'SilverFin' Special UK Limited Edition Hardcover

Big news today for Young Bond fans and Bond book collectors. It appears SilverFin, the first Young Bond novel by Charlie Higson, will be published as a hardcover in the UK — and oh what a hardcover it will be!

Young Bond 1: SilverFin

Waterstones Bookstores in the UK will release a Special Limited Edition SilverFin on 6 October 2005. Each book will be signed by author Charlie Hisgon and will come in a slipcase. This special hardcover edition will be limited to only 999 copies worldwide. Price is £25.00.

According to John Webb, Children’s Buyer for Waterstones Books, each book will be triple-digit numbered (starting 001, 002 etc) so there will be a number “007” out there somewhere. All Waterstone’s high street stores will have at least one copy sent to them on publication but numbers will vary according to the size of the store.

This is not the first James Bond Special Edition to be published. Ian Fleming’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was issued in a special signed limited edition (250 copies) in 1963. Today that book sells for upwards of $8000. In 1990, The Mysterious Press released four different limited hardcover editions of John Gardner’s Licence To Kill. The two rarest of these, 100 signed numbered editions and 26 signed lettered editions, can sell for several hundred dollars.

John warns that the SilverFin special edition is so limited it would be worth phoning your local Waterstones branch if you are making a special trip to avoid disappointment as these are bound to sell very fast!

To discuss this news visit this thread in the CBn forums.
Thanks to Graham Rye

Related Links

• The Charlie Higson CBn Interview
• CBn Reviews Young Bond Book 1: ‘SilverFin’
• See the Stars of ‘SilverFin’
• Young Bond Book 2 is ‘Blood Fever’

U.S. to Catch 'Blood Fever' in Spring 2006

Despite limited promotion and lackluster U.S. sales of Young Bond Book 1, SilverFin, CBn has confirmed that Miramax/Hyperion will be publishing Charlie Higson’s second Young Bond novel, Blood Fever, in Spring 2006. As with SilverFin, Blood Fever will be published as a hardcover in the U.S.

Blood Fever UK edition

Disney owned Miramax/Hyperion bought the rights to the first two Young Bond novels with great media fanfare last year. However, U.S. Bond fans have complained that the Miramax/Hyperion SilverFin is hard to find in bookstores. The promised large in-store displays never materialized and typically only a handful of copies are relegated to the Young Adult or Teen sections. The story is just the opposite in the UK where Puffin Books has helped make SilverFin a runaway bestseller.

But hearing that Miramax/Hyperion is sticking with the Young Bond series is promising. The publisher recently ran a full page advertisement for SilverFin in the prestigious New York Times Book Review to boost sales. Here’s hoping some of that Disney marketing muscle will be flexed in the promotion of Blood Fever.

Blood Fever sees young James Bond traveling to Sardinia during his school break where he becomes embroiled in a plot involving art theft, smuggling, pirates, and a mad Italian count bent on restoring the Holy Roman Empire. In Blood Fever James will learn to snorkel and skin dive, and will endure what author Higson calls “a nasty torture scene.”

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

Pre-order the UK paperback edition of Blood Fever from Amazon.co.uk

Discuss Blood Fever and the Young Bond series in this thread on the CBn Forums.

Related links

• The Charlie Higson CBn Interview
• Miramax Buys Rights to First Two ‘Young Bond’ Novels
• NYT Book Review To Discover ‘SilverFin’ This Sunday
• Young Bond Book 2 is ‘Blood Fever’

'Blood Fever' Set to Spread Like Wildfire

You caught the bug with SilverFin.
Now feel the Fever…

– UK proof tagline

In January 2006, Young Bond will return… and odds are, everyone in the UK will know about it.

‘Blood Fever’ proof

Proof copies of Charlie Higson’s next novel, Blood Fever, have begun to circulate, revealing details of a huge marketing push behind the second Young Bond adventure.

Fans can look forward to an epic £120,000 marketing campaign to promote the new novel. In what is a first for the literary James Bond, a “high-impact” television advertising campaign will play a role in the promotion of Blood Fever.

In addition, an all-new Young Bond mobile phone game will be released to coincide with the launch of the book. Charlie Higson will also appear at festivals and events across the UK to promote Blood Fever.

