Ian Fleming Publications

Ian Fleming Publications is the literary rights and publishing company associated with the works of British author Ian Fleming. Its principal business is administering Fleming's literary estate, including the James Bond novels, short stories, nonfiction, and children's fiction, while licensing and commissioning new works derived from that body of writing. The company is best known as the organization behind the continuation of the James Bond literary franchise after Fleming's death. Fleming established the business in 1952, after completing Casino Royale, the first James Bond novel. It was originally called Glidrose Productions, a name formed from the surnames of its founders, John Gliddon and Norman Rose. Fleming assigned most of his rights in Casino Royale and subsequent works to the company. In 1956, he appointed literary agent Peter Janson-Smith to manage foreign translation rights for the Bond novels. Janson-Smith later served as literary consultant and chairman until 2001, helping establish a professional structure for the international administration of Fleming's rights. After Fleming died in 1964, the company and the Fleming estate permitted or commissioned a succession of authorized books. The first continuation novel was Colonel Sun, written by Kingsley Amis under the pseudonym Robert Markham and published in 1968. Other early projects included John Pearson's James Bond: The Authorized Biography of 007, Christopher Wood's novelizations of film scripts, and the 1967 children's-oriented James Bond Junior title. The regular adult continuation series resumed in 1981 with John Gardner's Licence Renewed. Gardner wrote fourteen Bond novels before retiring in 1996, after which Raymond Benson became the next continuation author. The corporate name changed from Glidrose Publications to Ian Fleming Publications during Benson's tenure. The new name first appeared in the copyright information for High Time to Kill in 1999, and the present identity emphasizes the connection with Fleming's estate rather than the original corporate name. Benson completed six Bond novels before ending his run in 2002. Since 2005, Ian Fleming Publications has broadened the literary franchise beyond the original adult continuation line. Charlie Higson's Young Bond series presented James Bond as a school-age or teenage character in the 1930s, while Samantha Weinberg, writing as Kate Westbrook, created The Moneypenny Diaries. The company subsequently commissioned one-off or limited-run adult Bond novels by Sebastian Faulks, Jeffery Deaver, William Boyd, and Anthony Horowitz. It also authorized further Young Bond novels by Steve Cole and later introduced new series such as Kim Sherwood's Double O books. The company administers more than James Bond. It has supported authorized continuations of Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang, including novels by Frank Cottrell Boyce, and manages Fleming's nonfiction works The Diamond Smugglers and Thrilling Cities. The estate's licensing model therefore combines preservation of the original texts with controlled expansion into new books, formats, territories, and adaptations. In 2023, the company became the subject of public controversy after a sensitivity review led to changes in the wording of reissued James Bond novels. The revisions removed or altered some references regarded as offensive, including certain depictions of Black people, while other historically objectionable language remained. The episode illustrated the difficulty of maintaining period-authentic texts while presenting a commercially viable and culturally acceptable modern edition. Ian Fleming Publications remains an active, family-owned rights administrator whose central strategic asset is the literary James Bond canon.

Ian Fleming Publications began in 1952 when Ian Fleming created or acquired the company after completing Casino Royale. The original name, Glidrose Productions, combined elements of the names of John Gliddon and Norman Rose. Fleming transferred most of his rights in Casino Royale and the Bond works that followed to the company, creating a dedicated vehicle for managing his literary property. In 1956, Fleming appointed Peter Janson-Smith to manage foreign translation rights. Janson-Smith became a major administrative figure in the estate, later serving as literary consultant and chairman until 2001. His work helped organize the international licensing of the Bond novels during Fleming's lifetime and after his death. Fleming died in 1964, but the estate continued to develop the literary property. The first posthumous continuation was Colonel Sun, published in 1968 under the pseudonym Robert Markham and written by Kingsley Amis. In 1973, the company authorized John Pearson's James Bond: The Authorized Biography of 007. Film-related publishing followed, including Christopher Wood's novelizations of The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker in 1977 and 1979. These projects established a pattern in which the estate could extend Bond through carefully authorized works without treating every publication as a direct continuation of Fleming's original novels. The regular adult novel line was revived in 1981 with John Gardner's Licence Renewed. Gardner eventually wrote fourteen Bond books and retired in 1996. Raymond Benson then assumed the role of continuation novelist, becoming the first American writer to publish an adult James Bond novel. During Benson's six-book period, the rights company changed its name from Glidrose Publications to Ian Fleming Publications. The new corporate identity first appeared in the 1999 publication High Time to Kill. Benson's final Bond novel, The Man with the Red Tattoo, appeared in 2002. The company expanded its franchise strategy in the 2000s. Charlie Higson's Young Bond novels, published from 2005 to 2008, explored Bond's teenage years in the 1930s. Samantha Weinberg, using the pen name Kate Westbrook, created The Moneypenny Diaries, a trilogy focused on Miss Moneypenny. Ian Fleming Publications also authorized further books based on Fleming's other creations, including three Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang sequels by Frank Cottrell Boyce. Adult Bond publishing subsequently adopted a rotating-author model. Sebastian Faulks wrote Devil May Care for the 2008 centenary of Fleming's birth. Jeffery Deaver's modernized Carte Blanche followed in 2011, William Boyd's period novel Solo in 2013, and Anthony Horowitz's Trigger Mortis in 2015. Horowitz later wrote Forever and a Day and With a Mind to Kill. Young Bond returned with Steve Cole's books beginning with Shoot to Kill in 2014. In 2023, the company authorized a sensitivity review of Fleming's Bond novels before republication. Some passages were altered or removed, including certain references to race, while other controversial passages remained. The decision prompted criticism and renewed discussion about whether classic works should be edited for contemporary readers or preserved in their original form. The company continues to function as a Fleming family-owned literary rights administrator and licensing body, with the James Bond series as its defining commercial and cultural property.

