Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. The film studio makes your book into a hand-drawn animated film with a voice for every character, mouths that move with the lines, camera moves, sound effects and music, in your own words. A novel, memoir or true story is filmed as a Story; a book of ideas can be filmed as an Explainer, with you drawn as the host presenting the book. You approve the screenplay, each part's cast and each part before the next one is made. See the film page at /animated-film.

Yes. Every book on your dashboard has a Make it a film button that starts a film from that listing, using the manuscript you already uploaded (or asking you for one if it is not on file). Your films then appear under My films on the same dashboard, showing each one's progress and whether your free one-minute sample is ready to watch.

Yes. Upload your book, which is free, and ask for a free one-minute sample. The AI chooses a scene from your first chapter that should film well and makes it the same way every part of a film is made. Afterwards you can try it in another voice from our library or in your own recorded voice, change the lettering, and, for an Explainer, upload a photo so you are drawn to look like you. One free sample per account, and one per internet connection or device in any 30 days.

Yes. After your free one-minute sample, your film page offers a first episode for $149: the opening of your book (whole chapters from the chapter your sample came from, up to about 2,000 words, about 15 minutes on screen) made as a finished episode, the same way every part of a film is made. You can change pictures, lines and music in the editor, download it, and make vertical clips for YouTube Shorts, TikTok and Reels. If you then order the whole film of the same book, the $149 is taken off its price in full. Books under 6,000 words are offered only the whole film.

One payment set by your book's length, with no subscription: from $799 for a book of up to 12,000 words (a film of about 90 minutes) to $4,499 for 110,000 words. Every word of the book is kept, so a long book makes a long film. Longer books are quoted individually: write to hello@booktoscreen.pro. You see your price before you pay and are charged only when the film starts. BookToScreen.pro plans do not include or discount it.

Approved parts join into one HD (1080p) film. We then suggest a release that suits its length and make the files with their own title cards: a feature film, a two-part film, a limited series, a web series of short episodes or a short film, plus short vertical clips for YouTube Shorts, TikTok and Reels. All of these are included. We do not promise views, sales, producer interest or distribution.

Yes, and they are included in the price. On your film's page, Closing credits lets you add cards such as "Special thanks to" or "This film was adapted from the book by", and your own photos if you like, each with a caption in your film's lettering. We write a song of up to three minutes to fit them, with words drawn from your book or from what you tell us, and you hear each song before you choose one. Your film ends with your credits and a fade to black, and an example is linked on the /animated-film page.

Yes. You can create a free account and list one book with your title, cover, genre, logline, and buy link at no cost. It stays publicly visible in the directory where producers and scouts browse. The "What's Next" roadmap is available once you have a book; paid plans add the AI pitch package, adaptation score, monthly comp-title refresh, featured placement, and expanded offer checks.

The AI pitch package is generated from your manuscript and includes a logline, short and long synopsis, format recommendation (feature vs. limited series, etc.), comp titles, audience description, "why it adapts" narrative, and tone keywords — written in producer-grade language. It is included on all paid plans (Author, Author Plus, Publisher) and refreshed monthly.

The adaptation readiness score is a 0–100 rating of how well your book translates to screen, with six sub-scores: visual storytelling, dialogue strength, character distinctiveness, hook strength, format fit, and market timing. It also includes top strengths, adaptation friction points, and constructive producer-style notes. The score is generated automatically for paid-plan authors and can be shown or hidden on your public listing.

Once you submit your book with a manuscript, the AI reads it and fills in the genre, logline, synopsis, comp titles, format recommendation, and adaptation score — usually within a few minutes, though it can take a little longer during busy periods. It reads the whole manuscript, up to about 105,000 words, so your synopsis covers the story through to its ending. Your listing goes live immediately with your title and cover while the AI is working.

For a one-time fee of $199, our AI engine writes a feature-length screenplay (~110 pages) or TV pilot (~60 pages) from your manuscript in industry-standard format, in the writing style you choose: a Hollywood adaptation, your own words, or dramatized. You receive both a PDF and a Final Draft FDX file by email, usually within an hour or two. Free unlimited AI revisions are included — send your notes and we regenerate at no extra charge.

