6 Movies that started as self-published novels

If you've published a book yourself, you might wonder whether a self-published story could ever end up on screen. It can, and it has. Some well-known films started life as books their authors put out themselves, often after being turned down or simply ignored by traditional publishers.

Here are six of them, how they made the leap, and what they have in common.

The Martian: From Blog to Blockbuster

Andy Weir originally posted The Martian on his website, a chapter at a time, for free. Readers asked for an easier way to read it, so in 2011 he put it on Amazon's Kindle store for 99 cents.

The story of astronaut Mark Watney, stranded alone on Mars, spread by word of mouth. Crown Publishing picked it up and republished it in 2014, and in 2015 Ridley Scott's film, starring Matt Damon, took around $630 million worldwide and earned seven Academy Award nominations.

What made it work was a brilliant premise, a funny and distinctive voice, and science readers trusted. Self-publishing also gave Weir something valuable: proof that people loved the story before anyone in publishing or film had to take a risk on it.

If you write science fiction yourself, our guide to why sci-fi authors are turning to screenplay adaptation is worth a read.

Fifty Shades of Grey: The Phenomenon That Changed Everything

E.L. James' Fifty Shades of Grey began as online fan fiction. In 2011 it was published as an ebook and print-on-demand paperback by The Writers' Coffee Shop, a tiny independent Australian publisher. That's not quite self-publishing, but it's about as close as a book can get while still having a publisher's name on it.

Word spread fast, mostly among readers sharing it with each other, and a traditional publishing deal followed. The 2015 film, starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan, took around $570 million worldwide despite mixed reviews, and two sequels followed.

Whatever you think of the books, they showed that a story with a big enough readership can't be ignored, however it was first published.

Eragon: A Teen's Fantasy Becomes Reality

Christopher Paolini started writing Eragon, a fantasy about a farm boy who finds a dragon's egg, when he was fifteen. His parents published it through their own small family press, and the family promoted it themselves, travelling to schools, libraries and bookshops.

Their efforts caught the attention of the publisher Knopf, which republished the book in 2003. It became a New York Times bestseller, and a film adaptation followed in 2006.

The film had a mixed reception, but the route is the interesting part. A self-published book, pushed hard by a determined family, ended up as a studio film.

Still Alice: Independent Publishing Meets Independent Film

Lisa Genova self-published Still Alice in 2007. It tells the story of a Harvard professor diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease, and Genova, who has a PhD in neuroscience, wrote it with real understanding of the illness.

Simon & Schuster took the book on in 2009. The 2014 film starred Julianne Moore, who won the Academy Award for Best Actress for the role.

Still Alice is a useful reminder that self-published books don't have to be big commercial genre stories to reach the screen. A quiet, serious, deeply felt book can get there too.

The Celestine Prophecy: Spiritual Fiction Finds Its Audience

James Redfield self-published The Celestine Prophecy in 1993, and famously sold copies from the boot of his car. The novel follows a man searching for an ancient manuscript in the Peruvian rainforest.

It built a devoted following, was picked up by a major publisher and became a long-running bestseller. A film adaptation followed in 2006. It wasn't a big hit at the box office, but it got made, which is more than most books can say.

Redfield's story shows that an unusual idea, one a traditional publisher might have thought too niche, can find its audience and its way to the screen.

The Kissing Booth: From Wattpad to Netflix

Beth Reekles was a fifteen-year-old in Wales when she started posting The Kissing Booth on Wattpad, the free online storytelling platform. Millions of readers found it there, and Random House published it in 2012.

In 2018 Netflix released the film adaptation, which became one of its most popular films of the year, and two sequels followed. It's a good example of how readers, not gatekeepers, can be the ones who spot a story worth filming.

What These Success Stories Share

Six very different books, but a few things come up again and again:

• A premise you can explain in a sentence
• Readers who loved the book and told other people about it
• Authors who promoted their work long after publication day
• Stories that are easy to picture on screen

Most of these books also went through a traditional publisher before the film happened. Self-publishing was the start of the story, not the whole of it. And for every book on this list, there are thousands of good self-published books that never get near a film set. It's worth being realistic about that, as well as encouraged.

Your Novel's Potential

None of these authors could make a film happen on their own. What they had was a story people wanted, and someone in the industry who saw it. Producers judge screen potential by reading scripts, so if you think your book could work on screen, a professional screenplay is what lets them see it.

If you're wondering whether your own book has what it takes, our guide to whether your book would make a good movie is a good place to start, and our guide on how to turn your book into a movie covers the whole route from page to screen.

We also offer a free sample. Send us your manuscript and we'll turn a chapter or scene of your choice into a screenplay, with no charge and no obligation. Get in touch if you'd like to see your story as a script.