1. Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs
After being rejected countless times, Burroughs’ son convinced him to self-publish Tarzan of the Apes, and the rest is history. Burroughs’ novel has been the basis of several movies and comics. The 1999 film adaptation Tarzan earned $448,191,819.
2. Eragon by Christopher Paolini
Eragon is the first book written by Christopher Paolini, who began writing at the age of 15. Paolini’s parents saw the final manuscript and decided to self-publish it. Eragon was the third-best-selling children’s hardback book of 2003, and the second-best-selling paperback of 2005. It placed on the New York Times Children’s Books Best Seller list for 121 weeks. The self-published book was adapted into a feature film of the same name that was released on December 15, 2006 which grossed approximately $75 million in the United States and $173.9 million elsewhere, totaling $249 million worldwide. Eragon is the 13th highest grossing fantasy-live action film within the US.
3. Legally Blonde
Legally Blonde is Amanda Brown’s first novel initially self-published as a print-on-demand book. The book was made into a movie, directed by Robert Luketic which starred Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Matthew Davis and more. It reportedly acquired gross revenue of $141,774,679.
4. The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Weller
The novel is one of the bestselling books of the 20th century, with 50 million copies sold worldwide. The novel had both musical and film adaptation. The Bridges of Madison County was made into a 1995 film of the same name, adapted by Richard LaGravenese and directed by Clint Eastwood. It stars Eastwood and Meryl Streep, and earned $182,016,617.
5. A Time to Kill
A Time to Kill by John Grisham was originally self-published following 28 rejections from huge publishing companies. The movie had reportedly performed well, earning over $108 million domestically.
6. The Tales of Peter Rabbit
After being rejected several times, Beatrix Potter self-published The Tales of Peter Rabbit in 1901. The next year, one of the publishers who had initially rejected the manuscript, the London firm of Frederick Warne & Co., published it. In 1991, it was adapted into animation film. The Tale of Peter Rabbit has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide and as of 2008, the Peter Rabbit series has sold more than 151 million copies in 35 languages. The story of the character, Peter Rabbit was featured in a ballet film The Tales of Beatrix Potter, which reportedly earned $35,078,241.
7. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is considered among the self-published best-seller books in history before it was published by Reilly & Lee. It has been adapted into several different works, the most famous being the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, which earned $3,017,000. The film was also nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
8. Ulysses by James Joyce
Joyce’s novel is considered a famous self-published book and has ranked on Amazon’s top 100 best-sellers. It has film adaptation in 1967 of the same title, which earned $2,300,000 in the US and Canada. The novel had different media adaptations including theater, film, television, and music.
9. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was reportedly self-published in 1885, selling over 40,000 advanced copies before the publication date. It was adapted in over 20 films where some contain the same titles. Its film adaptation The Adventures of Huck Finn released in 1993 had revenue of $24,103,594.
10. Oil by Upton Sinclair
The most interesting book behind 2007 Oscars was Oil, by Upton Sinclair. There Will Be Blood, a runner-up in the best film category, is loosely based on this initially self-published book from 1927 by one of America’s pioneering socialists and champion of the downtrodden working classes. The movie reportedly earned $76,181,545.
Self-publishing can be so tough and so challenging to endure. Yet looking at those names with their books adapted into films can be so rewarding in the end. These big names start as common ones until such time that their books earned the recognition. Anyone of us can be one of them in the future—at a perfect time. Book-to-screen service offered by different publishing companies today is a good choice so you can start making an appeal to movie producers and motion pictures’ VIPs.
Don’t miss any opportunity towards being famous as an author. Your book can be the next in producers’ line of choice. Start making a buzz for your Self-Published books today and give book-to-screen service a shot to increase your book’s movie potential.