Celebrity author Diana Gabaldon has written about the early days when “Outlander” book series was being adapted into a TV series for Starz. In the introduction chapter of the new book “The Making of Outlander,” she shared details about some of the challenges authors face while optioning book rights to filmmakers.

“The Making of Outlander” is a book that gives the fans a glimpse of what happened behind the scenes while filming the first two seasons of the popular TV series. The book is now available for pre-order and the introduction chapter has been released online as a teaser.

Credit: Twitter/ Outlander

Talking about the success of the TV series, Gabaldon gave the major portion of the credit to Executive Producer Ronald D. Moore. She explained that even though she created the world and the characters in her book series, she was “extremely lucky” to have someone adapt that work with dedication for TV.

Some of the fans apparently told Gabaldon that she was “smart” to hold out for Moore to adapt “Outlander” series. The author confessed that she didn’t know who Moore was or what a showrunner was in the entertainment industry. She learnt about all the aspects and people involved after Sony acquired her work.

Gabaldon revealed that when an author options his work to a filmmaker, he/she receives a “modest amount of money for a period of time.” Most books, however, are never adapted and the time limit expires. This also happened with Gabaldon’s work.

The author’s can expect a slightly large sum if the filmmaker manages to produce the show or movie and later buys the film rights. Once the rights are sold the author can’t get it back. So, the decision to option one’s work is a very difficult choice.

The “Outlander” series has only been optioned four times since the first publication in 1991, Gabaldon revealed. The first three options, however, lapsed. More details can be found in the book, which also includes interviews with the producers and some of the cast members.

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