Following up on how we can adapt the Indie Music Fan Playlist for indie film, Jo Light on No Film School offers 3 Book Publishing Trends Screenwriters Should Steal.

After watching John Matthew Fox’s video that breaks down five trends reshaping the publishing industry in 2026, she thinks three can also apply to indie filmmaking.

John’s five topics, and Jo’s three comments are:

1. Selling Direct is the Future: “…rethinking funding and distribution; instead of chasing traditional distribution deals that take 30-50% (or more) of your revenue, you can sell directly to audiences and keep most of what you earn.” Check out her article to see which outlets she suggests.

2. How to Deal with the AI Explosion: “The fact that you are a human writer can be the thing that sets you apart.”

3. Growth of Deluxe Editions and Collectibles: Jo skips this but I think the comparables for film are: printed scripts, posters, and DVDs with BTS extras. Could also be the unique props in your movie!

4. BookTok is the Goliath in the Room: FilmTok “content can be diverse — thirst traps, reviews, dramatic or comedic edits, even picture slides.”

5. The Audiobook Takeover: Jo skips this but I think the comparable for film is an episodic Podcast version of the feature.

Jo sums up her summary with:

“Gatekeepers matter less. Direct audience relationships matter more.”

My take: I think the parallels between books and features are stronger than those between music and movies. Both books and films require undivided attention by the audience for extended periods of time. Both have exclusive, established industries that in are the middle of adapting to the digital future. I think the audiobook/podcast option holds a lot of promise.