A New Writer For Each Bond Book...A Good Idea, Or Bad Idea?

0BradyM0Bondfanatic7

And continuations just get messy. Like Deaver ending with the whole "was Bond's mom a spy" hanger, the next writer may not handle the twist well and ruin it, or the next book scraps the continuation and opts for a new story where CB's plot is forgotten. Either way it's a stinker.

Bounine

WVPoef said:
NO.

Each writer should at least write 3 books or more to give them time to develop there own inturpatation of Bond.

Yes, that's a good idea. Three books per writer. After 3 books, if the writer is doing a great job and his books are selling fairly well then he could be contracted to write another three, presuming he agrees, then maybe another three... The problem is IFP only want big name writers who don't seem to want to write more than one, if any.

Samuel001

Bounine said:
The problem is IFP only want big name writers who don't seem to want to write more than one, if any.

I think Faulks wanted to do another but with the reaction to his book IFP went elsewhere. Deaver seems open to a second book but according to him it would be no sooner than 2014. Let's see what happens.

tommychameleon

If Deaver writes another, I doubt I'd bother reading it.

Bounine

Samuel001 said:

Bounine said:
The problem is IFP only want big name writers who don't seem to want to write more than one, if any.

I think Faulks wanted to do another but with the reaction to his book IFP went elsewhere. Deaver seems open to a second book but according to him it would be no sooner than 2014. Let's see what happens.

Faulks wanted to do another? That's news to me. Right from the beginning, I thought he'd always said that he was only keen on penning one.

2014, yes, I remember now. I will be quite disappointed and frustrated if I have to wait that long to read another Bond book...and by Deaver! The only author I'd be willing to wait that long for is Ian Fleming. I hope they hire another author and bring a new book out as soon as possible. Well, the minimum amount of time an author requires in order for the quality not to suffer of course.

UsualMan

an interesting idea - but it depend on writer and it would be hard to win over original...

tommychameleon said:
I remember reading somewhere that, it was Glidrose's plan back in the day, to have a different writer for each subsequent book after Fleming's death. After Faulks and Deaver's attempts, it seems like that is the current plan of action IFP are taking.

My question to you guys is, do you think a new author each time is a good idea? Personally, I DONT think it's a good idea, because each author is going to have their own vision and idea of what Bond should be, meaning every book is going to have a different feel. Some maybe more Fleming style, and some may read more like a Roger movie. So where do we find our rhythm as readers?

I have to admit, I felt like CB was a little 'thrown' together. I usually have a mental picture of Bond in my mind when I'm reading the books. Not of any of the actors but my own vision of what he'd look like. For the first time, I couldn't picture Bond, when reading CB. For me it didn't really feel like he was Bond, just some generic spy. Which pains me, massively, I must admit. It felt to me like a lot of the twists were just there for the sake of it, rather than to serve a greater good in terms of story. Don't even get me started on the...

Spoiler:
bit where he hangs his coat up on the cliffside as a diversion. I mean come oooooon!

It kinda makes me feel like, would these different writers really 'get' what the literary Bond should be and do they really care deeply enough about the character? Or is it more an opportunity to get their name out there in the press, to boost sales of their next book?

Personally, I'd say Charlie Higson is a man who GETS IT! I've read 4 of the Young Bonds and they feel more like Bond than any of the continuation novels post Colonel Sun. If that guy got the job, I'd be a happy man!

Over to you...I'm interested to hear your thoughts!

MrSpy

Well, at this point, the majority of readers on this board have hated everything since about 1990! I mean, I'd be confused too, if this was my property. I don't see how we can have Bond in the 50's-60's -- Fleming kept him pretty busy & one of the charms of the series is that Bond's lifestyle wears him down & he needs breathers between adventures. I also don't see a 50 yr old Bond running around in the era of glam rock & the Black Panther Movement. So setting it in the modern day is the only realistic option for an ongoing series. Now, that doesn't mean being as literal as JD was, it can be a fantasy-present, as Fleming's was, but that was then, this is now, reader's have changed! It's not an easy one to figure out, especially when every choice made angers the core fanbase. I personally think a good ongoing series, one that reintroduces more of the Bond "staples", can be made from what Deaver introduced. It's a good basis, it just needs another John Gardner to make it grow...but are there any more JG's to be found? Who will put their own work aside to write a new Bond novel every year for peanuts? And who would read it besides us? Those are the questions...

Bounine

"Who will put their own work aside to write a new Bond novel every year for peanuts?"

