As a traditionally published author, Annie Sullivan has literary agent representation and along with that, a side agent that negotiates things like movie options. Many book-to-screen option agreements get negotiated through an agent, but in her case, Sullivan happened to know the right people to get her young adult novel, A Touch of Gold, into the hands of Hollywood producers. They loved her book and in turn, offered her an option agreement, giving them the rights to try to develop it for the screen. In return, she received a fee for signing over the rights for a set period.An option agreement does not guarantee your book will be developed for the screen; it only means your story is being pitched to studios, networks, distributors, and financial backers, to see if it can garner interest. Sullivan knows it can be a long process, but is excited to have the opportunity.