Less than a month after the novel's release in October 1956, producer Jerry Wald bought the rights from author Grace Metalious for $250,000 and hired her as a story consultant on the film, although he had no intention of actually allowing her to contribute anything to the production. Her presence in Hollywood ensured the project additional publicity, but Metalious soon felt out of place in the film capital. "I regarded the men who made "Peyton Place" as workers in a gigantic flesh factory," she recalled, "and they looked upon me as a nut who should go back to the farm."