Jones likes to call the novel being adapted “the bible” and the script itself “the operating manual.” And while local authors are accessible enough to participate in that transformation, most decline the invitation. Some will make suggestions or offer information at the start of the process. Stein, for instance, brought cast members of The Art of Racing in the Rain to a local speedway his central character, a racecar driver, would have frequented. And he encouraged them to go out for a spin in a souped-up vehicle.

Others simply leave “the bible” in the care of the stage folk. “After I sat in during casting sessions, where I could tell immediately that [adapter-director] Laura Ferri had a keen and insightful understanding of the characters and the story, I stayed away completely and didn’t come back until opening night,” says Stephanie Kallos, a fan of Book-It’s interpretation of her Seattle-based novel Broken for You.

For Lynch, Book-It adaptations tend to accentuate the comic elements of a novel. “They’ve got a lot of very clever gimmicks and techniques for highlighting the humor and suggesting things indirectly.” In The Highest Tide, for instance, the giant squid in the novel wasn’t some “cheesy prop” (as Lynch feared). Instead you never saw the creature, just the actors’ expressions of awe, amazement and fear as they beheld it for the first time.

Writers don’t grant rights to Book-It for the money, of course. But the company’s productions can result in more local exposure for a book and an uptick in sales, as well as joint promotional activities—readings, book-signings, media coverage—during a run. “It’s impossible for me to gauge how much it’s helped my book sales,” comments Lynch. “It’s almost like Book-It is a third release of my books—it comes out in hardback, then paperback, then Book-It does it. That gives it a little extra energy a year or so after publication.”

But when Lynch attends a Book-It premiere, of an adaptation of his own book or others by Northwest writers (they tend to turn out to cheer each other on), he isn’t thinking royalties. “We’re nervously watching, awkwardly laughing at our own lines and re-exploring what we did in the first place. But what these shows do amazingly well for everyone in the audience is remind you what you love about books. That’s a unique service for writers.”

Seattle-based critic Misha Berson is a regular contributor to this magazine.