How do you know it's for peanuts?

haserot

i havent taken the time to see where this thread has gone - since i havent read all the comments.. with that said, i'll comment on the original topic suggested....

i personally don't mind a different author per book - in this one off fashion that the publishers seem to be going with now... but i am a fan of continuity, so in that regard - i wish they would sign an author to a 3 or 4 book series.... but if they must go with a different author per book, i would at least like them to keep it contemporary, instead bouncing back and forth between time periods and decades, or half centuries...

so far, under this one and done method we've been treated to Devil May Care - which underwhelmed... and Carte Blanche - which the consensus seems to be somewhere between underwhelming and loathing... maybe Bond just hasn't found the right author yet, or maybe the authors try a little too hard, knowing they will be only 1 shot and then out...

MrSpy

Bounine said:
"Who will put their own work aside to write a new Bond novel every year for peanuts?"

How do you know it's for peanuts?

All of the authors since Gardner have stated that the Bond books make very little money for the author. By the time the writer gets their royalty, there is very little left, since so many entities control and own Bond.

Kennon

I've said it before, I'm all for new hands having a go. I'd think many writers within and without the genre feel they have at least one good Bond book in them. I say give them a chance. Let them do their own thing and just care that it's a good story. I've read far too many generic forgettable stuff that wasn't worth the time, often because the whole baggage, brands, cars, weapons, drinks and jetsetting was crammed into a few hundred pages. Fleming had never that much boxes to tick, neither did he slavishly follow a formula. I wish that were the case with the continuations. And in my opinion the best chance to maybe get something like that, something unusual and outstanding, is the mode one-writer-one-book.

Bentley

UsualMan said:
an interesting idea - but it depend on writer and it would be hard to win over original...

tommychameleon said:
I remember reading somewhere that, it was Glidrose's plan back in the day, to have a different writer for each subsequent book after Fleming's death. After Faulks and Deaver's attempts, it seems like that is the current plan of action IFP are taking.

My question to you guys is, do you think a new author each time is a good idea? Personally, I DONT think it's a good idea, because each author is going to have their own vision and idea of what Bond should be, meaning every book is going to have a different feel. Some maybe more Fleming style, and some may read more like a Roger movie. So where do we find our rhythm as readers?

I have to admit, I felt like CB was a little 'thrown' together. I usually have a mental picture of Bond in my mind when I'm reading the books. Not of any of the actors but my own vision of what he'd look like. For the first time, I couldn't picture Bond, when reading CB. For me it didn't really feel like he was Bond, just some generic spy. Which pains me, massively, I must admit. It felt to me like a lot of the twists were just there for the sake of it, rather than to serve a greater good in terms of story. Don't even get me started on the...

Spoiler:
bit where he hangs his coat up on the cliffside as a diversion. I mean come oooooon!

It kinda makes me feel like, would these different writers really 'get' what the literary Bond should be and do they really care deeply enough about the character? Or is it more an opportunity to get their name out there in the press, to boost sales of their next book?

Personally, I'd say Charlie Higson is a man who GETS IT! I've read 4 of the Young Bonds and they feel more like Bond than any of the continuation novels post Colonel Sun. If that guy got the job, I'd be a happy man!

Over to you...I'm interested to hear your thoughts!

Fellow Agents,
I couldn't agree more. Higson is the man for the 007 continuity mission. The 'Young Bond' books are superb and vastly superior to anything we've had since 'Colnel Son'.
There are other potential choices; Daniel Silva, Charles Cumming, Barry Eisler, Philip Kerr etc.. But 'Higson' has fleshed out the character and proved that he completely 'gets' it. He also has a vision and could have taken his adult Bond thru' WW11 and on to CR. A fertile period for great adventures and great style.
Also, I think a series is essential. As I've said elsewhere on this site, not all Fleming's Bond novels were of equal merit. Few Bond afficianados would put TSWLM or TMWTGG in the same league as FRWL, OHMSS or GOLDFINGER for instance. There are always highs and lows in a series and sometimes it takes an author a while to really hit his stride. I would argue that Fleming didn't reach his until Dr.NO
Furthermore, a series gives the author skin in the game. I'm not so sure that Faulks would have been so slapdash if he'd known his name was going to be on the next three.
We need Higson to save our hero and we should start the petition now - we want Charlie!
Regards,
Bentley

Bounine

MrSpy said:

Bounine said:
"Who will put their own work aside to write a new Bond novel every year for peanuts?"

How do you know it's for peanuts?

All of the authors since Gardner have stated that the Bond books make very little money for the author. By the time the writer gets their royalty, there is very little left, since so many entities control and own Bond.

Huh! No wonder no big name, successful authors will agree to write a series of Bond books! Well, I know there are other reasons but I'm sure this reason would put alot of them off.

