You’d think the people at Bookstofilm.com ("where literature meets Hollywood") would have taken me off their mailing list after what I wrote about them here before. But no…today I got another come-on from them.
BookstoFilm.com publishes a semi-annual catalog which is
distributed to
over 2500 film producers, directors, studios, and film
agents nationwide…including those who produce educational and
documentary
films. The Spring 2005 catalog was a huge success, and it is available online now at
our website for current clients and film makers. The film industry is raving
over it!
Their website is still wallpapered with bookcovers of bestsellers that were made into movies…implying that bookstofilm.com had something to do with them. They didn’t. They still fail to list a single book sold to a major studio or production company as a result of their catalog or their "numerous contacts in the United States film industry." Nor do they list a single author among their endorsers that you’ve ever heard of. The rave reviews touting their services are from the same handful of primarily self-published and PublishAmeica authors as before (though they’ve stopped using the blurb from Sibyl Avery Jackson, author of "Degree of Caution,"
winner of the "Sistah Circle Book Club’s 2002 Self-Published African African American Author Award for Best Mystery.")
The only new twist to their pitch is they now donate to charity a portion of the money they receive from authors who fork over $195 to be mentioned in their catalog. It brings a tear to my eye.
My advice is not to waste your money on a listing in a piece of junkmail. Unagented authors interested in selling their books to Hollywood would be better off spending their money on sending their books, along with a punchy cover letter, directly to studio & production company development executives.
You can donate to charity yourself…you don’t need "Bookstofilm.com" to do it for you.
Hi Lee,
Just to let you know I actually saw several
copies of the Bookstofilm.com catalogs – They were some floating around the LA Film Fest lately and they were well done and got popular attention. Here’s what was in them – Full page glossy ads for books, scripts and manuscripts. I know you don’t like this type of opportunity but for independents getting started who can’t get agents this does fill a niche. A writer pal said he saw them also at the The Brooklyn International Film Festival (BIFF), formerly known as Williamsburg Brooklyn Film Festival (WBFF), is an International, competitive festival for and by independent film makers.
Do you know Marco Ursino? He is the Executive Director of the (BIFF) –
James
screenandfilm2005@yahoo.com