Today on Forbes, Inside the Colleen Hoover Cinematic Universe.

If there's anything romance novelist Colleen Hoover has learned from working in Hollywood,

it's that movie production moves far slower than publishing.

The 46-year-old author released 24 novels in the first decade of her career,

becoming the best-selling author in the world in 2022,

with titles like It Ends with Us and Heartbones.

But she spent much of the last four years co-writing and producing an adaption of reminders of him

for big-screen release. During that time, her novels became a force at the box office.

The adaption of It Ends With Us raked in $350 million worldwide in 2024, despite legal

battles between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni.

The adaption of Regretting You bought in $90 million in late 2025.

This October's Verity, starring Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson,

will mark her fourth adaption in just over two years. Hoover's focus on these film projects,

coupled with her direct involvement, resulted in a three-year hiatus from writing new books.

Forbes estimates her royalties brought in approximately $4 million in 2025, but she estimates

that releasing a new novel could have potentially doubled or even tripled that income.

Still, she's driven by a desire to see the characters come to life and help make a movie

that, quote, sticks more to the book than most adaptions.

Traditionally, producers paid a premium to keep authors away,

purchasing rights for as much as $3 million than giving screenwriters free reign.

Even when authors consult, fidelity to source material is rarely a priority.

Hoover initially followed that path,

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