How do you write a best-selling book? That’s a question novelist Josh Malerman never set out to ask — or answer — but it’s what he shows us in a new documentary about his creative process. The New York Times best-selling author steps into the world of documentary filmmaking to take viewers through the ups, downs and “beautiful chaos of artistic life” in To All the Books.
The documentary is making its Iowa premiere Nov. 10 at The Last Picture House in Davenport and Nov. 12 at the Varsity Cinema in Des Moines, where Malerman will present the movie and participate in a Q&A after both screenings.
The film marks Malerman’s first credit as a documentary filmmaker, but he’s no stranger to embracing new creative endeavors. In addition to having written more than 40 books, the Michigander also writes songs, plays in a band and produces films.
His breakout best-seller Bird Box, a post-apocalyptic horror novel from 2014, was adapted into a Netflix thriller with Sandra Bullock and John Malcovich in 2018. Most recently, Malerman’s novel Incidents Around the House was turned into the psychological horror blockbuster Other Mommy, starring Jessica Chastain.
The idea to make a documentary about his writing process came to Malerman a few years ago, after he finished one of his novels. He wanted to express how it felt to write a book but couldn’t put it into words.
“I can still remember the thought coming, where I was like, ‘Dude, if you want to express how this feels to write a novel, you're going to have to film this.’”
Malerman often writes one or two books a year, but he was reluctant to start filming himself during the demanding task. After declaring on social media his intent to make the documentary, he heard from two filmmakers who wanted to produce it. At that point, he said, there was no backing down.
The two interested producers were none other than Iowans Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. As horror writers themselves — Beck and Woods wrote the post-apocalyptic horror film A Quiet Place — the filmmaking duo was eager to partner with Malerman for his next undertaking.
"This is exactly the type of film we want to watch every time we embark on a new project ourselves,” Beck and Woods said in a statement. “What if you could be a fly on the wall when Stephen King wrote The Shining? Malerman has given us exactly that gift, unflinching honesty from one of our favorite artists.”
For those wondering if a documentary about an author writing a book is boring, Malerman wants to assure you there’s much more going on behind his office door than typing on a keyboard.
“Very little of it is me sitting there writing,” he said. “It's more the experience, the arc, the roller coaster ride of writing a novel.”
As the documentary reveals, Malerman’s writing process involves literally writing on the walls of his home — in permanent marker — to outline his ideas. He also often creates dioramas of key scenes in the book. He says these tools underscore the artistic experience and help him fully engage in the creative process.
“I'm not thinking about a movie visually” he said. “I think it just adds to the artfulness of the experience.”
Although his hands-on approach to writing may look like it’s all fun and games, Malerman admits that it’s also a grueling grind at times. He equates the process to running, saying he has to get in “writing shape” when he starts a new book.
“The first few days are rough. You're like, ‘Oh my gosh, I'm going to jog/walk this.’ Maybe if I got 500 words, 1,000 words done — something,” he said. “But after a few days in, you're not really even thinking about word counting. You're not thinking about this and that, and you're just excitedly going.”
Despite its literary focus, Malerman sees his film as motivation for anyone who wants to accomplish a goal.
“One thing I would say about the documentary is that it is clearly for writers, readers, artists, but the reaction has been good in other ways too,” Malerman said. “I don't mean this in a self-help way, but it seems to be inspirational to people of any walk of life or trade that they're in because it becomes less about writing a book and more about getting the thing done that you want to get done.”
Beck and Woods, along with their business partner Julia Glausi, are hosting the Iowa premiere of To All the Books at their independent movie theater The Last Picture House on Nov. 10 in Davenport. The event features a Q&A between Malerman, Beck and Woods, as well as a book signing.
Malerman will present another one-night screening of the documentary in Des Moines on Nov. 12 at the Varsity Cinema. That event also features a Q&A and book signing with Malerman.
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The Varsity Cinema is a sponsor of Iowa Public Radio.
