Option Agreements - Creative Law Center

Option Agreements

Option Agreements: Your Book on Screen [Live Workshop]

Having your book turned into a blockbuster movie is a nice dream, especially when you have a story worth sharing.

When a producer comes knocking on your door with an option agreement, you are on the verge of taking your creative game to another level.

And like any new undertaking, there’s a lot to learn when licensing your work to Hollywood, or Netflix, or Amazon Studios, or any one of a number of other streaming services or production companies.

An option agreement is a contract between you as the owner of an original literary property and a producer interested in turning it into a film, play, or TV series.

Option agreements involve negotiation and payment for some or all of these:

  • the option
  • the granted rights
  • sequels
  • remakes
  • spin-offs
  • merchandise

There are a number of rights that an author may not want to option, like:

  • live performance rights
  • audio rights
  • author written sequels
  • other publication rights

In this workshop, you will learn:

  • what to expect when presented with an option agreement
  • how producers price their offers
  • the credit you can expect
  • how producers can change your story
  • which rights to reserve

We’ll take a look at an option agreement used by the production arm of an international lifestyle company.

This workshop is being offered as a stand alone opportunity. You do not have to be a member of the Creative Law Center to attend it (members will have access, of course, and need not purchase the workshop separately). You’ll get an email with the Zoom link for Wednesday, May 18th at 1 p.m., EST once you sign up. You will have lifetime access to the replay.

This is a live, interactive workshop using Zoom. You will be able to ask questions in real time, so bring your list.

This workshop will give you a basic understanding of how the option process works so you won’t have to start from scratch when the time comes.

About the Author

Kathryn Goldman helps small business people, writers, artists, and creative professionals make a living from their creative work by teaching them how to protect and enforce their rights. She is an attorney who writes these posts to help you be more thoughtful about intellectual property and the law as you build your business, write your stories, and create your art.

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