Elin Hilderbrand is doubling down on her literary career even as Hollywood adapts her novels at an accelerating pace. The bestselling author told outlets this week that she has "no interest" in writing for television, despite two of her books currently being adapted into series.
Peacock released "The Five-Star Weekend" this week, based on Hilderbrand's 2023 novel and starring Jennifer Garner. Bekah Brunstetter, known for "Maid" and "This Is Us," created and wrote the adaptation. This follows Netflix's massive success with "The Perfect Couple," which Hilderbrand's 2024 novel inspired. That series performed so well that Netflix greenlit a second season, making Hilderbrand one of the few contemporary authors with multiple simultaneous TV adaptations in development.
Yet Hilderbrand remains focused on what she does best. writing novels. The author's stance reflects a growing trend among prestige authors who view television writing as a distraction from their primary work rather than an expansion of their creative portfolio. Unlike Celeste Ng or Curtis Sittenfeld, who have served as executive producers or writers on adaptations of their own work, Hilderbrand trusts her material to professional screenwriters and showrunners.
Hilderbrand also announced a new book, keeping her prolific schedule intact. Her novels, which blend beach-read accessibility with emotional depth and often center wealthy characters navigating scandal and secrets on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, have become a reliable pipeline for streaming services hunting for prestige adaptations. Netflix and Peacock both recognize the commercial and critical appeal of her source material, even if the author herself declines to participate in the adaptation process.
The decision allows Hilderbrand to maintain creative control over her prose while letting experienced television creators interpret her stories for screen.