What's the best way of going about adapting a book to screenplay? Get the rights first and then write a first draft? Hire a lawyer before you write anything?

Scott, any advice for an aspiring screenwriter attending his first film festival? Thanks, Rob

It's all about marketability, so I'll assume you're talking about a very successful novel. Yes, an actual draft is too risky when you haven't got the rights, but if it were my project, I'd do some fundamental studies instead: (1) compare the theme and logline for the novel with those of the proposed film to make sure everybody's on the same page. (2) Look for unfilmable scenes. (3) Draft the star entrances and list potential trailer moments. (4) Rough draft the ending. If this all works, (5) crank out a full step outline. Look for structural anomalies (excessive flashbacks, etc.). Revisit (1) thru (5), above, with a new team member present who has studied the book. If everything looks okay, get a specialist to negotiate for the rights. Not every successful book makes a good screenplay. A Prayer for Owen Meany was adapted into the dreadful Simon Birch, which didn't have a prayer, so to speak. Look before you leap; minimize risk.