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Is it too much to hope that...


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#31 zencat

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Posted 12 June 2010 - 06:03 PM

If it's to be a series, as was confirmed by Deaver, then IFP cannot wait for sales figures*. They'd have to establish the thing fairly quick, perhaps even push X-2 a little faster than they plan on the subsequent books. I suspect IFP already know who's to pen X-2 and X-3, perhaps even up to X-5 or so.

*A lot of the sales figures come actually up before the book hits shelves as the big chains order in advance as does Amazon. A lot of the make or brake of a book is decided upon before the first 'regular' reader turns the first page.

True. I noticed on the day it appeared on Amazon Project X shot into the 3000 range of Amazon bestsellers (by comparison it's currently in the 64,000 range). Pretty amazing debut ranking for a book that's still a year away.

My guess is they have, or are very close to having, author 2 locked up. He will probably get Deaver's outline, so he knows the world, and start his work from that. Of course, we don't know the timeline of the series yet, but it certainly won't be more than a year between books. Be sweet if it were less.

#32 terminus

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Posted 12 June 2010 - 06:42 PM

Okay, revised idea! The back of the book has a code. Five digit number. You plug that number into the Project X website and, bingo, the new author and book is revealed! That code will not work until release day, so no danger of a leak. Yes, it's another fanboyish idea, but that's what you're paying me for. B)


Nice idea. Doctor Who Magazine worked in conjunction with a company that does the audio plays and had a special audio-play that worked on the same process. There was a code in the magazine that you input on the website to give you access to the play. Maybe instead of just the author and the title, there could be a blurb too.


My guess is they have, or are very close to having, author 2 locked up. He will probably get Deaver's outline, so he knows the world, and start his work from that. Of course, we don't know the timeline of the series yet, but it certainly won't be more than a year between books. Be sweet if it were less.


I still think we're looking at between a year and two years, like most ongoing titles. Andy McDermott has published two books of his Eddie Chase series every year, but I think IFP might go with one a year - maybe published on Fleming's birthday every year as an annual event.

#33 zencat

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Posted 12 June 2010 - 06:51 PM

Yeah, I also think it will be a yearly thing. Gives room for the paperback, etc. I don't there's anyway they wait two years between books, especially as they have the luxury of multiple authors that can be working at the same time. Two years is just too long for a "series." Unless maybe they stagger them with another, yet-unannouced series.

#34 Double-Oh Agent

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Posted 13 June 2010 - 05:24 AM

If it's to be a series, as was confirmed by Deaver, then IFP cannot wait for sales figures*. They'd have to establish the thing fairly quick, perhaps even push X-2 a little faster than they plan on the subsequent books. I suspect IFP already know who's to pen X-2 and X-3, perhaps even up to X-5 or so.

*A lot of the sales figures come actually up before the book hits shelves as the big chains order in advance as does Amazon. A lot of the make or brake of a book is decided upon before the first 'regular' reader turns the first page.

True. I noticed on the day it appeared on Amazon Project X shot into the 3000 range of Amazon bestsellers (by comparison it's currently in the 64,000 range). Pretty amazing debut ranking for a book that's still a year away.

My guess is they have, or are very close to having, author 2 locked up. He will probably get Deaver's outline, so he knows the world, and start his work from that. Of course, we don't know the timeline of the series yet, but it certainly won't be more than a year between books. Be sweet if it were less.

I agree. I can't believe IFP doesn't at the very least have their eyes set on author #2 and are likely in talks as we speak right now. Getting that person signed up by the end of the year is imperative if IFP wants to do an annual novel. Besides, author #2 is going to need to Deaver's outline fairly soon so he can have plenty of time to digest it and start planning out his story.

...But I think IFP might go with one a year - maybe published on Fleming's birthday every year as an annual event.

This is what I think they're planning to do, particularly as the last two novels and Project X's announcement has been released/revealed on that day. Seems like it's a special day for IFP. :tdown: That would also allow fans to know when they can expect to get their next literary Bond fix--and we all want to know that. B)

Yeah, I also think it will be a yearly thing. Gives room for the paperback, etc. I don't there's anyway they wait two years between books, especially as they have the luxury of multiple authors that can be working at the same time. Two years is just too long for a "series." Unless maybe they stagger them with another, yet-unannouced series.

I totally agree.

As for IFP installing a "James Bond will return" at the end of the novel, I would assume that they couldn't use that phrase as it's likely trademarked by Eon. However, I wouldn't be surprised if IFP were to use something similar. I imagine such a phrase would be similar to what American literary Bond fans saw in the '80s and '90s 007 novels, which proclaimed with each new release, "Bond is back!" So having "Bond will be back!" would be a nice touch and would get the fans excited for the next entry.


#35 Trident

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Posted 13 June 2010 - 08:45 AM

I'm sure IFP will already have writer 2 and 3 firmly contracted now. It doesn't make sense to announce a series and run the risk of candidates turning down at the last moment. I suspect Project X only was launched (concept, website, countdown so on) once IFP had at least 3 writers (and probably more) in the bag. Writers who could not only do it but also were willing and could give X some space in their own schedule.

What surprises me is Deaver's remark of a 190-pages outline. This seems like an awful lot, considering the Bonds, even the continuations of them, seldom run beyond the 300 pages mark. I would have thought a mere outline would be much shorter, perhaps a few sentences per chapter or so?

So either Deaver is aiming for an exceptionally large volume as Bonds go, or, perhaps more likely, a large part of the outline doesn't merely concern X-1 but is actually either a 'production bible' for the other X-writers or an outline of a longer storyarch spreading across several X entries.

#36 [dark]

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Posted 13 June 2010 - 12:20 PM

The Penguin paperbacks from the early 2000s contain a page at the end of each novel stating "James Bond returns in..." with a plot synopsis of the following book. Not quite "James Bond will return in...", but obviously enough to keep IFP in the clear from any of Danjaq's trademarks.

It'd be a neat way to reveal the title and author of Project X 2, but probably wouldn't gather the press that IFP could otherwise get by a media release.

#37 godwulf

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Posted 13 June 2010 - 04:06 PM

What surprises me is Deaver's remark of a 190-pages outline. This seems like an awful lot, considering the Bonds, even the continuations of them, seldom run beyond the 300 pages mark. I would have thought a mere outline would be much shorter, perhaps a few sentences per chapter or so?


I've forgotten his exact words, but Deaver, the other night, did mention something along those lines, when he was explaining his work process. He said, in so many words, that the ultimate length of the book was reduced dramatically in the transition from outline to first draft. Again, paraphrasing, he said something like, "If you kept strictly to the outline, the book would be much too long".

I'm guessing that many things that go into an outline - scenes, back story, perhaps entire subplots - are seen by the writer to be extraneous once the real job of turning it into readable prose is being done.

#38 zencat

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Posted 13 June 2010 - 07:20 PM

The Penguin paperbacks from the early 2000s contain a page at the end of each novel stating "James Bond returns in..." with a plot synopsis of the following book. Not quite "James Bond will return in...", but obviously enough to keep IFP in the clear from any of Danjaq's trademarks.

Oh yeah. Forgot about that. That was something I really liked about those editions.