In its original English, The Notebook, a heart- squeezing novel of timeless romantic love by Nicholas Sparks, spent more than a year as a hardcover best seller after Warner Books published it in 1996. But in Spanish, the book has sold only a few hundred copies in the United States—an unsurprising showing, all things considered.

"The characters themselves are pretty waspy," says Marla Norman, U.S. sales director at Planeta, the book's Spanish language publisher. "And it takes place in South Carolina, so in that regard there's absolutely no appeal."

But just like the young lovers in the novel, who meet again after 14 years apart, The Notebook is getting a second chance to court Spanish readers. Thank the magic, or rather the marketing muscle, of movies.

Planeta is relaunching the translation, El cuaderno de Noah, in collaboration with New Line Cinema, which will release a movie based on the novel in June. New Line invested heavily in promoting the movie to Latinos, with advertising in Spanish-language media and marketing efforts targeting Spanish-speaking journalists. Planeta is reprinting the book, 3,000 copies to start, with a movie-related cover. They are planning to have Spanish floor displays in Barnes & Noble and Borders, with New Line picking up most of the cost. It's something Planeta would never have been able to afford on its own.

The project is an experiment that could influence future strategy for both New Line and Planeta, and set an example for the way other entertainment media approach the Spanish-language market. The question the companies are looking to answer is, Can a property lacking in any of the characteristics typically considered essential for appealing to a Latino audience find success in that market?

Elissa Greer, senior vice president of publicity and promotion for New Line, says some movies are obvious choices for vigorous promotion to Latinos: if they star Jennifer Lopez or Salma Hayek, for example, or are action-oriented pictures. The Notebook is a weepy southern story starring actors with surnames like Garner, Rowlands, and Allen. As Norman says, waspy. But New Line is hoping that the story's universal—which revolves around first love, family expectations, and the idea of having one true soul mate—transcends demographics.

"The Hispanic population is continuing to grow and explode," says Greer. "They have expendable income. They go to the movies, and I don't think you can stereotype what anyone wants to see." Greer admits she didn't get to this revelation on her own. It took a pitch from Diana Baron of publicity firm D. Baron Media in California.

"These guys came in and talked about their company and how they generate press. The key selling point was that you don't have to have a Latino in the movie," says Greer. She adds, "It wasn't a place I would have gone with it, but, really, it seemed to make a tremendous amount of sense."

There is some precedent. Planeta and New Line also worked together to promote The Lord of the Rings, with the publisher enjoying great success in U.S. Spanish-language sales as a result. But that was a big-budget epic set in a fantasy world foreign to all viewers, whereas The Notebook is an intimate film rooted in a real place and time in U.S culture. Nevertheless, the story has already proved its cross-cultural appeal in some Spanish-speaking countries (international sales figures are not available, but the book is said to have sold well in Latin America). Planeta only inherited the U.S. Spanish-language rights to The Notebook when it acquired the Emecé imprint, so it has never really pushed the book. Now not only is Planeta putting its own efforts behind the novel, it stands to benefit from the hefty promotional budget of a major film company. Planeta isn't betting cautiously on the outcome, but Norman said she hopes the initial 3,000-print run will prove conservative. "There's no obvious hook, but then I keep reminding myself that there was no obvious hook with The Lord of the Rings either," she says. "I think maybe we're finally at the point in this country that a good story is a good story."