CommanderBond.net
  1. 'SilverFin' Print Run To Number 150,000

    By johncox on 2005-01-18

    Recently CBn provided a preview of Puffin Books massive UK promotion for SilverFin, the first Young Bond novel by BBC comedy writer and thriller novelist Charlie Higson. Today CBn is able to provide the first details of the U.S. promotion by Miramax/Hyperion.

    SilverFin U.S. prototype cover art

    SilverFin U.S. prototype cover art

    Not to be outdone by Puffin’s £50,000 launch, Miramax/Hyperion promises a $200,000 marketing campaign with national media, select author appearances, a 20-city TV and radio satellite tour, print features in children’s and main stream publications, national print advertising including The New York Times and The New Yorker and, as with the UK editions, large in-store floor displays.

    But the most telling revelation is that the U.S. edition (which, unlike the UK edition, will be a hardcover) will receive a print run of 150,000 copies. This is a far cry from the 30,000 copy print runs (5,000 and sometimes less in the UK) of the John Gardner and Raymond Benson novels.

    In an interview on CBn, author Benson noted that while all his Bond books sold out of their first printing, a book has to sell at least 100,000 copies to even chart on the NY Times bestseller list. A 150,000 copy print run will give SilverFin a shot at the best seller lists mathematically denied to Benson and late-term Gardner.

    The U.S. advertising material also features a new story summery/tease that will appear on the book jacket.

    His name is Bond, James Bond. And he’s…14 years old.

    In this thrilling prequel to the James Bond dynasty, young James is at boarding school at Eton in the 1930’s. His first adventure takes place at the home of his uncle in the Highlands of Scotland. There James unwittingly stumbles upon a clue to a mystery–Alphie Kelly, a young boy his own age, has gone missing. But that’s just the tip if the iceberg…[MAJOR PLOT SPOILER OMITTED]. Set on the eve of World War II, this page-turning adventure is a brilliantly crafted tale that creates a whole new audience for one of the most iconic literary heroes of our times.

    Acclaimed British writer and Bond fanatic, Charlie Higson, with the Ian Fleming Estate, writes an edge-of-your seat thriller that will appeal to young adults and serious Bond fans alike. He ingeniously uncovers the unknown story of how an average boy becomes history’s most formidable and suave super-spy.

    Miramax Books, the publishing arm of film production company Miramax (makers of the films by Quentin Tarantino and this years Oscar favorite The Aviator), acquired the U.S. literary rights to the first two Young Bond adventures in June (book two will be released in November). Who will handle publishing duties in the U.S. on the remaining Young Bond titles in unknown. Miramax recently announced a split with parent company Walt Disney, throwing the future of the company and it’s publishing division in doubt.

    Keep watching CBn for the latest news on SilverFin and the Young Bond series.

    Pre-order the UK edition of SilverFin (March 3, 2005)

    Pre-order the U.S. hardcover edition of SilverFin (April 27, 2005)

    Pre-order the SilverFin audio book (March 3, 2005)