Making her Book into a Movie: Interview with Pamala Kennedy

Today, we’re excited to chat with author Pamala Kennedy about her journey from pen to screen, making her book into a movie. In a world where film rights scams are on the rise, Pamala’s experience offers valuable insights for all authors.

Pamala Kennedy wears many hats: international conference speaker, teacher, life coach, counselor, and the author of three books. She recently sold the film rights to her heartfelt memoir, which details her profound journey with her husband’s terminal illness. The movie releases this year, and you can watch the trailer here.

So, without further ado, let’s jump into the interview!

SH: How did you sell the film rights to make your book into a movie?

Kennedy: Honestly it was a connection from a lifelong friend. My friend, Doug, knew all about my husband’s illness and the story behind my book. Years ago, he helped a young movie producer promote his newest film endeavor.

Over the years, Doug followed the producer’s success with positive themes in his movie making. He shared my—our—family’s journey with him, and the producer wanted to discuss it with me. Doug asked me if I was interested in speaking to him.

I researched his name and company, watched a couple of his movies online, and decided I could at least talk to him.

The conversation was good, but we had many more discussions before I signed the contract.

SH: There are so many film rights scams out there. How did you know the offer to make your book into a film was legitimate? What were the green flags, other than the fact that you had a connection through a friend?

Kennedy: I was fortunate to know my friend first. The contact was trustworthy. But I still did my own research. It is easy to do this with all the information online.

Everything I saw and read showed this producer was for real. He was forthcoming in all the facts I wanted. The contract was solid, and a lawyer looked at it as well. I liked him, he did what he said he would, like call, send an email that day, etc.

SH: What was the process of selling your film rights like?

Kennedy: There are two options to get a book made into a movie. One is selling the story straight out. They purchase the right to tell your story. They offer a price, and once agreed on, they own it. Why is this appealing to some people? There is a payout immediately. With the author remaining as the story owner, the movie, once produced, may never make any profits.

SH: How involved were you in creating the film? Did you have a say in the screenplay or casting choices?

Kennedy: My being very hands on with the project was probably the most important element to me. The producer allowed me to be as involved as I wanted. I wrote most of the script as I wanted it told. Obviously, the entire book cannot fit into a 90-minute movie. So, I decided to retell the story how I wanted the audience to see it. That was 120 pages with a lot of dialog, which the producer asked for. He had a script writer get it to 95 pages, which is about a 90-minute feature film. I got it back and even made changes to that as well. In the end, I approved it, and then the process began.

He sent me bios and heashots for every actor he suggested. I watched them In a few movies, and liked most of them. He chose them well. For the most part they were not household famous but had acting experience that was impressive.

He invited me to the movie shoot, all on location. It was long, long days, like 12-14 hours. Not all the actors were there at the same time. But the camera crew, director, and producers were there! And me! I was involved with every scene.

They sent the original movie footage to me, put together in order of the story. (Filmmakers don’t shoot movies in order at all!) It was about 3 hours, and they had to edit it down to 90 min. I approved every cut suggestion. And I feel the authors opinion here really matters.

SH: Are you happy with how it turned out?

Kennedy: In the end, it was the story I wanted told. I approved the score, which is very important in a movie. The wrong music can mess up great acting. It is truly a great movie that I and my family can be proud of.

SH: What was your favorite or least favorite part about the whole process?

Kennedy: My least favorite part was standing my ground with the editor. The film editor can make or break a movie. They are truly gifted storytellers, and they generally feel very passionate about their work. However, in the end, they listened to me. They even had me approve the movie trailer. That’s so important!

Also, reliving a true event, like the death of my husband, was very emotional every day. It wore me out. But, I had to be there! It was vital to get it shot right.