Sales of Higson’s first Young Bond novel, SilverFin, which the Blood Fever proof’s blurb puts at 120,000 and counting, were boosted by a £50,000 advertising blitz throughout the UK earlier this year.

Blood Fever sees Young Bond off to Sardinia, where he crosses paths with a mad Italian count bent on restoring the Holy Roman Empire.

As with SilverFin, Blood Fever will only be released in the UK as a paperback. The new book will hit shelves in the UK on 5 January, 2006.

Pre-order Blood Fever now at Amazon.co.uk.

Discuss the impending Young Bond promotional onslaught in this thread on the CBn Forums.

Related stories

• The Charlie Higson CBn Interview
• ‘Blood Fever’ Proof Spotted on eBay
• Young Bond Book 2 is ‘Blood Fever’

'Blood Fever' Proof Spotted on eBay

An Uncorrected Proof copy of Blood Fever, the second Young James Bond novel by Charlie Higson, has been spotted on eBay some five months before the book is due to be published.

Blood Fever proof on eBay

Uncorrected Proofs or Advance Reading Copies (ARC) are sent to libraries, bookstores, and media outlets in advance of publication to spur interest in a title. Proofs are not available to the general public, and sometimes contain differences from the final book. It is not legal to sell proofs, but that doesn’t seem to stop most booksellers.

Because of their limited numbers and appeal to collectors, proofs typically sell for a much higher price than their retail counterparts.

Uncorrected Proof copies of both the UK and U.S. editions of SilverFin also found their way onto eBay well in advance of publication. The U.S. SilverFin proof featured cover art radically different from what was ultimately used.

Blood Fever is due to be published January 5, 2006 by Puffin Books in the UK.

New plot details:

A listing for the Blood Fever audiobook on the German Amazon website has revealed some new, choice plot details. According to their new synopsis the novel’s “essential components” are: “a Mediterranean mystery, one kidnapped girl – feisty, blond, superfit Amy Goodenough, sister of James’ best friend Mark, one villainous pirate – Zoltan Magyr, mysterious Latin-speaking men lurking near Eton, and one fast car.”

Keep watching CBn for the latest news on Blood Fever.

Pre-order Blood Fever now at Amazon.co.uk

Discuss this news in this thread on the CBn Forums.

Related links

• The Charlie Higson CBn Interview
• Young Bond Book 2 is ‘Blood Fever’
• Charlie Higson Q&A Reveals More on Young Bond 2
• Sardinia, Art Theft, Bandits, Torture!

U.S. 'SilverFin' Audiobook Coming Next Year

A U.S. audiobook edition of SilverFin, the first Young Bond novel by Charlie Higson, will be released by Listening Library in March 2006. Listening Library is the audiobook division of publishing giant Random House. The list price is $30.00.

UK SilverFin audiobook

A SilverFin audiobook read by author Charlie Higson has already been released in the UK by Puffin Books. While it could be assumed the same recording will be used for the Listening Library edition, there are differences in the U.S. text which may necessitate a new recording or at least a new edit.

Random House releasing the SilverFin audio book raises some interesting speculation about the future of Young Bond series in the U.S. Miramax/Hyperion bought the publishing rights to the first two Young James Bond novels last year, yet their promotion of SilverFin has been somewhat lackluster and they’ve yet to announce a SilverFin paperback nor a U.S. edition of Young Bond Book 2, Blood Fever.

Could it be Random House will take over publication of the Young Bond series in the U.S.A?

To discuss this news visit this thread in the CBn forums.

Pre-order the U.S. SilverFin audio book. (March 2006)

Purchase the UK SilverFin audio book

Pre-order Blood Fever at Amazon.co.uk

Related links

• The Charlie Higson CBn Interview
• SilverFin – The Audio Book
• Miramax Buys Rights to First Two Young James Bond Novels

'SilverFin' Large Print Edition

A large print edition of SilverFin, the first Young Bond novel by Charlie Higson, will be published by Thorndike Press, the world’s leading publisher of large print books. The book is scheduled for release on 14 November and can be pre-ordered at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

Click to open CBn’s Young Bond character portrait gallery

Large print editions can be highly collectible as they are typically published in small quantities with most going to libraries. Pre-ordering is a must. Not only are large print editions only available for an eye-blink, but they frequently use alternate dust jacket cover art making them even more desirable to collectors.

