How does one find out if a book's movie-rights were already acquired?

I got this information from a website of a script reader, that is, the person who evaluates scripts and/or books for a producer or studio to see if they should be made into films. They are usually the first person who an aspiring screenwriter needs to dazzle before their work can go higher up the development and production chain.

To find out rights availability for a book, the official route is to call the publisher and ask to speak to “Subsidiary Rights.” More than likely, you will get a recording equesting that you fax or email a request. Some publishers have this information on heir websites as well. You are inquiring about the film rights, and in your letter you must also establish why they should give you this information. If they don’t deem you a legitimate candidate, they might never, ever respond to you.

The good news is that many writers have websites and allow you to contact them directly. Your best bet, if you really fall in love with a book, is to make your case directly to the author, and get him on your side. If you’re lucky, you’ll hit it off and she’ll option her book to you. Now you have the legal right to shop the book around, write the screenplay, and make the movie.

Good luck to your friend! Stay the course! Getting a feature film made can take a long time.

btw I don’t know this for a fact about books, but I’m assuming copyrights work in a way similar to music (and I used to work in the recording industry for a while).

So, regardless of whether the book has been made into a film already or not (just look at the several versions of “Wuthering Heights”), your friend can still “buy” the rights to make it.

Because “buy” is actually the wrong word. It’s more like “borrow” or “rent”, as the rights still stay with the original writer, even if you have been allowed to make a film. So he can sell them again to someone else.

The only thing that I assume might be an issue is if he’s cut some deal to not sell them again within a certain period of time (eg not twice in the same year or something).