LucasBooks and the Random House imprint Del Rey have announced that Del Rey will publish five novels that will tie-in with the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated feature film and the cartoon series that will air in the fall of 2008 on the Cartoon Network and TNT.  The Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated movie, which debuts on August 15th, will be preceded by the release of a Star Wars: The Clone Wars novel by fan favorite Star Wars author Karen Traviss, which will go on sale on July 26th. 

Science fiction/fantasy writer Karen Miller is writing the second Clone Wars novel, which will be published in December, 2008.  The Star Wars novels will add depth, background and color to the Clone Wars animated saga.

The Del Rey novel is just the overture to a symphony of Clone Wars merchandise that will hit retail shelves during the second half of 2008.  Dark Horse Comics (like Del Rey a long time Star Wars licensee) is publishing comics and graphic novels, while Topps and Hasbro (also long time Lucasfilm merchandising partners) will be producing trading cards (see “Clone Wars Sketch Cards”) and toys (see “Hasbro Bullish on Toys”).  Wizards of the Coast is planning Clone Wars expansions for its Star War Collectible Miniatures Game (see “Star Wars CMG Clone Wars Releases”), and WizKids has two Clone Wars releases on tap for its Star Wars Pocket Model CSG (see “WizKids Plans Two ’08 Clone War Releases”). 

The product releases are all part of a well-coordinated launch strategy that begins in July (see "'The Clone Wars' Rolls In").