Novelization

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A novelization (or novelisation in British English) is a novel that is written based on some other media story form rather than as an original work. For example, movies are often novelized. Some are merely straight retellings from the screenplay, while some novelisations add additional background material not found in the original work. The practice was particularly popular for successful television series before the advent of home video meant that programs could be recorded to watch again, or commercial releases bought.

A novel as a tie-in to any successful major movie release is considered an important marketing strategy. If the film is based on a novel, it is generally re-issued with a cover based on the movie and possibly some screen shots included, but if it is an original screenplay or based on a novella or short story a novelization is often commissioned to fill the marketing niche. Novelizations have been published since at least the 1920s; for example, the 1928 film The Fleet's In! starring Clara Bow was novelized by Russell Holman (and to add to the book's commercial appeal, Bow herself wrote an introduction to the book).