CommanderBond.net

Penguin, Doubleday Drum Up 'Devil May Care' Hype

Plus, possible storyline hints and Bond girl name

Doubleday 'Devil May Care' Website Online

Plus a video featuring author Sebastian Faulks

The "Daniel Craig may help sales of DMC" thing is probably true too. With the high anticipation of Quantum of Solace I think DMC could fair pretty well and a 2nd marketing push in and around November could be mean big sales. I never thought too highly of Robert Ludlum's books. He's not a bad author, but I never thought his Bourne novels were anything special (incredibly overrated IMO) and yet he's selling pretty big right now. I assume Craig's run as Bond could re-energize the adult Bond book sales.

The Poppy thing is interesting; if not true, it's quite fun, given the cover.

The complete title with new sub-title would then be "Devil May Care (Whether Poppy is Also a Flower)"?

As someone who can't wait to crack open DEVIL MAY CARE and be thrilled and spilled by it, I'm delighted that so little plot information has leaked.

These new spoilers - which tell us next to nothing - are the only spoilers I want or need.

If Bond is going to be going up against

the heroin trade

, I wonder whether he'll end up going down

the Popeye Doyle/Jack Bauer route, if you get my drift

.

Anyway, looks like it's time for me to put in place a personal news blackout on DMC until that glorious day when the book is gripped in my sweaty hands.

Stephen Rubin, president of Bertelsmann AG's Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group admitted he hopes the success of Daniel Craig's debut 007 movie, Casino Royale will push sales. "The whole thing was moribund. The Robert Ludlum franchise is completely re-energized because of what Matt Damon did in the Bourne movies. We think this is a greater opportunity."

Evidence, surely, that the Craig era has kicked the Bond franchise up to a whole new level? (Sorry, Craig-haters.) After all, the Benson novels appeared when new Bond films were also hitting cinemas. Mind you, as I understand it, the Bensons were barely marketed at all.

I'm excited about DMC in a way that I never was about the previous continuation novels, or the YB novels (which were hyped enough). Will have to read this one in one sitting, and then again!

Same here. DEVIL MAY CARE is in a whole different league.



But of course.

For whatever reason, I'm just not as excited about DMC as I thought I would be at this point. I don't really know why, which rather bothers me.

Anyway, I will certainly buy it and read it so I will now be avoiding any more info about it until after I finish it.

I'm certainly on that line.

Largely because I've been so disappointed by every previous continuation. And because of a nagging doubt about whether Faulks isn't over qualified...

I desperately hope I am wrong.

I'm sure you are (he writes airily ), but I do wonder whether those publishing moguls who seem to be rubbing their hands with glee at the thought of a spectacular performance on the back of Daniel Craig (fnarr) are in for some disappointment.

Not sure that the public at large is as up for a period Bond novel in (and this appears to be the only real selling point) a good imitation of the dated voice of Fleming as many of us hardcore 007 fans are. I don't see this being a real runaway bestseller, although I hope it will be one (obviously).

Still, Faulks' name should guarantee at least respectable sales.

As I've said (I think!) on another thread, all it will take is for the first few mainstream reviews to echo what you have said, Loom, adding that Fleming wasn't a great writer anyway ( ) and that Faulks is slumming it, and those high bestsellers hopes WILL take a knock.

But we will have another continuation novel in our hands...

Those print runs are incredibly high.

Thrilled we got even this tiny bit of plot info.

Only a matter of days now!

Really? The article states that Faulks' latest only sold 4000 copies in the US.

Once again - rock star in the UK, who? in the US.

It will be interesting to compare the UK and US marketing campaigns - I'm betting that the UK will focus on Faulks/Fleming Centennary - the US will focus on Bond's return.