Netflix has had immense success adapting books into television series, making the streaming service a global driving force in increasing book sales and changing the way we read fiction.
One of its biggest recent hits has been the “Bridgerton” series: The first three seasons are among the top 10 most popular TV series, according to Netflix viewing metrics, and Season 3 is No. 1 in the global top 10 since Part 1 was released in May. And those views have translated into major book sales. According to Nielsen’s BookScan, for example, weekly U.S. sales of HarperCollins’ “Bridgerton” book series, written by Julia Quinn, increased a whopping 552 percent between the week before the Season 3 TV trailer was released and the week after the season premiered on Netflix.
Similarly, following the release of “Fool Me Once,” an adaptation of Harlan Coben’s mystery thriller, the book skyrocketed to the Amazon UK Best Sellers of 2024 list and the New York Times Best Sellers list, and the tie-in cover sold 20,000 physical copies after its release in the US.
Michelle Weiner, co-head of Creative Artists Agency’s book department, works closely with Netflix on numerous book-turned-TV deals, including “Night Agent,” “XO, Kitty,” “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story” and “All the Light We Cannot See.”
“Some of Netflix’s most successful series have been based on adaptations of books that we carefully crafted together,” Weiner said. “They have the same goals as we and the authors: taking award-winning cinematic stories and partnering them with carefully selected writers, directors, producers and talent.”
Audiobooks have also suffered from the effect of Netflix fandom, especially on Spotify. Since popular titles were added to Spotify Premium Audiobooks, existing subscribers can listen to 15 hours of audiobooks per month as part of their Spotify Premium subscription.
“On Spotify, audiobook versions of these novels connect fans to the characters onscreen in a deeper way, and related soundtracks and playlists are also seeing an increase,” said David Kaefer, head of Spotify’s music and audiobook business.
He pointed to “Bridgerton” as an example, saying they’ve seen a 1,700% increase in searches for the show, a 150% increase in audiobook listens for Quinn and a spike in listens to the Vitamin String Quartet, whose pop music covers are featured in the series. Similarly, Kaefer said Spotify has seen spikes for Cixin Liu’s “The Three-Body Problem” (the Chinese sci-fi novel was the basis for the series that premiered in March) and for Patricia Highsmith’s “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” which was the basis for Steven Zaillan’s adaptation of “Ripley,” starring Andrew Scott.
“Ripley,” starring Dakota Fanning, Johnny Flynn and Andrew Scott, was an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s 1955 thriller “The Talented Mr. Ripley.”
(Netflix)
And Highsmith's novel, published nearly 70 years ago, is just one example of a book returning to the bestseller lists years or even decades after its original release.
Following the release of romantic drama “One Day” in February, David Nicholls’ 2009 novel returned to number one on the Sunday Times bestseller list and was on Amazon’s UK bestseller list for 2024., 15 years after the book's debut.
Netflix vice president Jinny Howe, who oversees drama series, says the books and TV series have narrative parallels.
“Who doesn’t love to disappear and escape into their favorite book? Character journeys in TV series format also allow you to really live with them, evolve with them, and follow them on these dramatic and emotional arcs that are really satisfying in similar ways,” she said.
The process of finding books that can be adapted into a series is ongoing.
“We always read a variety of genres and authors, and we have a great in-house team that helps us keep track of upcoming titles,” Howe said. “We look not just at genre, but also at fresh voices and perspectives, and bold, original storytelling.”
Many of Netflix's adaptations are based on bestselling novels that have a built-in fandom that invests in the characters and their stories.
“I think we always try to be very careful and thoughtful: how do you achieve that spirit of the books? Because it's about appealing to that existing fandom, but also, as a series or as a film, expanding it.”
However, it's not always about looking at the “fashion book” of the moment, Howe said.
“We've also seen adaptations of lesser-known novels that have been equally successful on Netflix, like with 'The Queen's Gambit,' which is one of our most popular series,” he said. “When you look at the success of 'Ripley,' and also the fact that there's [intellectual property] in different ways and different times, [it] “It’s also been exciting to see… there are such wonderful stories that also seem ripe for interpretation and don’t necessarily come straight from this year’s London Book Fair.”
While romance series like “Bridgerton” and “One Day” have performed well, thrillers and mysteries are also popular on the platform, Howe said. “Fool Me Once” was one of Netflix’s most popular series earlier this year, and the streaming platform plans to release another thriller on Aug. 1, “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.”
It is based on the bestselling book series of the same name by Holly Jackson, and the British author is an executive producer on the murder-romance TV series. She took a hands-on approach to the adaptation.
“I helped select the writers for the room and gave detailed notes on all iterations of the scripts for each episode,” Jackson said.
She joked: “They couldn’t get rid of me even if they wanted to.”
The involvement of book authors in the production of a series is a matter that is analyzed on a case-by-case basis.
Emma Myers will play Pip Fitz-Amobi and Zain Iqbal will play Ravi Singh in Netflix's adaptation of “A Good Girl's Guide to Murder.”
(Netflix)
“Some authors prefer not to be as involved in order to give the series team more creative flexibility to explore beyond the perimeters of their original work, while others like to be more directly involved in the adaptation process to oversee how their vision is brought to the screen,” Howe said. “Ultimately, our goal is to honor the book while also presenting the best version of the story, which is a very nuanced process.”
In addition to helping select the television series' writers, Jackson was also involved in post-production, including editing, giving notes on rough cuts of episodes.
“I’ve always wanted to do a show that would elevate, or dare I say, even improve parts of the book,” he said. “When I had those ideas, I made sure I didn’t keep quiet about them until they were included in the show.”
The author said she is happy to have her project on Netflix because of its “accessibility and the fact that it will now reach a lot more people,” especially viewers who haven’t heard of her books.
“I'm really excited to get them involved as well and take them on this new journey,” Jackson said.
Although she is a writer and loves to read and immerse herself in a book, Jackson said she watches “a lot more” television than she reads books, which she believes may be more helpful in training her to be a better writer.
Emma Myers, who had a breakout role as Enid Sinclair on “Wednesday,” will star in “A Good Girl's Guide to Murder” as 17-year-old Pip Fitz-Amobi. Jackson said casting an American actor in the lead role was a way to give American readers “a sense of ownership over the show as well.”
Readers have already shown their support for the series.
“They were desperate for any clue or crumb about the show we had made, and even seeing them go crazy over the smallest details, like one of Pip’s costumes, is heartening to see,” Jackson said.
Bella Kish, a 21-year-old fan of the books, said she was excited when she heard there was a TV adaptation.
“I posted a TikTok video about the announcement which got a lot of attention,” Kish said. “It was great to see the huge fan base Holly’s books have gained and how excited everyone is for the upcoming episodes.”
Kish said seeing one of her favorite books on screen will be special.
“While there is some risk in making a TV series out of books, I really hope they stay true to the original characters and don't change the story too much,” he said.
