Now it’s time to put a spin on this
Book to Screen Debate and get into
novelizations. Yes, you heard me right. I told you (in
part 2) I’d be talking about books based on movies (that discussion about movies I liked better than the book comes next time).
Most people have seen a novelization several times in their life without realizing what they were seeing. To give it a name, makes it stand out, but they are quite common. Before I explain just how common they are, let me first state that there are 3 kinds of novelizations…Yeah, who knew?
1) There is the first-in-print edition of a novel based solely on the premise of a theatrical release.
2) There is the novel based on a movie that was originally based on a: comic book, play, video game, etc…
3) There is the novel and screenplay collaboration that totally comes down to which one gets released first.
Now, back to how common novelizations really are. Another word for this is a tie-in. Some books based on movies aren’t novels (so they can’t be novelizations) but they are tie-ins for these stories. Think about all those Disney movies that later released book versions so children can relive the experience at home without re-watching the whole movie. Those are tie-ins.
Now, shame on me for not doing better research on the matter, but look it up and tell me if I’m wrong. Novelizations were huge before TV came along. I have a few books based on old movies that I found at a thrift store and knew right away what they were. If you think about it, before TV came along to re-air movies or produce TV adaptations of them, the only way people could relive those theatrical moments was through book versions of the movies.
I don’t think this is as popular today as it once was, but it still happens. My favorite examples of this are the plethora of Star Wars books. These are all based, in one way or another, on a movie. The whole world of Star Wars was created for film, not TV, comic books, or novels, yet you can now enjoy Star Wars in all these forms.
There are novelizations for all kinds of movies, such as: Alien, some of the James Bond stories were written for film and later adapted instead of the other way around, and A League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which went from a comic book to a film to a novel.
My latest novelization obsession is The Shape of Water. Yeah, that’s the Oscar Winner directed by Guillermo del Toro… But wait. He also co-wrote the script with a man named Daniel Kraus. Many people either loved or hated this film. I think I loved it, but mostly I’m fascinated by its story. The film version is mostly influenced by del Toro, but the novelization, also co-written by Kraus and del Toro, is said to be more of Kraus’s take on the story. It’s the same story but has different perspectives, different motivations, and perhaps more; I don’t know. I haven’t read the book yet, but I’m looking forward to it.
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I’ll be back on June 27th to finally talk about the movies I enjoyed more than the book. Be sure to come back to tell me what movies you liked better and drop your jaw at the ones I picked. The Book to Screen Debate continues...
Find out more about me, my work, and my inspiration at the following links:
#book2screen, bookvsmovie,
COMMENTS
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Such an interesting post. I am enjoying this series very much!
This is an intriguing article. I knew this happened but never really thought about. I think this is one on those cases that the movie is better than the movie if done correctly. . I definitely love the movie versions of Disney movies better than their books.
Join Toi Thomas as she discusses films that become novels. We’d love your input on Our Author Gang
Toi Thomas shared part three of her fascinating series on the relationships between movies, novels and other media. Stop by and check it out!
Great series! I've never really thought about the relationships between the novels and movies, thank you so much for explaining!!
Today on
#OurAuthorGang, Toi Thomas delves deeper into the book to screen debate in part three of her wonderful series.
Love this series, Toi. Keep it going!
I recently encountered this although it was book to movie to book. I am currently reading Ray Bradbury's Farenheit 451. My daughter read it in English class and we watched the movie that was filmed in the last few years. Needless to say the film is not like the book. So I decided I wanted to read the book. My first stop is always Amazon, because buying the book is not the only option. I find out if my library carries the book. I was gravely disappointed to discover they had copies of the new movie version but the original book was harder to come by in both Amazon and the library. Anyway I ended up going to the library website and finding it at another library and had it shipped in and am now reading the original book. I am liking the original book much better than the "novelization to book version".
Wow, that's a little crazy. I hadn't considered the possibility of a movie version book taking the place of an original. Shame on Amazon and the library for that. The original should always be there as an option.
Novelizations from movie to book with Toi Thomas.
And the Book to Screen Debate continues. Worth a look. I can relate to the Tie-In Concept.
Great post Toi! I've read a book about twenty years ago that was very poorly written and I almost gave up reading it after two chapters, but then the story started to remind me of an old French movie I saw when I was a kid. I suffered through the book because I wanted to find out, and surely, the story, characters, and plot was a copy of the movie. I was surprised that there was no credit given to the film, so next time I went to the bookstore, I mentioned it to the owner. (Yeah, it was before eBooks, we actually bought books in a store) He must have alerted the publisher because I didn't see the book in the store on my next visit. Back then I had no idea about copyright or what is allowed or not, it just didn't feel right that the author "stole" the story and didn't even give credit to the original writer and filmmaker.
Yeah, that's not good. Many authors and publishers are willing to work with people on the expansion of an existing work' it's usually a matter of how the royalties will be split. There's no reason for people to "steal" ideas from other books, movies, etc... Most modern novelizations are the filmmaker's idea because it makes more money for them.
Such good information here. I know as a child the Tie-In was a great way to relive all of my favorite old classics. Thank your for defining this concept in such an insightful way.
In the publishing industry, tie-ins and novelizations aren't really given a lot of respect (perhaps because so many don't live up to the hype of the film), yet, they are very popular among fans. In the end, the fans win. They are the ones buying everything.
Today Toi Thomas continues with her novels to film series.
Thank you for this excellent explanation. I honestly had no idea and I've learned something today!
Yay! I love when I learn something new or teach someone something. That's the cherry on top.
Today, I dive into the world of novelizations, books based on movies.
#OurAuthorGang
Great post Toi, about novels that are based on movies instead of the other way round. I read the book version of The Piano by Jane Campion because I loved the film. Oh dear, I think she should stick to making film and television. It was very poorly written. Other spin off books, or novelisations, from tv are of course, the Dr Who books, I haven't read them because i don't watch the programme, but it is a popular genre I think. I have yet to see The Shape of Water, am looking forward to it.
Loved the movie Piano, but may skip the book. And you're right, Dr. Who books are another great example of a novelization franchise.
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