Anovelization (ornovelisation) is aderivativenovel that adapts the story of a work created for another medium, such as afilm,TV series,stage play,comic book, orvideo game. Film novelizations were particularly popular before the advent ofhome video, but continue to find commercial success as part of marketing campaigns for major films. They are often written by accomplished writers based on an early draft of the film's script and on a tight deadline.

Novelizations of films began to be produced in the 1910s and 1920s for silent films such asLes Vampires (1915–16) andLondon After Midnight (1927). One of the first films with spoken dialogue to be novelized wasKing Kong (1933). Film novelizations were especially profitable during the 1970s beforehome video became available,^[1] as they were then the only way to re-experience popular movies other than television airing or a rerelease in theaters. The novelizations ofStar Wars (1977),Alien (1979) andStar Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) sold millions of copies.^[2]

The first ever video game to be novelised wasShadowkeep, in 1984.^[3]

Even after the advent of home video, film novelizations remain popular, with the adaptation ofGodzilla (2014) being included onThe New York Times Best Seller list for mass-market paperbacks. This has been attributed to these novels' appeal to fans: about 50% of novelizations are sold to people who have watched the film and want to explore its characters further, or to reconnect to the enthusiasm they experienced when watching the film.^[2] A film is therefore also a sort of commercial for its novelization; the film's success or failure affects the novelization's sales.^[4] Conversely, film novelizations help generate publicity for upcoming films, serving as a link in the film's marketing chain.^[5]

According to publishing industry estimates, about one or two percent of the audience of a film will buy its novelization. This makes these relatively inexpensively produced works a commercially attractive proposition in the case ofblockbuster film franchises. The increasing number of previously established novelists taking on tie-in works has been credited with these works gaining a "patina of respectability" after they had previously been disregarded in literary circles as derivative and mere merchandise.^[6]

The writer of a novelization is supposed to multiply the 20,000–25,000 words of ascreenplay into at least 60,000 words.^[4] Writers usually achieve that by adding description orintrospection.^[5] Ambitious writers are driven to work on transitions and characters just to accomplish "a more prose-worthy format". Sometimes the "novelizer" invents new scenes in order to give the plot "added dimension", provided they are allowed to do that.^[7] Publishers aim to have novelizations in shops before a film is released, which means it is usually necessary to base the novelization on a screenplay instead of the completed film.^[8] It might take an insider to tell whether a novelization diverges unintentionally from the final film because it is based on an earlier version which included deleted scenes.^[1] Thus the novelization occasionally presents material which will later on appear in adirector's cut.^[9] In some cases, separate novelizations of the same film are written for publication in different countries, and these may be based on different drafts of the screenplay, as was very clearly the case with the American and British novelizations ofCapricorn One.^[8] Writers select different approaches to enrich a screenplay. Dewey Gram'sGladiator, for example, included historical background information.

If a film is based on a novel, the original novel is generally reissued with a cover based on the film's poster.^[10] If a film company also wishes to have a separate novelization published, the company is supposed to approach the author who has "Separated Rights". A writer has these rights if he contributed the source material (or added a great deal of creative input to it) and if he was moreover properly credited.^[11]

Novelizations also exist where the film itself is based on an original novel: novelist and screenwriterChristopher Wood wrote a novelization of the James Bond filmThe Spy Who Loved Me. Although the1962 Ian Fleming novel was still available in bookstores, its story had nothing to do with the 1977 film. To avoid confusion, Wood's novelization was titledJames Bond, the Spy Who Loved Me.^[12] This novel is also an example of a screenwriter novelizing his own screenplay.Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker was published under the name ofGeorge Lucas but his script had been novelized by the prolifictie-in writerAlan Dean Foster.^[13]

Acquiring editors looking for a novelizer have different issues. The author may not have all of the information needed; Foster wrote theAlien novelization without knowing what theXenomorph looked like. The contract may be very restrictive;Max Allan Collins had to write the novelization forRoad to Perdition only based on the film, without the detail he had created for thegraphic novel of the same name that the film is based on.^[2] Rewrites of scripts may force last-minute novelization rewrites. The script for the 1966 filmModesty Blaise was rewritten by five different authors.^[14] The writer orscript doctor responsible for the so-called "final" version is not necessarily the artist who has contributed the original idea or most of the scenes. The patchwork character of a film script might even exacerbate because thefilm director, a principal actor or a consulting script doctor does rewrites during the shooting. An acquiring editor who intends to hire one of the credited screenwriters has to reckon that the early writers are no longer familiar with the current draft or work already on another film script. Not every screenwriter is available, willing to work for less money than what can be earned with film scripts and able to deliver the required amount of prose on time. Even if so, there is still the matter of novelizations having a questionable reputation.^[15] The International Association of Media Tie-In Writers concedes that by saying their craft is "largely unrecognized".^[16]Writers Guild of America rules require that screenwriters haveright of first refusal to write novelizations of their own films, but they rarely do so because of the lack of prestige and money.^[4]

