ABC goes old-media to promote "Castle"

By James Hibberd

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - As television networks brainstorm dizzying high-tech ways to promote shows online and via social networks, ABC is adopting a decidedly retro medium to excite viewers for the upcoming second season of "Castle": a book.

Because the show's protagonist, Richard Castle, is a best-selling author of mysteries, what more appropriate tie-in than to publish a mystery novel credited to the character?

The first chapter of Castle's novel "Heat Wave" will debut August 10 on ABC.com.

The network will post the first half of the book, a chapter a week, for 10 weeks. The full novel will be published September 29 by Disney sister company Hyperion. The story apparently is a stand-alone mystery with elements that relate to the on-screen story.

The show's second season premieres in late September.

The network teamed with Hyperion for 2006's "Lost" tie-in "Bad Twin" and "The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer," which tied in to the ABC miniseries "Rose Red." The real author of "Heat Wave" is not being unveiled.

(Editing by Sheri Linden at Reuters)