Bentley

Fellow Agents,
I seriously doubt that Faulks, Deaver, Boyd, Higson or Weinberg would have been tempted to the keyboard for "peanuts". The money is there for sure.
What is yet to be found for the adult 007 is an author that gets Fleming's creation and who has a vision for the series either in a period or modern day setting.
I'm looking forward to Boyd's book and I'm sure that the Faulks/Deaver debacle will be putting extra pressure on him to deliver something extraordinary - lets hope he delivers.
Regards,
Bentley.

Bounine

"What is yet to be found for the adult 007 is an author that gets Fleming's creation and who has a vision for the series either in a period or modern day setting."

It would be great. Even in a modern day setting one can still get close to Fleming's work. Larger than life villains and fantastical villains were just as unrealistic back in the 50's and 60's as they are now obviously. In terms of Bond himself, I think the chauvinism, xenophobia and heavy smoking were only small facets of his character. There are many other aspects to Bond's that aren't relevant to the time period. I think it's entirely possible to get a Flemingsque Bond book set in modern day. Having said that, I also support a period piece.

Yes, let's hope Boyd delivers. I'm still excited but unfortunately a little less so than previously due to Deaver's and Faulks's efforts.

"The money is there for sure."

Well, I always thought that they'd get a decent pay cheque for their Bond efforts.

I wonder if IFP have approached Weinberg to write a Bond book. Her Moneypenny books are fantastic! I love them. I think she'd do a great job in catching the mood of the Fleming books.

Bentley

I wonder if IFP have approached Weinberg to write a Bond book. Her Moneypenny books are fantastic! I love them. I think she'd do a great job in catching the mood of the Fleming books.

Weren't they fantastic - I loved them to bits. As did my wife and all her friends and despite the fact they had a limited UK marketing effort, everybody that I know who came into contact with them rated them highly. Furthermore I think they had real unisex appeal just like the Blaise books had in their day.
I would like to think that IFP would have had the wisdom & vision to consider Weinberg but on recent form, I would doubt it.
Selecting Faulks & Deaver demonstrated to me that they don't understand their own product and have scant real market knowledge.
Fingers crossed for Boyd. If he bombs 007 will be on life support!
Regards, Bentley

MrSpy

Bentley said:

Fingers crossed for Boyd. If he bombs 007 will be on life support!

Why??
DMC was a bestseller.
Apart from some reaction from hardcore fans, CB was very well received and sold well.
Both the Gardner & Higson books are going into reissues.
Amazon.com has acquired the rights to the Fleming books & is planning an elaborate sales campaign which will tie all the Bond products together.
And there's a huge anticipation for Skyfall.

How is this "on life support"...???
Bond seems alive & well to me!

Bounine

Maybe Bentley means, "life support" in terms of artistic integrity. :)

"Furthermore I think they had real unisex appeal just like the Blaise books had in their day."

Absolutely. I feel the same way.

I don't know if it's a case of IFP not understanding their own product. I mean, maybe you're right but I tend to think they understand Bond (I take it this is what you mean by "product") but just want to play it more safe and go after the big bucks by hiring big name authors which is disappointing to us literary Bond fans of course.

With agressive, effective marketing I'm sure they could do well in selling well written Bond books with less known authors like Higson and Weinberg who have proved they can pull off the task. Obviously Weinberg hasn't written a Bond novel but from reading her Penny diaries you can tell that she would most likely give us a good Bond yarn.

MrSpy

Bounine said:
Maybe Bentley means, "life support" in terms of artistic integrity. :)

Oh, like selling the rights for CR to American tv so we can be treated to "Jimmy Bond"?

Or hiring award winning & bestselling novelists to write Bond novels?

"Artistic integrity" is in the eye of the beholder ;)

Bentley

"Artistic Integrity"
Dear Bounine,
You've nailed it. There is such a thing in every genre and when a writer achieves it, his game is raised and if he is writing a series, the books that follow benefit.
I would argue that in this genre, Le Carre did it with his third book "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold", Deighton did it straight out of the gate with "Ipcress File ", O'Donnell achieved it with "Sabre Tooth", Cumming did it with "Typhoon", Conan Doyle with "Hound Of The Baskerville" and the late, great Fleming did it with FRWL.
When these heights are achieved, it gives the series, if that's what they are writing a traction and status that you won't get author hoping. Not that DMC or CB had any artistic merit at all!
Here's hoping for a three or five book deal with somebody who will give it the TLC. Maybe it's Boyd?
Regards,
Bentley

MrSpy

It's so nice to have a Final Authority On The Value Of Everything around...I don't have to hurt my head thinking or waste my time developing my own ideas.

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