---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's always a slight tension when you…"
description: "\"There's always a slight tension when you sell a book to Hollywood, especially a nonfiction book. The author wants his story told intact; the nonfiction..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdb/bryan-burrough-23197_accurately_there-s-always-a-slight-tension-when-you_575116.jpg"
---

#  There's always a slight tension when you sell a book to…

![“There's always a slight tension when you sell a book to Hollywood, especially a nonfiction book. The author wants his story told intact; the nonfiction author wants it told accurately.” quote by Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdb/bryan-burrough-23197_accurately_there-s-always-a-slight-tension-when-you_575116.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdb/bryan-burrough-23197_accurately_there-s-always-a-slight-tension-when-you_575116.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdb/bryan-burrough-23197_accurately_there-s-always-a-slight-tension-when-you_575116.jpg)

> “There's always a slight tension when you sell a book to Hollywood, especially a nonfiction book. The author wants his story told intact; the nonfiction author wants it told accurately.”

[Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Selling nonfiction to Hollywood creates tension between factual integrity and cinematic storytelling.

**In simple terms:** Film adaptations can clash with factual truth.

Key Takeaway

Balance accuracy with narrative appeal.

Themes

media adaptation truth vs. entertainment authorial control

Mood

cautious analytical

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- film deals
- book rights negotiations
- public perception

Key Concepts

narrative fidelity commercial pressure

Questions to Reflect On

- What compromises are acceptable for broader reach?
- How protect author’s original intent?

A Different Perspective

Market demands may dilute factual nuance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Author](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/author/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Hollywood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hollywood/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Nonfiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonfiction/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) [Tension](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tension/)

## Related quotes

> [From time to time, just about every 'Vanity Fair' writer has a chance to sell rights to an article or a book to Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/from-time-to-time-just-about-every-vanity-fair-writer-has-a-chance-to/)

[Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/)

> [A nonfiction author has to bring a platform with him - radio, a TV show or some kind of recognizable vehicle to help launch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-kirshbaum/a-nonfiction-author-has-to-bring-a-platform-with-him-radio-a-tv-show/)

Larry Kirshbaum

> [Selling one's book to Hollywood is rather like selling someone your house. After it's sold, it isn't yours anymore. They can paint it a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/selling-one-s-book-to-hollywood-is-rather-like-selling-someone-your/)

[Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/)

> [Giving your book to Hollywood is like turning your daughter over to a pimp,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/giving-your-book-to-hollywood-is-like-turning-your-daughter-over-to-a/)

[Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/)

> [No sensible author wants anything but praise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-milne/no-sensible-author-wants-anything-but-praise/)

[A. A. Milne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-milne/)

> [When the first-rate author wants an exquisite heroine or a lovely morning, he finds that all the superlatives have been worn shoddy by his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/when-the-first-rate-author-wants-an-exquisite-heroine-or-a-lovely/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [Books are nothing but repositories for those lies the author wants his reader to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-cook/books-are-nothing-but-repositories-for-those-lies-the-author-wants/)

[Glen Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-cook/)

> [Adaptation of books is never a success. When the author wants to make it, it's even worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/adaptation-of-books-is-never-a-success-when-the-author-wants-to-make/)

[Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/)

> [We're in the media business today. We're in the business of helping authors and publishers market their books to readers. And that's where we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otis-chandler/we-re-in-the-media-business-today-we-re-in-the-business-of-helping/)

[Otis Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otis-chandler/)

> [I predict that this will be the greatest book ever and it will sell more than any other book in history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/i-predict-that-this-will-be-the-greatest-book-ever-and-it-will-sell/)

[Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/)

> [“The Book of Wisdom. Simab said: 'I shall sell the Book of Wisdom for a hundred gold pieces, and some people will say that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/the-book-of-wisdom-simab-said-i-shall-sell-the-book-of-wisdom-for-a/)

[Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/)

