The Princess Diaries is based on the young adult novel of the same name by author Meg Cabot.[1][8] Cabot's agent believed that the first Princess Diaries book had strong film potential,[9] and pursued film producer Debra Martin Chase, who had recently co-produced the television film Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (1997), about adapting the book into a film due to their similar "rags-to-riches" and "Cinderella-type" themes.[10] Chase highly enjoyed the book and convinced Disney to adapt the novel into a feature-length production.[10] Disney chairman Peter Schneider optioned the project in an "effort to re-establish the Disney brand for live-action family films".[5] Cabot was thrilled to learn that Disney was interested in her book,[12] the film rights for which the studio paid her $4,000,[9] although some media outlets reported that Cabot had been offered "mid- to low-six figures".[9][13][14] Cabot recalled that Disney's decision to adapt The Princess Diaries resulted in her getting promoted at her own job, prior to which she had struggled to convince publishers to publish her novel, the content of which some found inappropriate for young readers.[15] Several publishers had rejected Cabot's manuscript before HarperCollins showed interest in 1999, followed by Disney shortly afterward.[16]