Three, all at the same $199 price. A Hollywood adaptation is a screenwriter's take: the story restructured for the screen, with new dialogue and subplots compressed to fit the runtime; it never invents events your book doesn't support, but the words are the screenwriter's. Your own words keeps your writing: your sentences become the narration, heard in voice-over word for word, the dialogue you wrote is used exactly, and only the scene directions are new. Dramatized keeps your narration and acts out the conversations your book describes as scenes; every new line restates something your book says and is checked against it, and when the way you tell something is the joke, the narration still tells it. With Your own words and Dramatized the script follows your book's length (a shorter book makes a shorter script, never padded; a longer one is trimmed using your own sentences), and a TV pilot covers your book's opening chapters. Pick the style on the order page; a revision keeps the style you chose.

Yes. A free sample is published at https://www.booktoscreen.pro/screenplay/sample — the opening ten pages of a real delivered draft, in both the PDF and the Final Draft FDX file, so you can judge the format and the writing before spending anything. It is a TV pilot adapted from the published novel 'Dougie Debunksley and the Alien Abduction', which belongs to our founder; we publish his screenplay rather than any customer's, because screenplays we produce for authors are private and are never shown to anyone without that author's approval.

Yes. The screenplay order page has a "Have a coupon code?" field, and if you leave it blank you can also enter a promotion code on the secure payment page. Only one discount applies per order, and a code that is invalid or already used will be rejected.

No. The $199 screenplay service is a standalone one-time purchase available to both free and paid authors. A subscription is not required to place a screenplay order.

Yes. Because generation begins within minutes of payment, the screenplay add-on is non-refundable once processing starts. If there is a technical failure on our end, contact support and we will regenerate or resolve the issue.

Yes, if you have a delivered screenplay. Verified producers can click the Screenplay badge on your book detail page and submit a request. You receive the request by email and approve or decline it with one click. If approved, the producer receives a 14-day download link for the PDF and FDX — your email is never exposed publicly.

Yes. Your uploaded manuscript is used only for AI processing (pitch generation, adaptation scoring, screenplay creation and, if you order one, your animated film) and is never shared with producers, scouts, or anyone else. Producers see only the pitch output and, if you approve their request, the generated screenplay.

There are four tiers: Free ($0, one basic listing), Author ($9/month or $90/year, one book with full AI treatment), Author Plus ($29/month or $290/year, unlimited books by the same author), and Publisher ($99/month or $990/year, up to 100 books across multiple authors). All paid plans include unlimited Hollywood-offer checks with human review.

Yes. AuthorPass from SelfPublishing.pro includes a BookToScreen.pro plan at the matching level: AuthorPass Single includes Author Plus, and AuthorPass Unlimited includes Publisher. It is a full paid plan that is set up and paid for on your behalf, so you do not need a separate BookToScreen.pro subscription. The $199 screenplay service is not part of AuthorPass and is still ordered separately.

The What's Next roadmap is a personalized checklist inside your dashboard that guides you through concrete actions to improve your chances of adaptation interest — sharpening your logline, researching producers behind your comp titles, using outreach templates, and more. You can mark items as done or skip them, and the roadmap updates as you make progress. It is available to all logged-in authors who have at least one book listed; some items (such as the offer-check shortcut) are shown only on paid plans.

The outreach templates are three copy-paste cold-email templates designed for reaching out to production companies, literary managers, and IP scouts. If you are signed in and have a book listed, they come pre-filled with your title, logline, genre, comp titles, adaptation score, and listing link — otherwise you will see the generic version with blank placeholders to fill in yourself. Open them directly at https://www.booktoscreen.pro/whats-next/outreach-templates — they are also linked from your dashboard and from the What's Next roadmap (the item 'Send 3-5 polite outreach emails').

The offer check tool lets you paste a verbatim "Hollywood producer" email or contact into a form and get an AI verdict (likely scam, red flags, unclear, or probably legit) along with specific red flags, a recommended action, and what to say back. Free accounts get one AI check. Paid plans include unlimited checks plus human review by our team.

The golden rule: legitimate producers pay you an option fee — they never ask you to pay them for anything. Red flags include upfront fees for treatments, screenplay packages, Hollywood database listings, or WGA registration; contact from a generic Gmail or recently registered domain; and pressure tactics like "limited slots" or "Q4 closing." Use our free offer-check tool at /offer-check to get an instant AI evaluation before responding.

No. Producers, scouts, and literary managers can browse the full directory, read public pitch packages, and view adaptation scores that authors choose to display, all free with no account. They only need a producer account when they want to message an author directly or request to read a screenplay.

Producer signup requires a name, email, and password; company, role, credits, and professional links are optional but help with identity review. After confirming their email and passing review, a producer can message an author from the book page, with a limit of 3 messages per 24 hours. The producer's email is the reply-to, so later replies go directly between the producer and author.

