Too Fast, Too Risky
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I have a feeling I’m going
to eat my words so badly but it’s worth it. This has to be done.
Welcome to Too Fast, Too
Risky. Today Elsie Silver is under the spotlight and the question I’ve come
to ask you and me of course is why does publishing need to think beyond the
first adaptation offer.
I’ve been well immersed in both
BookTok and Bookstagram like I’m sure many of the readers who visit
PaperChapters also are. You then must have seen that people are feeling slightly exasperated with the number of book-to-adaptation deals hitting the market every single week—it almost feels like too much. I’m here with my take on it and that’s how we are at the
rights part of my observation.
Just a disclaimer, I am in
no way discrediting the author, her work or the teams that have helped her make
this possible. I’m just opinionated. Let’s get into this.
Landing a book-to-screen
deal is often seen as the ultimate milestone for authors, but is it the right
one? In 2025, romance author Elsie Silver sold the TV rights to two of
her romance series, Chestnut Springs and Rose Hill, to two different platforms
(Netflix and Amazon) within the span of a year. On paper, it looked like a
double win. But from a rights and brand strategy standpoint, it raised red
flags. Again, let me just preface this I’m not a rights and brand strategist
yet I’m working on it so take my views as you will. As both a publishing
hopeful and a deeply engaged reader, I didn’t see a breakthrough, I saw a
branding risk.
And while Silver’s case
stands out, it’s not isolated — this speed-to-adaptation trend is becoming
almost a reflex across the industry, with publishers racing to secure headlines
before stories have time to breathe.
The Situation
- The Chesnut Spring series is a completed, 5 book fan favourite series coming to Netflix.
- The Rose Hill series at the time still in progress with only partial release is coming to Amazon.
- Of course, fans are concerned because thank you intellectual property and the word adaptation. In a recent interview, Elsie Silver also mentioned this herself.
- Deals brokered by very well-regarded and fantastic Park, Fine & Brower Literary & Media. Their involvement adds credibility — but even top agencies can only do so much when market demand rewards speed over strategy.
The Risks
(potentially?)
1. Brand
Oversaturation.
Two major announcements in under a year removes exclusivity and weakens long-term emotional investment. With character crossovers between series, this could easily blur audience attachment. Fans wanted a Chestnut Springs series, that isn’t the point though. Readers aren’t just spectators here: they’re emotional investors in these worlds, and when everything feels like it’s rushing toward the screen, it can start to erode trust and anticipation.
2. Mixed Platform Identity.
Arguably the most worried
concerned. Netflix and Amazon have different tones, markets, and
promotional strategies. If characters or series overlap, this split could lead
to continuity issues and dilute the author’s brand. Upon addressing this, Elsie
Silver has confirmed that there will be adjustments made to the plot
which is already seen as a negative for the audience.
3. False Sense of
Control.
Again, I’m not a professional-professional YET but my take is this and I’ve seen it happen to Anna Todd; the author
of the After series. Executive Producer titles often don’t
guarantee creative input. Once rights are sold, casting, tone, and marketing
are largely out of the author’s hands. If either adaptation underperforms, it
reflects on the entire brand.
Need I carry on speaking
about Anna Todd? That’s your homework.
In the race to get screen
deals locked, authors sometimes mistake speed for security — but once the
rights are gone, the brakes don’t always work.
What I Would’ve Done
Differently
Again, I say this as
someone who’s seeing everything from the outside.
- Lead with Chestnut Springs - As the completed and more beloved series, it should have been the flagship. This would give readers time to engage and the adaptation time to build success naturally.
- Delay Rose Hill - Selling rights before the series is finished adds pressure to the creative process and risks undercutting its reception. I’d have advised waiting 12–18 months. There really was no reason to fast-track this since it wasn’t even a well-established series yet like Chestnut Springs.
- One Platform Strategy - A single streaming home allows for consistent tone, branding, and potential cross-series cameos. It also simplifies international licensing opportunities. I understand this isn’t always possible but I say this as in an ideal world scenario.
- Prioritise Global Translation Rights - Before multiple adaptations, I’d explore translation rights in key romance markets like Germany, Brazil, and South Korea, markets where emotional, character-led romance thrives both in books and on screen (especially via K-dramas).
What Publishing Is
Getting Wrong
The rush to sign “the next
big thing” has created a pattern of short-term milestones over long-term
strategy. It’s a trend I’ve been seeing a lot lately and consumers have
been noticing it too. We’ve seen it before:
- The Hating Game didn’t generate lasting momentum.
- It Ends with Us suffered from poor PR and community backlash.
- After by Ana Todd had the book plot scrapped and replaced by something
even the author didn’t approve of.
- Many indie rights are sold but never
developed, not from lack of potential, but from lack of planning.
Publishing is confusing speed
for success, and readers are starting to notice. The faster publishers
chase the next adaptation, the shorter the lifespan of each one becomes, and
audiences can sense that impatience.
Final Thoughts: Rights
Is About Legacy, Not Headlines
Elsie Silver is a
talented, well-loved author. But even the strongest writers need strategic
guidance. In trying to go faster,
publishing is forgetting that longevity (not
velocity) defines true success. If I were working in rights today, I’d focus
on:
- Thoughtful pacing of adaptation deals
- Consistent platform partnerships
- Global expansion through translation
- Sustainable brand-building — not media noise
Because in rights, timing
isn’t a detail, it’s the strategy.
What I’m interested to see
next? How these rights and negotiations take place. Recently on TikTok, Ana
Huang has asked her fans what scenes they would like to see for the adaptations
of her Twisted series. I’m very curious to know what happens behind the
scenes and how commodities like this shape the negotiations.
Keep your eyes peeled for
my next post which is all about, you guess it, books! I won't tell you what the next post is about because I myself don't know.
As always, visit the Let’s
Connect page to find all the other platforms I’m active on.
See you between the pages.
Vivian.
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