German Fleming Titles Discontinued

Disappointing news for German Bond fans. After six books, publisher Heyne Verlag has decided not to publish the remaining Ian Fleming James Bond novels due to poor sales. An employee of Heyne’s put it like this: “Facing an unsatisfying demand for the Fleming books, we cannot continue the new editions. It’s a pity for us as well, but when every book causes a loss, we had to pull the handbrake.”

Heyne went all out with striking new cover designs and full type resettings (as we have seen done with the UK and U.S. editions), but then did little to promote the books. Licensee Ian Fleming Publications (formerly Glidrose) launched an official website last year with great fanfare, but it has been dormant since October 2003. The company didn’t even announce the publication of the last three Fleming titles in the U.S. in December.

One wonders if the poor sales experienced by Heyne has more to do with a lack of publicity than disinterest in Fleming on the part of the reading public?

The six titles released by Heyne were: Casino Royale, Dr. No, Moonraker, From Russia With Love, Diamonds Are Forever, and Live And Let Die