Yes. If your account email matches a SelfPublishing.pro account with books, an import box appears on the Add a book page; the one-click import pulls your title, author name, description, and cover into a staged form so you can review everything before publishing. Paid-plan authors can also import the manuscript for AI processing; free accounts import the listing details and cover only.

No. BookToScreen.pro provides tools to make your book easier to evaluate and pitch — a public directory listing, AI pitch package, adaptation score, screenplay, and outreach resources — but it does not promise producer interest, options, representation, or deals. Results depend on the quality of your book and how actively you pursue outreach.

Free accounts are limited to one book. The Author plan ($9/month) also allows one book. Author Plus ($29/month) supports unlimited books by the same author. The Publisher plan ($99/month) supports up to 100 books across multiple authors.

You can upload your manuscript as a PDF, EPUB, DOCX, or TXT file up to 100 MB. For cover images, accepted formats are JPG, PNG, and WebP (recommended size 800x1200 pixels, 2:3 aspect ratio).

Yes. On the book edit page, paste a YouTube or Vimeo URL into the video field and it will embed directly on your public listing. A short visual reel showing the world of your story can significantly lift producer interest. Services like BookReelz.com can generate a book-trailer-style reel from your manuscript and cover if you don't already have one.

Auto-approve is a per-book toggle on your book's edit page. When it is on, verified producers receive a download link as soon as they request your screenplay, and you receive an email notice. Leave it off if you prefer to approve or decline each request yourself; you can change the setting at any time.

Yes. Paid-plan authors can download a producer-ready one-page pitch PDF directly from their dashboard. It combines your cover image, logline, synopsis, comp titles, and format recommendation into a polished, print-ready document you can attach to emails or submit to production companies. The PDF is generated on demand, always reflecting your latest AI pitch content.

If you cancel, your plan stays active until the end of the current billing period, then your account reverts to the free tier (one listing, basic features). If a payment fails, you get a 14-day grace period during which your paid features stay on. After the grace period the account automatically downgrades to free. Your book listings and data are not deleted — they stay in your account.

Yes. From the producer dashboard, verified producers can enter an acquisition wishlist describing the genres, formats, themes, or budget range they are seeking, and opt in to a free weekly digest email of newly listed and featured books. The digest currently shows the newest and featured titles rather than filtering to your exact wishlist, and the wishlist and digest preference can be updated or turned off at any time.

Sign in and go to your dashboard. Each book there has a Delete button, which removes the listing permanently along with its cover; the uploaded manuscript is removed too unless an order of yours still uses it. If you would rather keep the book in your account but take it out of the public directory, click Edit on that book, switch off "Show in public directory" and click Save changes; you can switch it back on at any time. Deleting a book does not close your account; to delete your whole account, contact hello@booktoscreen.pro.

Occasionally you may see a pop-up offering a free "How to Pitch Your Book to Hollywood" guide in exchange for your email. It is optional, can be closed at any time, and won't show again once you've signed up or dismissed it for a few days.

Riley is our site-wide support assistant — click the chat bubble in the corner of any page to ask questions about listings, pricing, the screenplay service, or anything else on BookToScreen.pro. No account is needed to use it, and it is available any time, day or night.

There are two. Light-hearted is a hand-drawn adult-cartoon look with wobbly marker lines and people in colour, suited to funny and warm books. Serious is a black-ink graphic-novel look with slower camera moves and quieter music, suited to drama, grief and suspense. You choose the look, and whether the book is told as a Story or an Explainer, when you start. You can watch a short example of each look, and of an Explainer, on the film page at /animated-film.

Yes. The film page at /animated-film links to a complete film on YouTube: our founder Bo Bennett's book "How To Sift Through Media Bullsh*t", made in this studio as a 39-minute Explainer in his own voice. It shows what a finished book looks like from start to end, and short examples of each look are on the same page. Your own film will follow your book, so its length and style will differ.

The film is made in parts, usually one per chapter. Each part usually takes about an hour to build once you approve its cast, and you approve each part before the next one starts, so the pace is yours. You can stop after any part and keep everything made so far.

Because production costs are incurred as we make your film, the payment is not refundable once production has begun; the same applies to a paid first episode. Uploading your book and the one-minute sample are free, so you can judge the result before you pay. If something goes wrong on our side, write to hello@booktoscreen.pro and we will make it right.