WME’s literary media department has spent ten years turning books into screen projects, and its biggest year yet came at the Emmys. The division marked its anniversary with a string of new projects, a record haul at awards season, and a clear-eyed view of where the market is headed next.
The department represents authors and works to develop their books into film and TV. Its recent Emmys success came courtesy of DTF St. Louis, the HBO limited series starring and executive produced by WME client David Harbour. The show cleaned up in the limited series category, winning seven awards including outstanding limited series, outstanding supporting actor for Harbour, outstanding actress for Linda Cardellini, and outstanding writing and directing for Steven Conrad.
That success arrived alongside a busy slate. The department worked on 18 film and TV projects in 2026, including scripted and unscripted work. Among them were 56 Days and Every Year After at Amazon, People We Meet on Vacation at Netflix, and Imperfect Women at Apple TV. Upcoming releases include Unaccustomed Earth at Netflix and The Good Daughter at Peacock.
There were also 24 additional series and film greenlights and other projects in production. The division recently signed prolific author Danielle Steel, “Slow Horses” author Mick Herron, and “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas” author John Boyne.
Rabineau and Zaitz on Author Involvement
Variety spoke with co-heads Sylvie Rabineau and Hilary Zaitz Michael about their decade of work. Rabineau stressed the importance of keeping authors at the center of their own adaptations.
“My whole mission is to make sure that the author has a very important seat at the table, obviously depending on what that author wants from the experience,” she said. “Now, with authors so engaged with their audiences and their readership, books have never been more important and authors have never been more important. With BookTok and more independent bookstores again, it feels like there’s this great momentum that is happening for books across film and television.”
Zaitz Michael framed the current market as disciplined rather than easy or impossible. Buyers are looking for undeniable material, she said, and that can come from a range of sources.
“I don’t, by any means, think that this is a supereasy market or a very difficult market. I just think that buyers are being so disciplined. It’s all about finding material that feels undeniable, and it can be a number of different things,” she said.
“Our core business is always going to be publishing agents, authors and journalists,” she continued. “However, our business has really exploded in terms of alternative IP, whether it is video games, podcasts or Substacks. It could also be a creator, either through Instagram or through YouTube, that is just putting out their own original ideas.”
Cutting through noise is easiest when talent partners with the right showrunner or director, she added.
“When we can partner with the right piece of talent or a showrunner or brilliant director, and we can actually show the buyers and the marketplace what it is we’re actually selling,” Zaitz Michael said.
Authors Who Cross Over
Not all authors want to be involved in TV and film development, the pair noted. Some are happy writing novels and leave adaptation work to others.
“There are plenty of incredibly well-established, household-name authors that we work with that truly love writing their novels, and film and TV is not something of interest to them,” Zaitz Michael said.
Other authors have become television showrunners and screenwriters, with some even directing. The two experiences complement each other, Rabineau argued.
“What I’ve learned from my clients who do both is that the skills required for writing television and the skills required for writing their books very much complement each other. Both experiences make them stronger writers across the board,” she said.
Karin Slaughter is a prime example. Her books have been adapted into the hit ABC series “Will Trent.” Because of her positive experience on that show, she adapted “The Good Daughter,” which is set to premiere in November.
“She wrote all the episodes, and she did that all on spec, which is just unbelievably amazing,” Zaitz Michael said.
The Changing Marketplace
The pair see growth ahead, provided they keep adapting to change.
“I think that our core business will continue to expand,” Rabineau said. “We are all book lovers and love working with books — fiction, nonfiction, short stories, journalism, all of that. So that will always be the case, and we will always be expanding that client list. But we are very aware of all the ways in which our culture is shifting. We want to embrace all of it and find the best storytellers in every aspect of it.”
The department’s recent work reflects that shift. Shows like “Slow Horses,” “Reacher” and “Will Trent” are all based on long-running book series and continue to draw large viewership even later in their runs. YA novel series with strong online fandoms have turned into successful shows, like “Off Campus” and “The Summer I Turned Pretty.”
The Emmys win was a milestone moment for a department that has been building steadily since its founding.
The Anniversary Portfolio
The anniversary arrives after a decade of growth. The department’s portfolio spans fiction, nonfiction, short stories and journalism. Its client list includes bestselling authors, established creators and new voices alike.
Its recent signings cover a wide range of genres and audiences. Steel brings her prolific output to the mix. Mick Herron’s “Slow Horses” is a major television property. John Boyne’s “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas” remains a landmark work.
The upcoming slate shows the breadth of what the department handles. Unaccustomed Earth and The Good Daughter will both premiere in the coming months. The division’s pipeline runs from limited series to streaming originals across multiple platforms.
The department’s leaders are confident in the business. They see enormous opportunities for growth as long as they can adapt to changing times.
The Future of Literary Adaptations
The department’s approach is rooted in partnership. Rabineau and Zaitz Michael work closely with authors to understand their goals and represent them effectively.
Their success at the Emmys shows what that partnership can produce. DTF St. Louis won seven awards, including outstanding limited series and individual acting honors.
The market is disciplined, according to Zaitz Michael. Buyers are looking for undeniable material, and that discipline shapes every deal the department pursues.
The department’s approach to adaptation is collaborative. Rabineau emphasized the importance of giving authors a seat at the table. That seat can be as small or as large as the author wants it to be.
The pair’s vision for the future is expansive. They want to embrace all aspects of storytelling, from books to video games to podcasts. They believe the best stories come from the best storytellers, regardless of format.
The anniversary is a chance to reflect on what the department has built. It is also a signal of what is still to come.
Key Facts
- Emmys wins: Seven for DTF St. Louis, including outstanding limited series, outstanding supporting actor (David Harbour), outstanding actress (Linda Cardellini), and outstanding writing and directing (Steven Conrad)
- 2026 projects: 18 film and TV projects, including 56 Days and Every Year After at Amazon, People We Meet on Vacation at Netflix, and Imperfect Women at Apple TV
- Upcoming releases: Unaccustomed Earth at Netflix and The Good Daughter at Peacock
- Recent signings: Danielle Steel, Mick Herron, John Boyne
- Greenlights: 24 additional series and film greenlights and other projects in production
The department has built a decade of steady growth around literary adaptations. Its leaders speak with genuine warmth about their authors, and the pipeline suggests the work is far from finished.
Source material: “As WME’s Literary Media Department Turns 10, It Aims to Keep Pace With How Books Are Adapted: ‘Our Culture Is Shifting’,” Variety.
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