Literary Adaptation - Prevalence of Adaptation

Prevalence of Adaptation

An adapted work appeals to a writer, publisher, or producer initially because it gains his interest, both because it has become popular and for the underlying reasons it has become popular. The encounter with the work, with its presumed success, simply sparks the imagination as to its possibly application in other genres or media. Sometimes the editing of these works without the approval of the author can lead to a court case.

It also appeals because it obviously works as a story; it has interesting characters, who say and do interesting things. This is particularly important when adapting to a dramatic work, e.g. film, stage play, teleplay, as dramatic writing is some of the most difficult. To get an original story to function well on all the necessary dimensions — concept, character, story, dialogue, and action — is an extremely rare event performed by a rare talent.

Perhaps most importantly, especially for producers of the screen and stage, an adapted work is more bankable; it represents considerably less risk to investors, and poses the possibilities of huge financial gains. This is because:

• It has already attracted a following.
• It clearly works as a literary piece in appealing to a broad group of people.
• Its title, author, characters, etc. may be a franchise in and of themselves already.