Some novels blur the line between a novelization and an original novel that is the basis of afilm adaptation.Arthur C. Clarke provided the ideas forStanley Kubrick's2001: A Space Odyssey. Based on his ownshort stories and his cooperation with Kubrick during the preparation and making of thisfilm adaptation he wrote thefilm novelization of the same name which is appreciated by fans because the film provides littleexposition, and the novelization fills in some blanks.David Morrell wrote the novelFirst Blood aboutJohn Rambo, which led to thefilm adaptation of the same name. Although Rambo dies at the end of his original story, Morrell had aparagraph in hiscontract stipulating he remained "the only person who could write books about Rambo". This paid off for him when thefilm producers changed the ending and decided for asequel. David Morrell accepted to carry out the novelization and negotiated unprecedented liberties which resulted in a likewise unprecedented success when his book enteredThe New York Times Best Seller list and stayed there for six weeks.^[5]

Simon Templar orJames Bond are examples ofmedia franchises that have been popular for more than one generation. When thefeature filmThe Saint was released in1997 the creator of thischaracter (Leslie Charteris) had already been dead for four years. Henceits novelization had to be written by another author.Ian Fleming on the other hand had official successors who wrote contemporary "Post-Fleming"James Bond novels. During his tenureJohn Gardner was consequently chosen to write the novelization ofLicence to Kill^[17] in1989 and also the novelization ofGoldenEye^[18] in1995. John Gardner found his successor inRaymond Benson^[19] who wrote besides several original Bond novels three novelizations includingThe World Is Not Enough.

While comic books such as the seriesClassics Illustrated have often provided adaptations of novels, novelizations of comics are relatively rare.^[20]The Adventures of Superman, written byGeorge Lowther and published in 1942, is the first novelization of a comic book character.

Video games are novelized in the same manner as films. While gamers might enjoy playing a certain action scene for hours, the buyers of a novelization might be bored soon if they merely read about such a scene. Consequently, the writer will have to cut down on the action.^[7]

Novelization writers are often also accomplished original fiction writers, as well as fans of the works they adapt, which helps motivate them to undertake a commission that is generally compensated with a relatively low flat fee.Alan Dean Foster, for example, said that, as a fan, "I got to make my own director's cut. I got to fix the science mistakes, I got to enlarge on the characters, if there was a scene I particularly liked, I got to do more of it, and I had an unlimited budget. So it was fun".^[2]

Writing skill is particularly needed for challenging situations common to writing novelizations of popular media, such as lack of access to information about the film, last-minute script changes and very quick turnaround times. Collins had to write the novelization ofIn the Line of Fire in nine days.^[2]

Although novelizations tend to have a low prestige, and are often viewed as "hackwork",^[2] several critically acclaimed literary authors have written novelizations, includingArthur Calder-Marshall,^[21]William Kotzwinkle^[22] andRichard Elman.^[23] Best-selling authorKen Follett, early in his career, also wrote a novelization, and so didIsaac Asimov, later in his career.^[24][25] While increasingly also a domain of previously established novelists, tie-in writing still has the disadvantages, from the writers' point of view, of modest pay, tight deadlines and no ownership in the intellectual property created.^[6]

The International Association of Media Tie-In Writers is an American association that aims to recognize the writers of adapted andtie-in fiction. It hands out annual awards, the "Scribes", in categories including "best adapted novel".^[2]

Doctor Who had stories novelised in particular from the era of its original series published byTarget Books.

Episodes ofStar Trek were adapted into short stories by the noted science fiction writerJames Blish. Each volume of the stories included a number of the short story adaptations.Alan Dean Foster would later adapt the follow-upanimated series into theStar Trek Log series.

Mel Gilden wrote novelizations ofBeverly Hills, 90210, merging three episodes into one book. As he explained, this approach required him to look for a jointstory arc.^[15]

In the early 1970sLee Falk was asked by theAvon publishing house to deliverPhantom novels based on theeponymous comic strip. Falk worked on the novelizations on his own and with collaboration. A dispute over how he would be credited led to the cessation of the series.^[26]

Peter O'Donnell, who scripted theModesty Blaise comic strip, later authored novels featuring the character not directly based on the stories presented in the strips.

Matt Forbeck became awriter of novels based on video games after he had been "writing tabletop roleplaying game books for over a decade".^[27] He worked also as a designer of video games.

S. D. Perry wrote a series of novels based on theResident Evil video games and added tie-ins to the novelizations, covering all the mainline titles in the series up untilResident Evil Zero.

Eric Nylund introduced a new concept for a novelization when he delivered a trilogy, consisting of aprequel titledHalo: The Fall of Reach, an actual novelization titledHalo: First Strike and asequel titledHalo: Ghosts of Onyx.

