How TV Adaptations Are Changing Fiction - The Atlantic

Literary adaptations are big business. For streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu, they provide a reliable source of content for limited or multiseason series; Publisher's Weekly reported in 2019 that Netflix was on a "book-buying spree," and the company has shown no sign of slowing. Rotten Tomatoes cites 125 literary adaptations in development right now.

All of this has had a profound effect on the literary world. As you might expect, becoming a TV show increases a novel's popularity enormously. Adaptations can drive book sales, as in the case of this winter's breakout hit Bridgerton. The Regency-era bodice-ripper is not alone: A number of backlist titles, such as The Queen's Gambit, have enjoyed a late-in-life revival thanks to Netflix's attention.