As we navigated through that tumultuous, lockdown-induced year, many of us sought solace in television series like "The Good Lord Bird," "The Queen’s Gambit," and "The Undoing." While these shows seemed disparate in theme, they shared a common thread: they were all adapted from books.
The so-called "IP pipeline," which facilitated the transformation of stories from authors' minds to our screens, had become as essential to the cultural economy as oil pipelines were to our fossil-fueled lives.
Books had long been a vital source of intellectual property for Hollywood, but the rise of streaming platforms had led to an explosion of book-to-screen adaptations. Surprisingly, this sector of the entertainment industry not only weathered the pandemic storm but also accelerated its growth.
As reported by Ryan Faughnder in The Times back in October, the combination of more time spent at home and reduced production activities gave Hollywood's decision-makers an opportunity to delve into books. That newfound availability, combined with the insatiable hunger of streaming services and media companies for fresh content, led to a substantial surge in book sales and rights acquisitions.
During the pandemic, Hollywood voraciously devoured the rights to numerous books, demonstrating the resilience and adaptability of the entertainment industry in those challenging times.
