Another major book series has been snatched up by Hollywood and is on track to be turned into a theatrical production. “Chicken Soup for the Soul,” the inspirational and uplifting book collection, reportedly has sold more than a 100 million copies. The original book of short stories, plus some bonus reads, hit book shelves this past June, to celebrate its 20th anniversary. Now, comes word Alcon Entertainment has a deal to produce a movie based on the series, according to Deadline. Warner Bros is on board to distribute the film.
Santa Barbara writer/professional speaker, Jack Canfield co-authors the series with Mark Victor Hansen and he told Shareguide.com the first book was a hard sell: “The first time we went to New York, we visited with about a dozen publishers in a two day period with our agent, and nobody wanted it. They all said it was a stupid title, that nobody bought collections of short stories, that there was no edge — no sex, no violence. Why would anyone read it?” Canfield and Hansen did not give up. Eventually, they sold that first book to a small press in Florida, since then, a lot of folks have bought and read their books over the years. The film producers are hoping the millions of “Chicken Soup for the Soul” readers will rush out to theaters to see a movie based on the book series, its stories, and characters. More here.
