Penguin has revealed details on Devil May Care including cover artwork hints, and plans to republish the Ian Fleming novels in hardback in 2008...

Penguin Plans 007 for 2008
7th November 2007

Penguin today released details of the plans to publish James Bond novels in 2008 to celebrate the centenary of his creator Ian Fleming. The Bookseller reports that Penguin has set a UK hardback sales target of 250,000 copies for Devil May Care, the new 007 novel by Sebastian Faulks which is scheduled for release on 28th May 2008.

Penguin managing director Tom Weldon said at an event last night, "Sebastian has written a tour de force . . . it is everything we hoped for and a couple of Martinis more." According to reports, Penguin plans an unmissable marketing and publicity campaign. "Imagine a speedboat coming down the Thames with the first copy... imagine [Penguin marketing chiefs] Joanna Prior and Naomi Fidler in gold lamé swimsuits abseiling down the building." (MI6 Note: this sounds more like a movie promotion than for the literary Bond...)

The cover to "Devil May Care" was shown to guests of the publicity event, and it is said to feature a single iconic image, which has been designed by The Partners branding agency.

Faulks said he had retained 80% of Fleming's style, and aimed to blend the pace of the crime stories with the menace of the spy sagas. "It's a period adventure in which I've tried to capture a playful spirit." The story features favourite characters Felix Leiter and Miss Moneypenny, and Faulks said he had avoided deep psychological portraits: "This is not Bond meets Charlotte Gray... my Bond has no inner life."

 
Above: Author Sebastian Faulks

"Devil May Care" will retail for £18.99 and will be released under the new Penguin 007 imprint. MI6 can confirm the adventure runs for 320 pages and will be released simultaneously in the USA under Doubleday.

Pre-Order Hardback - Amazon UK
Pre-Order Hardback - Amazon USA

 

Penguin will also be republishing the 14 original Ian Fleming novels in hardback with new jackets for £14.99.

No details on the possible cover designs for this series were revealed.

The last time the Fleming novels were republished in paperback, Richie Fahey produced pulp-style covers for the US, which were also later used on the UK editions.