Alex Rider pyjamas anyone?

I went to a fun meeting last week - thought I'd share it with you. There were forty people in the room: twenty in England, twenty in California. We were connected by a video screen. This is the first time I've been to a meeting like this.

Anyway, they were all talking about Alex Rider products coming your way in 2006 - on the back of the film. It's hard to keep up with so many different ideas. I justy hope they're going to be good.

So. There are going to be Alex Rider pyjamas, duvets, T-shirts and boxers. There are plans for a board game, a DVD game, action figures and gadgets. Alex is going to be on a famous cereal (I'm not allowed to say which yet) and on a soft drink and connected to a fast food. Of course, there's the new Nintendo DS which is going to come out in an exclusive Alex Rider edition and there'll be a computer game based on Stormbreaker too.

New books. A "making of" book - I've written one of the chapters and what I've seen so far looks pretty impressive. Loads of photos from the film. A "fun fax". And a brilliant graphic novel with manga-style art based on the film. They're also bringing out an edition of Stormbreaker with Alex Rider on the cover.

Of course - some of this may not happen. Some of it may change. But there's still a sense that 2006 is going to be Alex's year.

The advertising for the film is going to be huge. Buses, posters, TV. You won't be able to avoid it. And if you see Narnia or the new HP, there's a chance you might catch the sneak preview of the film itself. It's very short but it's powerful...

It's strange. Years ago I sat in a room and wrote a book and suddenly it's like I'm Richard Branson...sitting in the middle of a huge business that's all over the world.

Can't wait to get my Alex pyjamas...

Anthony H