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, films and video games are often novelized. Novelisations usually add additional background material not found in the original work to flesh out the story, due to the fact that novels are generally longer than film screenplays. The practice was particularly popular for successful films and television series before the advent of home video, which gave people the ability to record programs or buy commercial releases for repeated viewing.

A novel as a tie-in to any successful major film release is considered an important marketing strategy. If the film is based on a novel, the novel is generally reissued with a cover based on the film's poster (sometimes with pictures from the film 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.

It has recently become common for authors who write novelizations to write original novel sequels in between novelizations. The novels Halo: The Fall of Reach and Halo: First Strike, which serve as prequels and sequels to the video game Halo: Combat Evolved, were written before and after the novelization of the game. Author Greg Cox wrote the original novel Underworld: Blood Enemy after writing the novelization of Underworld and before writing the novelization of the sequel film Underworld: Evolution. Also, while novelizing the Resident Evil video games, author S. D. Perry wrote original novels that took place between the novelizations.