Raymond Benson novelized the originalMetal Gear Solid in 2008 and its sequelMetal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, whileProject Itoh wrote a Japanese language novelization ofMetal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots also in 2008 (with an English adaptation later published in 2012). Itoh was set to write novelizations ofMetal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater andMetal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, but his death in 2009 resulted in these projects being handed toBeatless author Satoshi Hase and a new writer named Hitori Nojima (a pen name for Kenji Yano) respectively.^[28] Kojima would go on to writeMetal Gear Solid: Substance (a two-part alternate novelization of the originalMetal Gear Solid andMetal Gear Solid 2), as well as the novelizations ofMetal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain andDeath Stranding (a game which he helped write the script for).

In some cases an otherwise standard novel may be based on an unfilmed screenplay.Ian Fleming's 1961James Bond novelThunderball was based on a script he had co-written; in this case his collaborators subsequently sued for plagiarism.^[29]

Peter O'Donnell's novelModesty Blaise was a novelization of a refused film script. In this case the creator of the main character had written the script alone, but later on other authors had changed O'Donnell's original script over and over, until merely one single sentence remained from the original.^[14][30][31] The novel was released a year before the film and unlike the film it had sequels.

Frederick Forsyth's 1979 novelThe Devil's Alternative was based on an unfilmed script he had written.^[32]

Cormac McCarthy's 2005 novelNo Country for Old Men was adapted from a screenplay the author wrote.^[33] This allowed theCoen brothers to stick "almost word for word" faithfully to the book when adapting it back into a screenplay for the acclaimed 2007film of the same name.^[34]

Occasionally a novelization is issued even though the film is never made.Gordon Williams wrote the script and novelization for producerHarry Saltzman's abandoned filmThe Micronauts.^[35]

• List of novels based on comics

• The Scarlet Pimpernel (1908),Baroness Orczy
• Bought and Paid For (1912), Arthur Hornblow
• Peg o' My Heart (1913),J. Hartley Manners
• Peter and Wendy (1911),J. M. Barrie
• The Bat (1926),Stephen Vincent Benét
• The Girl of the Golden West (1911),David Belasco
• The Lion and the Mouse (1906), Arthur Hornblow
• The Master Mind (1913),Marvin Dana
• The Passing of the Third Floor Back (1935),Claude Houghton
• The Return of Peter Grimm (1912), David Belasco

• List of novels based on video games

• Dramatization
• Tie-in
• Ballantine Books
• Dell Publishing
• Target Books
• Tor Books
• Alan Dean Foster
• List ofAlien (franchise) novels
• List ofAlien vs. Predator novels
• List of Disney novelizations
• List ofDoctor Who novelizations
• List of Nickelodeon novelizations
• List ofPredator (franchise) novels
• List ofStar Trek novels
• List ofStar Wars books
• List of television series made into books
• The X-Files literature

• Britton, Wesley Alan (2005).Beyond Bond: Spies in Fiction and Film. Praeger.ISBN 0-275-98556-3.
• Hamilton, Geoff & Jones, Brian (2009).Encyclopedia of American Popular Fiction. Facts on File.ISBN 978-0-8160-7157-9.
• Pringle, David (1998).St. James Guide to Horror, Ghost & Gothic Writers. St. James Press.ISBN 1-55862-206-3.
• Shatzky, Joel & Taub, Michael, eds. (1997).Contemporary Jewish-American Novelists: A Bio-critical Sourcebook. Greenwood Press.ISBN 0-313-29462-3.
• Turner, Richard Charles (1996).Ken Follett: A Critical Companion. Greenwood Press.ISBN 0-313-29415-1.

• Baetens, Jan (2007). "From Screen to Text: Novelization, the Hidden Continent". In Cartmell, Deborah; Whelehan, Imelda (eds.).The Cambridge Companion to Literature on Screen. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 226–38.
• Baetens, Jan (2005). "Novelization, a Contaminated Genre?".Critical Inquiry.32 (1):43–60.doi:10.1086/498003.ISSN 0093-1896.JSTOR 10.1086/498003.S2CID 162192040.
• Baetens, Jan; Lits, Marc, eds. (2004).La Novellisation: Du film au livre [Novelization: From Film to Novel] (in French). Leuven: Leuven University Press.
• Guariento, S M (2025).Light Into Ink: A Critical Survey of 50 Film Novelizations. Ideogram Press. p. 530.ISBN 979-8345193815.
• Larson, Randall D. (1995).Films Into Books. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press.ISBN 9780810829282.
• Mahlknecht, Johannes (2012)."The Hollywood Novelization: Film as Literature or Literature as Film Promotion?".Poetics Today.33 (2):137–168.doi:10.1215/03335372-1586572.
• Siskind, Mariano (2010). "The Globalization of the Novel and the Novelization of the Global. A Critique of World Literature".Comparative Literature.62 (4):336–360.doi:10.1215/00104124-2010-021.JSTOR 40962923.
• Van Parys, Thomas (2009)."The Commercial Novelization: Research, History, Differentiation".Literature/Film Quarterly.37 (4):305–317.JSTOR 43797691.

• "Read 'Em and Weep", Article by Joe Queenan for The Guardian
• "Revenge of the Novelizations", Articles by Mutant Reviewers From Hell:
  • Part I,Part II,Part III,Part IV

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