A couple weeks ago, I went to a major book store for the first time in ages.  (I sold my soul to Amazon.com long ago, and can never seem to get out of a Borders or Barnes and Noble store without $80 worth of books and a $4 latte.)  This time, as I was leaving with my $80 worth of books, $4 latte, and $7 sandwich, I realized something strange:  all five of the books I'd chosen were either soon to be or already "major motion pictures."  It struck me as particularly odd since most of them hadn't come from flashy front tables, and others, while "bestsellers," were far from the Da Vinvi Code.  Afterwards, it occurred to me that a slew of books I've read in the past year have been made into really good movies:  The Sweet Hereafter by Russell Banks, Little Children by Tom Perrotta, and of course, Atonement, which was so successful in limited release it's been widened and is all over the awards circuit. 

So here's my question:  has my taste in novels gotten more mainstream, or is the independent film industry creating a whole new niche for "good selling" books?  Financially, it makes sense.  These films are reasonably cheap to make (no flashy special effects or stunt crews), they have a built in audience (me), and have that artsy quality independent films often strive for, making them great candidates for awards.  These awards, in turn, lead to more movie tickets and a huge spike in book sales.  (My own sister, much to my frustration, just ran out and bought herself a copy of Atonement after seeing the movie, neglecting to realize I'd already given her one last Christmas.)  

Interestingly, the big-budget counterparts of these indie films seem destined for disappointment.  The Da Vinci Code and Angela's Ashes, for example, were read by millions of people in advance and then adjusted plot-wise to reach an even wider audience, creating films that everyone seemed to loathe.  If twenty million people read the book in advance, you've got twenty million different sets of expectations walking into theatres, which is a hard burden to overcome.  Situations such as Atonement's - a book by a seasoned author that sold well, but didn't break any records - seems much more ideal. 

With the film rights to Junot Diaz's new novel sold right after it hit shelves, I'm wondering if we're not headed towards package-deal publication.  When our books get published, maybe Random House will buy the manuscript AND film rights, just to have them in the bank.  If the book does well and a movie is made, they get ALL the money; if it doesn't...well, we'll have our huge advance, and really, doesn't all of our money go back to Borders and $4 lattes in the end anyway?