We are back with Episode 6 of the Beyond the Book Podcast featuring the story of a sci-fi author turned filmmaker who has raised $75k+ on Kickstarter to make two short-films with hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube.
It was exactly a month ago when I first launched this podcast.
It’s been so wild to see y’all support! Across our episodes, we have 1,500 views and downloads so far.
In March, we have a slate of awesome episodes lined up with an episode diving deep into selling books at events, an episode visiting the headquarters where 100,000 story letters are shipped from each month, an interview with the Head of Publishing at Kickstarter…
AND today’s very special episode with Jynafer Yanez all about how you can turn your Book into a Movie WITHOUT waiting for permission from Hollywood.
Jynafer Yanez is the partner of Jonathan Yanez. Their story is insanely inspiring.
Jonathan quit his corporate job a year after he and Jynafer got married with no publishing income but a relentless determination to make a career as an author.
In Jynafer’s words they “Doubled down on us”, Jynafer supporting Jonathan’s dream with the income from her day job.
A publishing deal turned into indie publishing turned into dozens of novels and 1 million copies sold.
Now Jynafer is full-time leading the Yanez’s publishing business, helping run the operations, marketing, and film production arm of their empire.
That’s right, not content on just dominating in books, they have now launched two Kickstarters that have generated $75k+ in funding for two incredible films: Infinity System and Forsaken Mercenary.
Now, they are working to shop their short films to streamers for distribution and Jonathan is screenwriting big-budget Hollywood films.
Freaking legendary.
Jynafer and Jonathan show us what’s possible when you work together with the people you love for a mission and purpose you believe in.
Jynafer shows us how far creative visionaries like Jonathan can go when they have a right-hand person who grounds them, helps them execute, and keeps the ship chugging along.
They are the definition of a power couple.
And today, Jynafer shares those powers with us, spilling everything from how to pick which book to adapt to film, how to get funding for the film, and how to manage the budget and production.
In Jynafer’s own words: “You didn't wait for someone to give you permission to publish your book. Why wait for permission for someone to make your film?”
You can watch Turning Your Book Into a Movie Without Hollywood on YouTube here, Spotify here, and Apple podcasts here.
The Big Takeaway: You Can Turn Your Book Into a Movie Too
I learned SO much in my chat with Jynafer. I could easily share a massive essay just by recapping her insights.
Instead, I want to share a simple 5-step process that you can use to turn your book into a movie, television show, or any kind of film.
Step #1: Make sure there is demand from readers to turn your book into a film.
Whether you crowdfund a film or not, you need a core fanbase behind it. Not every series or story (including those written by Jonathan) garners this kind of fandom.
Your fans will be most important in helping you make the film. Which of your fans knows someone who is good at editing? Special effects? Acting? The world is a lot smaller than you think, the key is having people emotionally invested in seeing your story come to life in film.
Step #2: Budget your production scene-by-scene to determine your funding goal.
Are you creating a pilot, a feature-length film, or a short?
What content from your story will be in the film? How will it be adapted and what will be the cost of it?
Break every little line item down, including renting space, costumes, and even food for crew members during shoot days.
Depending on your budget, you can either scope up or scope down your planned production depending on the funding you can garner
Step #3: Get funding for your film without spending out of pocket.
It is a really bad idea to spend tons of money out of your pocket making a movie unless you are the trust fund of a billionaire (which in that case, can you fund my movie?). Note: Jynafer mentioned that they did put some money out of their own pocket into Infinity System, but they had $50k+ in support from their fans and other backers outside of the Kickstarter. Much less risky proposition when you aren’t the sole backer!
You don’t have to simply crowdfund your film. There are film investors you can pitch and build relationships, tax credits from cities depending on where you film, and more. Likewise, you can have your fans pre-order your film or pay for your film by episode, do a limited-time screening (early access) before making your film available widely. The possibilities are endless.
Step #4: Produce and edit your film, managing the inevitable hiccups that come along the way.
Funding is just the beginning. Getting funding your first time is often the hardest. If you can create a great film people love, it can get easier over time to get funding for your projects. The trick, of course, is creating an amazing film.
You’ll want to make sure you have insurance, and are hiring actors, producers, and other help from the correct unions. Put out calls to action at your local film schools, in your reader communities, and to your local city’s film commission to get the right people you need to help you.
Step #5: Turning your film into a franchise by building relationships with investors, streamers, and creative talent.
Your first pilot or short is just the beginning. You might not be insanely profitable on your first go around, but you will increase the reach of your intellectual property, grow the fan base, and hopefully sell more merchandise and books.
As in books with film, distribution is everything. Showing streamers you can produce high-quality films that viewers love cost-effectively will help you get the eyeballs and insights of larger players who can pour millions of dollars into your productions and get you in front of millions of eyeballs.
The film industry's revenue is 10 times larger than the book industry’s revenue. There’s a large pie up for grabs and tens of billions of dollars per year that streaming platforms pump annually into funding original content. More and more of this content is being independently produced. And more and more often, that content is being made by indie storytellers just like you. I’ve seen this personally and worked behind the scenes with MrBeast on his recent Beast Games Show. Creator IP is a new frontier for film. As an author, you are a creator. Turn your IP into something special. Get a raving fan base behind it. And the sky is the limit.
And that’s it for this episode of Beyond the Book!
You can watch Infinity Systems right here, for free, on YouTube. The quality of it is just incredible, and it’s an amazing story too 😊.
I’ll see y’all next week for another edition of the Author Sidekick.
With me gearing up to launch 50 Author Marketing Superpowers on Kickstarter in just over a week, I may take next week’s newsletter off and instead wait until I can share with you all the eBook and Audiobook of 50 Author Marketing Superpowers for free.
We will see. I don’t want to put any pressure on myself to write next week cause there’s no point in sharing something mediocre and rushed with you all, but in the same vein, I wouldn’t be surprised if I get fired up and decide to write something anyway.
With that said, thank you all for your support!
And in the meantime, don’t forget…
Together we are boundless,
Michael Evans
The Author Sidekick
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