The most recent publication of a James Bond novel in the large print format was Ulverscroft’s The World Is Not Enough by Raymond Benson (see CBn’s coverage here). The last large print Bond novel published by Thorndike was Benson’s Die Another Day.

For all the latest on the Young Bond franchise – including the next novel in the series, Blood Fever – keep watching CBn.

To discuss this news visit this thread in the CBn forums.

Related Links

• The Charlie Higson CBn Interview
• CBn Reviews Young Bond Book 1: ‘SilverFin’
• See the Stars of ‘SilverFin’
• Pre-order ‘Blood Fever’

See the Stars of 'SilverFin'

Ever wondered what the characters from SilverFin look like? Ian Fleming Publications (IFP) have crafted a series of character portraits based on Charlie Higson’s SilverFin creations, depicting the stars of the bestselling Young Bond novel for the first time.

Click to open CBn’s Young Bond character portrait gallery

Released on youngbond.com, the images show ten characters from Higson’s SilverFin, including Wilder Lawless, Uncle Max, Lord Hellebore and, of course, James Bond. The artwork features a unique style that is both reminiscent of period comic art and also strikingly modern.

Young Bond fans will recall the first image of James was revealed in April, along with the news that IFP plan to expand the Young Bond franchise with a series of graphic novels (the first of which is reportedly due out in late 2006).

The images have been crafted by Kev Walker, best known for his work on the Judge Dread comics. It is not yet known if the proposed Young Bond graphic novels will be based on Higson’s novels or if they will all-new adventures set in the Young Bond universe.

“I was really pleased that we managed to get an artist as good as Kev Walker to imagine [Young Bond] for me,” Higson said at the time of the first image’s release. “Kev’s also done a fantastic job of making the thirties look cool and exciting for a modern audience. Young Bond and his world have really come alive.“

To view the entire series, click here. The character portraits are also available from youngbond.com as a series of desktop wallpapers.

For all the latest on the Young Bond franchise – including the next novel in the series, Blood Fever – keep watching CBn.

Has IFP nailed how you imagined the characters? Discuss these portraits in this thread on the CBn Forums.

Purchase the U.S. hardcover edition of SilverFin

Purchase the UK paperback edition of SilverFin

Pre-order the UK paperback edition of Blood Fever

Related Links

• The Charlie Higson CBn Interview
• Young Bond Gets Graphic

New York Times Book Review Discovers 'SilverFin' This Sunday

Attention collectors and Young Bond fans. Ian Fleming Publications informs CBn that this Sunday (July 24) the prestigious New York Time Book Review will run a full page color ad for Charlie Higson’s first Young Bond novel, SilverFin, featuring the (casual dress) picture of young Bond by artist Kev Walker.

NYTimes Book Review advert as it will appear this Sunday

While this may only be “news” to compulsive Bond book collectors like myself, it also might be an encouraging sign that SilverFin‘s U.S. publisher Miramax/Hyperion is finally stepping up to the plate promotion-wise.

A U.S. promotional blitz to match Puffin Books UK marketing was promised by the Disney owned company, but aside from a book tour by author Higson, SilverFin seems to have been getting much the same treatment from its U.S. publisher as Putnam gave the 007 novels by John Gardner and Raymond Benson — nadda.

U.S. Bond fans have also complained that SilverFin is hard to find in bookstores. The promised large in-store displays never materialized and typically only a handful of copies are relegated to the Young Adult or Teen sections — sometimes alphabetized by the author’s name, sometimes by James Bond…one CBn Team Member saw it at a Waldenbooks under “Y”!?

Adding to confusion is the fact that a U.S. paperback is listed on Amazon.com as being released on the same day as the hardcover…but according to IFP, there is no U.S. paperback. CBn forum member “rafterman” recently solved the mystery by discovering this is actually an International trade paperback edition for sale in overseas markets, particularly Asia.

The story is just the opposite in the UK where Puffin Books has helped make SilverFin a runaway bestseller. Puffin and IFP announced the second book in the Young Bond series, Blood Fever, last week. Miramax/Hyperion also holds the publishing rights to Blood Fever, but a U.S. edition has yet to be announced.

