Penguin to publish 75 Maigret novels

09.09.13 | Stacey Bartlett - The Bookseller

French detective Jules Maigret will return to British shores this autumn, with Penguin publishing all 75 books in Georges Simenon’s series over as many months.
Starting with Pietr the Latvian, the first in the series, on 7th November, one Maigret title will be published every month as a £6.99 paperback in what is one of Penguin’s most ambitious and extensive series launches ever.

As well as the Maigret novels, Penguin also has plans to re-publish a selection of Simenon’s literary works—of which there are “about 150”—including The Stain on the Snow and The Man Who Watched the Trains Go By.
“He wrote close to 400 long and short stories in his lifetime, so there’s a lot to cherry pick from,” said series editor Josephine Greywoode. The publisher was approached by Peters, Fraser & Dunlop, which manages Simenon’s estate following the Belgian author’s death in 1989.
 “It’s a huge deal for Penguin UK and US,” she said, adding that a year-long marketing campaign will “try and create a trail from book to book for the readers”.

Marketing includes a booklet for booksellers introducing the author and Maigret; a Waterstones loyalty scheme with double points available; “money-can’t-buy” prizes, including places at a Maigret dinner with guests including the books’ translators and Simenon’s son John; and a launch of six of the titles simultaneously next spring.
More