Joe Hill says he writes a screenplay each year for the health insurance

As well as his novels, Joe Hill is also paid to write a screenplay each year. But he doesn’t do it for money.

Hill, whose new novel king sorrow Published in October, has also found success in the world of film and TV through adaptations of his work. For example, The Black Phone franchise is based on his 2004 short story, and king sorrow Currently being developed for TV. While news of adaptations of Hill’s work is frequently reported in the trades, his screenwriting has not been widely publicized. Recently sat down with Mashable to talk about everything from Stephen King references to AI in his new novel, however, he confirmed that it’s a big part of his professional life.

“I write a screenplay every year,” Hill told Mashable. “And I do it for health care.”

Hill explained that she receives health care for her family through the Writers Guild of America (WGA), the union representing screenwriters. To be eligible to receive it, you must meet annual minimum earning requirements. In 2024, Hill’s wife Gillian was diagnosed with cancer that required surgery. Insuring through WGA saved the family thousands of dollars.

Hill said, “You know there was a lot of testing and counseling before the operation, but the operation alone cost $60,000.” “Because I have Hollywood healthcare I get for writing scripts, I only have to pay 700 bucks. So in a very practical way, it’s impossible for me personally to put a value on the work I do as a screenwriter, because it’s so important to have access to that healthcare insurance.”

Hill explained that the script he is currently working on is an adaptation of his own work.

“Right now I’m revising a script I was paid for for 2025,” he said. “The script I’m working on right now is an adaptation of an unpublished novel I’ve written that will eventually be published.”

Hill said there was a lapse in his health care coverage a while back that led him to take a trip to Hollywood to try to get some work done — and writer/director Scott Derrickson, who directed black phoneWanted to help.

“He treated it like we were talking His Family health care,” Hill said. “He’s like, ‘We’re booking an event for you.’ And, you know, we talked about possibilities, and then I sent him this novel I’d written that wasn’t published, and a pitch about how I would adapt it, and he got excited. And he says, ‘We have to do this.’ And so they gave me the opportunity to write the script. Now I’m modifying it for Sony Screen Gems.”

“Having access to that health insurance is very important.”

Hill’s wife has now made a full recovery, but Hill still considers screenwriting “the best thing he did for his family”. He will continue to work on one each year, with plans to write a novel every year into his fifties.

Hill said, “The next two things I have prepared are adaptations of other people’s words, which I’m really excited about.”