Screenwriting : Probably a stupid question by Alex Alexander

In my opinion, anything you can do to increase your exposure is good. They turn novels into movies all the time, so I can't see how this would be a detriment. You are drumming up audience on your own.

No, a novel doesn't hurt the potential success of a screenplay.

If you asked that a couple of years ago, I would have said 'oh oh', don't do it. But given the kindle and self publishing these days, its an option to be thought seriously about. Writing books is quite different though.

I have started writing creatively again, love fiction and screen plays. My current way of working is to develop the screen play first draft, then use it as my outline for the novel. I just started doing this, so can't tell you if it works. I'm trying this because the screen play is so stripped down and linear, it seems like it should make a good writing plan for the expanded novel? Who knows?

I agree with Preston. It actually enhances the film. As well as Hollywood producing top selling novels as films, they traditionally would novelize a film for merchandising purposes.

I'm only addressing the final question from the OP, who asked if the novel on Kindle might "hurt the situation" of trying to sell a script - the novel wouldn't hurt the script's chances unless the novel is regarded as a clear "failure." Then it's more one reason to say no. If the market is saying "no" to the novel, then why should a financier say "yes" to the script?

That said, if your desire is to write a novel, then you should fulfill your desire.

Do it. Worst case scenario if nobody buys the book? Don't tell anyone it exists.

Thank you everybody for the opinions, appreciate it!

Absolutely a good idea! For me, novelization helped both book and screenplay: the screenplay formed the backbone of the novel (which I then had to flesh out with "production value"), and writing the novel helped me purge the screenplay of undesirable novelistic tones in action, and cut out scenes & dialog that don't drive the story. With every pass in both works the story got tighter and my storytelling got better. That said, the Hollywood and literary markets each have their own tastes and fads dictated by their respective gatekeepers— readers and agents/editors, etc., and neither version of the work may be end up being produced or published. In which case, write the next one...