How Much Does It Cost to Adapt a Book into a Screenplay?

Once authors start wondering whether their book could be a film, the next question is usually what it would cost to find out. It's a sensible thing to ask before you go any further, and it's surprisingly hard to get a straight answer.

The honest range is wide. Adapting a book into a screenplay can cost nothing but your time if you write it yourself, a few thousand pounds with an experienced freelance screenwriter, and far more when a producer commissions an established writer. For most self-published authors, the realistic choices sit at the lower end: do it yourself, use a freelancer, or use a fixed-fee adaptation service like ours, which costs £1,200 + VAT for a book of up to 80,000 words.

Here's what drives the price, what each option really costs, and what to check before you pay anyone.

What affects the cost of adapting a book

• The length of your book. A 70,000-word thriller is a different job from a 200,000-word saga. Most services price by word count or quote longer books individually.
• Film or TV. A feature film script is one self-contained piece. A TV adaptation usually means a pilot episode script plus a series bible covering the whole show, and it's often quoted separately.
• How many drafts are included. Some fees cover one draft, others include revisions. Professional screenplays usually go through several drafts before production, so it matters what you're paying for.
• The writer's experience. As with any creative work, an established screenwriter with produced credits charges far more than someone starting out.
• Extras. Proofreading, pitch materials, submission to agents and producers, storyboards and trailers all add to the total.

The options, and what they cost

1. Adapt it yourself

Cost: your time, plus screenwriting software, which ranges from free to a few hundred pounds.

You keep complete control, and nobody knows your story better. The real cost is the learning curve. Screenwriting is a separate craft, with its own structure and strict formatting rules, and most novelists need several attempts before a script reads as professional. It's also hard to cut your own favourite scenes and characters. If you go this way, our guide to the 7 common adaptation mistakes will save you time.

2. Use an AI tool

Cost: usually a monthly subscription.

AI tools can turn prose into something formatted like a script very quickly. What they struggle with are the judgement calls that make an adaptation work: what to cut, how to turn inner thoughts into something we can see, how to pace a story for the screen. Producers can usually tell. We've compared the two in more detail in professional adaptation vs AI.

3. Hire a freelance screenwriter

Cost: typically a few thousand pounds for a feature adaptation from an experienced freelancer. Hourly rates on freelance marketplaces vary widely.

A good freelancer can do excellent work, but quality varies a lot. Ask to see adaptations they've written, not just original scripts. Agree in writing how many drafts are included, when payments are due, what happens if either of you pulls out, and, most importantly, that you keep the rights to your story.

4. Use a specialist adaptation service

Cost: varies by provider. Ours is a fixed £1,200 + VAT for a full film adaptation of a manuscript of up to 80,000 words.

A service gives you an experienced team, a defined process and a clear price agreed up front. At Tricorn Books, that fee includes:

• a full adaptation of your book into a feature-length screenplay
• industry-standard formatting
• a dedicated account manager
• a professionally bound and printed copy of your script

A first draft is typically ready within two weeks. Longer books and TV adaptations, a pilot episode plus series bible, are quoted individually. Proofreading, submission to agents and producers, extra printed copies, storyboarding and an animated trailer are available as optional extras.

5. Have a producer commission a screenwriter

Cost to you: nothing. The producer pays.

When a producer options your book, they may hire an established screenwriter to adapt it, and industry rates for that work run well into the thousands, and much higher for feature films. The catch is that you first need a producer interested enough to option your book, and getting their attention is exactly what a strong script helps you do.

Costs at a glance

Option	Typical cost	Best for
Do it yourself	Your time, plus free to a few hundred pounds for software	Authors who want to learn screenwriting and have time to spare
AI tool	A monthly subscription	A rough first look, not a script to pitch
Freelance screenwriter	Typically a few thousand pounds	Authors who've found a writer whose adaptations they like
Tricorn Books	£1,200 + VAT, up to 80,000 words	Self-published authors who want a professional script at a fixed price
Producer-commissioned writer	Paid by the producer	Books that have already been optioned

Hidden costs and things to check

• Rights. Commissioning an adaptation should never transfer the rights to your story. Get it in writing that you own the script, and be wary of "work for hire" terms that give ownership to someone else.
• Revisions. Find out how many drafts are included and what further changes cost.
• Payment terms. Freelancers often take staged payments, sometimes with a cancellation fee. Know what you'd owe if the project stops.
• VAT. Check whether a quoted price includes VAT. Ours is quoted before VAT.
• What happens next. A script on its own doesn't get a film made. Budget your time, and possibly money, for competitions, pitching and submissions. Our guide on how to turn your book into a movie covers the whole route.

Is it worth paying to have your book adapted?

That depends on what you want from it. If your goal is a film deal, a professional script is the thing that gets producers to take your story seriously. It won't guarantee a deal, and anyone who promises one isn't being straight with you. If you simply want to see your book as a screenplay, to read, share and keep, the value is more personal, and just as valid.

Our service was designed for the first step: an affordable, professional script that lets you test the interest of producers and agents before you invest anything more in developing your story for the screen.

Common questions

How much does it cost to turn a book into a screenplay in the UK?

Anything from nothing if you do it yourself, to a few thousand pounds with an experienced freelancer. At Tricorn Books, a full film adaptation of a manuscript of up to 80,000 words is a fixed £1,200 + VAT.

How much does a TV adaptation cost?

TV adaptations are usually priced separately from films, because the work includes a pilot episode script and a series bible for the whole show. We quote each one individually, depending on the length of the book and the scope of the series.

How long does an adaptation take?

With us, a first draft of a film screenplay is typically ready within two weeks. Freelancers' timescales vary. Read more in how long screenplay adaptation takes.

Is there a way to try before I pay?

Yes. We'll adapt a chapter or scene of your choice for free, with no obligation, so you can judge our work before you spend anything.

See your book as a script before you spend a penny

Send us your manuscript and we'll convert a chapter or scene of your choice into a screenplay, completely free and with no obligation. If you like what you see, we'll talk through a full adaptation. If not, you've lost nothing.

Claim your free sample, or read more about our novel to screenplay service.