New Offering Creates Cost-Efficient Strategy for Selling Backlist Titles and Testing New Books Before Going to Mass Printing NEW PROVIDENCE, N.J.--June 12, 2002-- R.R. Bowker, the leading provider of bibliographic information in North America, has partnered with Booksurge, LLC, to make available Booksurge's innovative on-demand book printing service to publishers of all sizes. Booksurge digitizes and produces "print on demand" books for publishers one book at a time. This allows publishers to test demand for a new title, or to determine whether an Out-of-Print or Going Out-of-Print book still has a shelf life, before committing to a major print run. In addition, publishers are not forced to digitize a number of titles at once, which is required by most book printers but is cost-prohibitive for many publishers. Booksurge is the only printer that guarantees 48-hour turnaround on books ordered through their service and will drop-ship orders at no additional cost. Bowker is partnering with Booksurge by creating a convenient direct ordering option for users of Bowker's booksinprint.com, e-booksinprint.com, globalbooksinprint.com, bookwire.com and publishershomepages.com. This instantly gives Booksurge a sales distribution channel through the most widely used bibliographic databases in the publishing industry. "This is a remarkable service that is made possible by the emergence of new digital technologies which enable low-volume, low-cost book printing," said Michael Cairns, president of New Providence, N.J.-based R.R. Bowker. "By eliminating the need for publishers to carry excess inventory, Booksurge's on-demand printing capability creates a valuable strategy for monetizing backlist, out-of-print or going-out-of-print titles. Moreover, it provides the unprecedented flexibility for publishers to test the market response to a new title without making a major financial commitment to a large print run." According to Cairns, the new offering also allows Bowker to better serve its customers in the library and bookselling communities by delivering another medium through which they can purchase hard-to-find books in a convenient, one-click fashion. "This is a unique opportunity for us to provide a service with significant benefits for both the buyers and publishers of books," said Cairns. "Bowker should be applauded for taking the industry's first progressive step toward helping publishers manage a transition to on-demand book distribution," said Mitchell Davis, vice president of marketing for Charleston, S.C.-based Booksurge. "This system has a revenue model that addresses the efficiencies inherent in a bookselling and distribution system with no inventory. Publishers both large and small will benefit greatly from Bowker's market reach with this service." "NBI is excited about being part of this innovative new step that Bowker and Booksurge are taking," said Penny Hussey, President & CEO of NovelBooks, Inc. www.novelbooksinc.com. "This new publishing model allows NBI to achieve a broader distribution without the usual problems of warehousing books or dealing with returns. It permits a publisher to concentrate on what a publisher does best -- acquire and edit outstanding titles by the most talented authors of today."