> [I sell my first book to Random House, a memoir of my years as a war photographer, for twice my NBC salary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-sell-my-first-book-to-random-house-a-memoir-of-my-years-as-a-war/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I never sell a book. I sell myself. And the way to sell yourself is to be an instrument of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/i-never-sell-a-book-i-sell-myself-and-the-way-to-sell-yourself-is-to/)

[Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/)

> [I've been very lucky. There were times when I was afraid I would never sell another book, but I never doubted I'd write another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-2/i-ve-been-very-lucky-there-were-times-when-i-was-afraid-i-would-never/)

[George R. R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-2/)

> [I don't know why the world has changed so much that writers are now expected to appear in public and talk about their work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/i-don-t-know-why-the-world-has-changed-so-much-that-writers-are-now/)

[Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/)

## More by Bryan Burrough

> [American writers, at least those of us who are fortunate enough to support ourselves in the field, are by and large a lucky lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/american-writers-at-least-those-of-us-who-are-fortunate-enough-to/)

[Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/)

> [“History is written by the victors, they say, and there was no one alive who would come forward to dispute Hoover’s fabricated story. Never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/history-is-written-by-the-victors-they-say-and-there-was-no-one-alive/)

[Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/)

> [“When one looks back across a chasm of seventy years, through a prism of pulp fiction and bad gangster movies, there is a tendency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/when-one-looks-back-across-a-chasm-of-seventy-years-through-a-prism/)

[Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/)

> [The underground is not a place but a way of life. You can be underground most anywhere, from the Upper West Side of Manhattan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/the-underground-is-not-a-place-but-a-way-of-life-you-can-be/)

[Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/)

> [“To the generations of Americans raised since World War 2, the identities of criminals such as Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd, Baby Face Nelson, "Ma"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/to-the-generations-of-americans-raised-since-world-war-2-the/)

[Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/)

> [I don't know the figures, but Hollywood must buy 100 rights for every movie that actually gets made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/i-don-t-know-the-figures-but-hollywood-must-buy-100-rights-for-every/)

[Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/)

> [“an odd-job detective agency with fuzzy lines of authority and responsibility.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/an-odd-job-detective-agency-with-fuzzy-lines-of-authority-and/)

[Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/)

> [From time to time, just about every 'Vanity Fair' writer has a chance to sell rights to an article or a book to Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/from-time-to-time-just-about-every-vanity-fair-writer-has-a-chance-to/)

[Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/)

> [“the Bureau acquired the nickname “The Department of Easy Virtue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/the-bureau-acquired-the-nickname-the-department-of-easy-virtue/)

[Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/)

> [I'm accustomed to Internet forums where rudeness and incivility are the rule, where too many people seem to take pride in their insults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/i-m-accustomed-to-internet-forums-where-rudeness-and-incivility-are/)

[Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/)

> ['Bonnie and Clyde,' while one of the best movies ever made, was far more interested in portraying Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker as romantic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/bonnie-and-clyde-while-one-of-the-best-movies-ever-made-was-far-more/)

[Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/)

> [“radical violence was so deeply woven into the fabric of 1970s America that many citizens, especially in New York and other hard-hit cities, accepted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/radical-violence-was-so-deeply-woven-into-the-fabric-of-1970s-america/)

[Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/)

> [“changes in the story were the result of normal editing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/changes-in-the-story-were-the-result-of-normal-editing/)

[Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/)

> [“Art has now done for Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow something they could never achieve in life: it has taken a shark-eyed multiple murderer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/art-has-now-done-for-bonnie-parker-and-clyde-barrow-something-they/)

[Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/)

> [I've read the 'Public Enemies' script and, no, it's not 100 percent historically accurate. But it's by far the closest thing to fact Hollywood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/i-ve-read-the-public-enemies-script-and-no-it-s-not-100-percent/)

[Bryan Burrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/)

[Explore all 26 Bryan Burrough quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/)

## More Accurately quotes

> [It is important for investors to understand what they do and don't know. Learn to recognize that you cannot possibly know what is going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/it-is-important-for-investors-to-understand-what-they-do-and-don-t/)

[Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/)

> [The mathematics of quantum mechanics very accurately describes how our universe works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-garrett-lisi/the-mathematics-of-quantum-mechanics-very-accurately-describes-how/)

[Antony Garrett Lisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-garrett-lisi/)

> [“If you look accurately into your life , it is full of fun and enjoyment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/if-you-look-accurately-into-your-life-it-is-full-of-fun-and-enjoyment/)

[M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/)

> [If we cannot accurately measure poverty, we surely cannot accurately measure our efforts to tackle it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-ibrahim/if-we-cannot-accurately-measure-poverty-we-surely-cannot-accurately/)

[Mo Ibrahim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-ibrahim/)

> [Hello, my name is Lisa Jakub. But most people in a restaurant/dentist's office/yoga studio dressing room, call me 'Hey, you look like that girl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jakub/hello-my-name-is-lisa-jakub-but-most-people-in-a-restaurant-dentist-s/)

[Lisa Jakub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jakub/)

> [What is originality? It is being one's self, and reporting accurately what we see and are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/what-is-originality-it-is-being-one-s-self-and-reporting-accurately/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [On one hand, to be able to go from one direction in the sky to study such an object to another direction to study…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-nicollier/on-one-hand-to-be-able-to-go-from-one-direction-in-the-sky-to-study/)

[Claude Nicollier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-nicollier/)

> [Well, logos is science or reason, something that helps us to function practically and effectively in the world, and it must therefore be closely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/well-logos-is-science-or-reason-something-that-helps-us-to-function/)

[Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/)

> [The guns on the walls that surround the prison accurately, though unwittingly, index the true character of the penitentiary in our day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-v-debs/the-guns-on-the-walls-that-surround-the-prison-accurately-though/)

[Eugene V. Debs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-v-debs/)

> [The only one you can accurately compare yourself to is you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mentzer/the-only-one-you-can-accurately-compare-yourself-to-is-you/)

[Mike Mentzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mentzer/)

> [Your true character Is most accurately measured by how you treat those who can do 'Nothing' for you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-true-character-is-most-accurately-measured-by-how-you-treat/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I profess accurately to describe native Africa - Africa in those places where it has not received the slightest impulse, whether for good or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-profess-accurately-to-describe-native-africa-africa-in-those-places/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [My function is, as objectively and accurately as I can, to present reality to people out there, and doing that as quickly as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-koppel/my-function-is-as-objectively-and-accurately-as-i-can-to-present/)

[Ted Koppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-koppel/)

> [I'm fast and I hit people accurately.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-o-malley/i-m-fast-and-i-hit-people-accurately/)

[Sean O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-o-malley/)

> [We all have our own ideas of who we are that may or may not be justified, and you can really find out a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-kinnear/we-all-have-our-own-ideas-of-who-we-are-that-may-or-may-not-be/)

[Greg Kinnear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-kinnear/)

Browse all 65 Accurately quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "There's always a slight tension when you sell a book to Hollywood, especially a nonfiction book. The author wants his story told intact; the nonfiction author wants it told accurately.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bryan Burrough"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/there-s-always-a-slight-tension-when-you-sell-a-book-to-hollywood/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Accurately"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/there-s-always-a-slight-tension-when-you-sell-a-book-to-hollywood/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdb/bryan-burrough-23197_accurately_there-s-always-a-slight-tension-when-you_575116.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdb/bryan-burrough-23197_accurately_there-s-always-a-slight-tension-when-you_575116.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdb/bryan-burrough-23197_accurately_there-s-always-a-slight-tension-when-you_575116.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There's always a slight tension when you sell a book to Hollywood, especially a nonfiction book. The author…” — Bryan Burrough",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Bryan Burrough",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burrough/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "There's always a slight tension when...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/there-s-always-a-slight-tension-when-you-sell-a-book-to-hollywood/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burrough/there-s-always-a-slight-tension-when-you-sell-a-book-to-hollywood/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
