote the screenplay “The Story

of the Songbird”, it was all about getting the attention of a Literary Agent, making sure that my presentation pitch had a sure fire ‘hook’ which would make the Literary Agent see my screenplay as the next big Hollywood sensation. Adapting it to eBook format will mean a whole different approach, as I will have to get the attention of the entire Internet! Just kidding, I just need to get the attention of the people that read eBooks.

       According to the article “The Rise of E-Books and a Shrinking Library Catalog” written by Kate Rosow Chrisman, e-reading is on the rise and the e-book industry seems to be thriving.  Chrisman also states “a 2012 Pew study found that 61% of e-book readers prefer to buy copies of their books, compared to 54% of print readers.” (Rosow Chrisman, 2014). In this same article, according to James LaRue, CEO of LaRue Associates and former director of the Douglas County Library outside of Denver, Colorado, “higher prices for e-books leave less money for traditional print copies – one copy of an e-book could buy up to nine copies of a print book”. (Rosow Chrisman, 2014). Obviously, there is a market for e-books!

       For my screenplay-turned-eBook to be successful, it would also have to create what is known on social media as ‘social currency’, meaning that, persons always know whatever is current. This is the audience that my eBook must grasp. My storyline must have them whispering that they know of whom I speak. The subtleties in “The Story of the Songbird” will do just that.

       The next thing I will be doing is formatting my eBook as a novel for publishing and distribution.  In the book “Adapting sideway: How to turn your screenplay into a publishable novel” by Charlotte Cook and Jon James Miller, it is stated that “readers have a whole world of expectation…habitual readers want story, character…. want to curl up and get lost in those pages…. want to be diverted, extended, entertained, perplexed, enticed, delighted and surprised”(Cook & Miller, 2010). This is reinforcing the fact that I will have to learn a new process, a new way of thinking and I will have to focus on my story and its characters. I will also need to learn what is the best way to get my work published.

       After doing some research on Google and with the help of “Entertainment Media Publishing and Distribution” by Kimberly Craft, M.M., J.D., I have decided to self-publish “The Story of the Songbird”.  I will be linking with a reputable P.O.D. (Print on Demand) site to get my Universal Product Code (UPC), which is necessary for the sale of my work. Even though Amazon.com does not require an ISBN if you are publishing content with Kindle, I will be registering with R.R. Bowker to get my International Standard Book Number (ISBN) for when my eBook is in print form and for it to be listed in Books in Print on www.bowkerlink.com.  This ISBN will also enable my book to be sold in bookstores. I expect my book to be a best seller internationally so I will be getting a European Article Number (EAN) as well.

       Yes, I will be relentless in my efforts to get “The Story of the Songbird” published, not just as an eBook, but also as a printed novel. I still hope for it to be made into a movie and I have my acceptance speech ready for when the following words are announced at the Academy Awards Ceremony, “…and the Oscar…. for Best Screenplay. …goes to…. MARCIA SEWELL!!!!!!!”

Resource Material: Carnoy, D. (2012, June 01). How to self-publish an ebook.

Retrieved from http://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-self-publish-an-ebook/

Cook, C., & Miller, J. J. (2010). Adapting sideways: How to turn your screenplay into a publishable novel. Los Angeles: KONEMAR.

Craft, K. (2011). Entertainment media publishing and distribution. (2nd ed.).

Rosow Chrisman, K. (2014, April 07). The rise of ebooks and a shrinking library catalog. Retrieved from http://www.consumereagle.com/2014/04/07/the-rise-of-e-books-and-a-shrinking-library-catalog/. Entertainment Media Publishing and Distribution Course References.