Does Sunday’s ad represent a marketing relaunch? Or is it a last gasp at grabbing U.S. readers? Discuss this news visit this thread on the CBn Forums.

Purchase the U.S. hardcover edition of SilverFin

Purchase the UK paperback edition of SilverFin

Pre-order Blood Fever (Young Bond Book 2)

Related Links

• The Charlie Higson CBn Interview
• Miramax Buys Rights to First Two Young Bond Novels
• ‘Young Bond’ U.S. Publisher Faces Uncertain Future
• ‘SilverFin’ Slithers Into The USA
• Young Bondmania!
• Young Bond Book 2 is ‘Blood Fever’

Pre-order 'Blood Fever' at Amazon.co.uk

Blood Fever, the new Young Bond novel by Charlie Higson, is now available for pre-order at Amazon.co.uk. The release date is January 5, 2006. As with the first Young Bond novel, SilverFin, it appears Blood Fever will be available only as a paperback in the UK.

The Blood Fever Audiobook is also now available for pre-order at Amazon’s German website Amazon.de (no doubt it will appear shortly on Amazon’s UK site as well).

Blood Fever UK edition

Blood Fever sees young James Bond traveling to Sardinia during his school break where he becomes embroiled in a plot involving art theft, smuggling, pirates, and a secret criminal society known as “MM’ (Higson’s original working title for the novel was ‘Double M’). In Blood Fever James will learn to snorkel and skin dive, and will endure what author Higson calls “a nasty torture scene” (!). The climax will be set inside a cave where the main villain has his lair among the remains of a Neolithic village.

Higson also hints that we will learn the significance of the number seven (as in “007”) in this novel. From the cover art, it appears mosquitoes will play some role in the plot, much as eels were a highlight of Higson’s first Young Bond novel, SilverFin.

Francesca Dow, Managing Director of Puffin, said: “We are delighted with the success of SilverFin and anticipate a huge second bestseller in Blood Fever. Gritty, action-packed and villain-ridden – it is unputdownable.”

There are a total of five books planned in the Young Bond series. Higson tells CBn that Book 3 will be set “in the darkest corners of London” and Book 4 will be set in the Alps.

For more on the Young Bond series, including official games and giveaways, visit youngbond.com. Keep watching CBn for the latest news on Blood Fever.

Pre-order Blood Fever now at Amazon.co.uk

Discuss Blood Fever and the Young Bond series in this thread on the CBn Forums.

Related links

• The Charlie Higson CBn Interview
• Young Bond Book 2 is ‘Blood Fever’
• Charlie Higson Q&A Reveals More on Young Bond 2
• Sardinia, Art Theft, Bandits, Torture!

Young Bond Book 2 is 'Blood Fever'

Big news today for Young Bond fans!

Ian Fleming Publications have released via youngbond.com the title, cover art, and release date for Charlie Higson’s second Young Bond novel, Blood Fever.

Blood Fever cover art

Following the huge success of the first Young Bond book, SilverFin, Puffin Books and Ian Fleming Publications are delighted to reveal the title and jacket image for the second book in the series, Blood Fever, which will be published on Thursday 5th January 2006. The book is by the much-acclaimed author of SilverFin, Charlie Higson.

SilverFin, which was published in March this year, has sold 125,000 copies in the UK alone, and was in the Top Ten of the Children’s Bestseller lists for 11 weeks. In the book, readers are introduced to a 13-year old James Bond, who gets involved in an evil plot in the Scottish Highlands while in his first year at Eton. Blood Fever is set largely in Sardinia, where James is spending his summer holidays, and features, in Charlie Higson’s words, pirates, bandits, art thieves and a shoot-out in a cave; everything you could want from a James Bond book. It is the second in a planned series of five Young Bond books.

Francesca Dow, Managing Director of Puffin, said: “We are delighted with the success of SilverFin and anticipate a huge second bestseller in Blood Fever. Gritty, action-packed and villain-ridden – it is unputdownable.”

For more on the Young Bond series, including official games and giveaways, visit youngbond.com. Keep watching CBn for the latest news on Blood Fever.

UPDATE: Blood Fever is now available for pre-order at Amazon.co.uk