Because of his friendship with the Rat Pack, Dean was the first and only choice to write the paperback adaptation. Cardinal Books was handling the publishing. Legal hassles arose with Dean's exclusive contract to Green Shield Books. It stated that he could not freelance for another publisher. An agreement was reached that Dean could write the adaptation, but his name would not appear in any form on the cover or interior.

Dean's story pretty much followed an early draft of the script...that is until the end. I won't totally spoil it for you but I will say it's quite the opposite of the film's ending.