It pays to write short fiction
Yes, your 7,000 word story could be worth 7 figures!
Have you heard about the short story to film adaptation pipeline?
As someone who regularly writes short stories to “audition” ideas for a novel, and visualizes the film adaptation as I write, I feel way late to the conversation that the film industry is buying short stories to turn into films … for $1 million and up.
Yes, your 7,000 word story could be worth 7 figures!
Here are a few recent headlines:
Skydance Pays $2 Million+ For Sci-Fi Short Story ‘Drift:’
Sony Pictures Lands Jonathan Marty Sci-Fi Short Story ‘The Earthling’ Auction (mid-6 figures)
Amazon MGM Lands Harrison Query’s Short Story “Code Black” For Film (7 figures)
And before you think it’s only writers who are already famous who are selling these stories, here’s a quote from producer Scott Glassgold, explaining the shift to using a short story as proof of concept rather than a short film:
“These are very often writers who had the dream of breaking into the business, and geographically, they’re most likely not in the epicenter of publishing or film…when I met them, they’re literally sleeping on a relative’s couch. And by the end of the journey of a short story, between a film deal and a publishing deal, [to] be able to pick up the phone and tell them they’ve made over a million dollars, it’s really special.”
Of course, some short stories are more adaptable than others.
Producer Chris Goldberg (pen name Max Winter), a writer who’s sold his short stories as well as a book-to-film veteran, identifies key elements that make a story sell, including genre, and how attractive the roles are to acting talent.
Most deals I’ve seen are some combination of horror, thriller, or grounded sci-fi (think something that could happen here and now, not a far-off universe).
A great example is this sci-fi story that sold for a high six figures to Netflix. The plot centers around a mother with migraines who begins having hallucinations of monsters and “must protect her family against a threat only she can see.”
The visceral and relatable pain of migraines, of women not being believed about their pain or trusted for their perspective? Deeply real. Taking it a step further into a sci-fi world? Immediately captures an audience.