• 2023

  Sensitivity-edited Bond editions issued

  [1]Ian Fleming Publicationsen.wikipedia.org

  Revised editions altered some language in Fleming's novels, generating a public debate about editorial intervention.

• 2008

  Devil May Care published

  [1]Ian Fleming Publicationsen.wikipedia.org

  Sebastian Faulks's authorized Bond novel was released on Ian Fleming's birthday centenary.

• 2005

  Young Bond and Moneypenny expansions launched

  [1]Ian Fleming Publicationsen.wikipedia.org

  The company expanded the franchise with Charlie Higson's Young Bond series and The Moneypenny Diaries.

• 1999

  Ian Fleming Publications name appears in copyright

  [1]Ian Fleming Publicationsen.wikipedia.org

  High Time to Kill was the first Bond novel to carry the company's new name in its copyright information.

• 1981

  Adult Bond novel line revived

  [1]Ian Fleming Publicationsen.wikipedia.org

  John Gardner's Licence Renewed relaunched regular adult James Bond novel publishing.

• 1968

  Colonel Sun published

  [1]Ian Fleming Publicationsen.wikipedia.org

  Kingsley Amis published the first post-Fleming continuation novel under the name Robert Markham.

• 1956

  Foreign translation rights administration begins

  [1]Ian Fleming Publicationsen.wikipedia.org

  Peter Janson-Smith was appointed to manage foreign translation rights for the James Bond novels.

• 1952

  Glidrose Productions established

  [1]Ian Fleming Publicationsen.wikipedia.org

  Ian Fleming established the company after completing Casino Royale and assigned most rights in the Bond books to it.

Literary estate management and controlled expansion of the Ian Fleming and James Bond publishing catalog

• Adult literary fiction · 1953

  James Bond novels

  The company's central catalog is Ian Fleming's original James Bond fiction together with authorized continuation novels. The post-Fleming line has included works by Kingsley Amis, John Gardner, Raymond Benson, Sebastian Faulks, Jeffery Deaver, William Boyd, and Anthony Horowitz. These books have variously maintained Fleming's period setting, reinterpreted Bond for contemporary readers, or bridged the literary and cinematic versions of the character.

• Young adult fiction · 2005

  Young Bond

  Young Bond is a prequel-oriented series depicting James Bond as a teenager, generally in the 1930s. Charlie Higson originated the main sequence with five novels published from 2005 through 2008, and Steve Cole later continued it with four books beginning in 2014. The line adapts the espionage premise for younger readers while connecting its protagonist to Fleming's established biography.

• Spin-off fiction · 2005

  The Moneypenny Diaries

  Written by Samantha Weinberg under the pseudonym Kate Westbrook, The Moneypenny Diaries is a trilogy centered on Miss Moneypenny. The books broaden the Bond universe through the perspective and personal history of a supporting character rather than presenting another conventional Bond mission narrative.

• Adult spy fiction · 2023

  Double O

  Kim Sherwood's Double O series extends the Bond literary world through new agents and a broader intelligence-service setting. Double or Nothing appeared in 2023, followed by A Spy Like Me in 2024. The series uses the established 00-agent framework while moving attention beyond James Bond himself.

• Children's fiction · 2011

  Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang continuations

  The Fleming estate approved three sequel novels by Frank Cottrell Boyce: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the Race Against Time, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Over the Moon. These books continue Fleming's children's adventure concept rather than the Bond franchise.

• 2023

  Sensitivity revisions to James Bond novels

  Ian Fleming Publications commissioned a sensitivity review of the James Bond novels before new editions were issued. The resulting edits removed or changed some references considered offensive, including certain depictions of Black people, but retained other controversial language. The decision was criticized as editorial censorship by some observers and defended by others as an effort to make the books more suitable for contemporary publication.

  Source

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• 2023

  Approve sensitivity edits for reissued Bond novelsOther

  Background

  The company reviewed Fleming's original language in preparation for new editions and assessed some passages as unsuitable or offensive for modern publication.

  Action taken

  Selected references were rewritten or removed, including some descriptions involving race and other identity-related language.

  Aftermath

  The editions triggered controversy over censorship, textual integrity, and the responsibilities of rights holders managing historic popular literature.

  Source

• 2005

  Expand the franchise into youth and character spin-offsStrategy

  Background

  The company sought to develop Bond-related publishing beyond the main adult novel line.

  Action taken

  It supported Charlie Higson's Young Bond books and launched The Moneypenny Diaries by Samantha Weinberg.

  Aftermath

  The strategy created distinct audiences and additional narrative formats within the Fleming estate.

  Source

• 1981

  Revive the regular adult Bond novel lineStrategy

  Background

  After the early posthumous experiments and film novelizations, the estate sought to re-establish a continuing adult literary series.

  Action taken

  Ian Fleming Publications authorized John Gardner's Licence Renewed, beginning a fourteen-book run.

  Aftermath

  The decision created the modern continuation-book program and was followed by later authors including Raymond Benson and Anthony Horowitz.

  Source

1. 1Ian Fleming Publicationsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Ian Fleming Publications official websiteianfleming.com