IDG Books Announces Licensing Partnership With The Booksource To Expand Its For Dummies Brand

Business Wire, August 15, 2000

Business Editors

FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 15, 2000

Bestselling For Dummies Brand To Be

Extended Into New Conversation Card Products

IDG Books Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDGB), and book wholesaler The Booksource announced today a licensing partnership to extend author content from IDGB's top-selling For Dummies(R) books into the popular TableTalk(R) format that's sure to get people talking.

Each deck of For Dummies conversation cards will feature the expertise of celebrated For Dummies authors, including success guru Zig Zigler and sex and romance authority Dr. Ruth Westheimer. Individual cards will feature a vignette from the book, followed by an open-ended question. The deal was negotiated at Book Expo America.

The first wave of professional titles slated to premier this fall include Success For Dummies, by Zig Ziglar, Selling For Dummies, by Tom Hopkins, and Public Speaking For Dummies, by Malcolm Kushner. The second wave of For Dummies Conversation Cards, more personal in nature and slated for release in January 2001, include Dating For Dummies, by Dr. Joy Browne, and Sex For Dummies and Rekindling Romance For Dummies, both by Dr. Ruth Westheimer.

With over 90 million books in print, For Dummies is the premier how-to brand, long recognized for its anxiety-chasing approach to learning a wide range of topics.

"IDG Books is viewing this new licensing arrangement with The Booksource as a unique product opportunity to extend these For Dummies books into more business and social settings by offering on-the-go bites of information from some of our expert authors," said Licensing Manager, Lina Pagano. "Such a conversation card format designed to inform and empower users to cut through complex discussions by suggesting small specific steps is true to the promise of our brand."

"We are excited to be partnering with IDG Books, the leader in informative, self-help materials," said The Booksource President, Sandy Jaffe. "The Booksource and IDGB's For Dummies brands are a great fit because both are dedicated to improving the quality of one's life. We expect For Dummies Conversation Cards to play a key role in getting people talking about subjects that could greatly benefit them, either at work or at home."

Available in bookstores, catalogs, toy retailers, educational stores and gift stores.

About The Booksource

The Booksource has served the retail bookstore, education and public library markets for over 25 years. Representing hundreds of publishers, The Booksource stocks over 50,000 titles in the main warehouse in St. Louis and a satellite facility in Austin, Texas.

In 1984, The Booksource purchased San Val, a library-binding company located in Steelville, Missouri, which converts paperback books into hardcover books for schools and libraries and rebinds text and library books. In addition to The Booksource, San Vall services other book wholesalers and libraries.

In January 2000, The Booksource acquired TableTalk(R), a novelty publishing company. TableTalk produces conversation starter cards and children's educational items. Included in the product line are the licenses for Chicken Soup for the Soul and Franklin Covey 7 Habits for Highly Effective People conversation cards. These book-related products are natural cross-over products for sales to The Booksource's established client base of retail bookstores.

In June of this year, The Booksource acquired Peaceable Kingdom Press, the premier publisher of paper products, featuring children's book illustrations. Peaceable Kingdom Press is recognized for its high quality reproduction of picture-book illustrations as greeting cards, notecards, posters, stickers, bookmarks and calendars. The product line currently includes licenses from such classics as Madeline, Curious George and Where the Wild Things Are. Peaceable Kingdom sells to more than 4,000 bookstores, toy stores, e-tailers and a wide range of card and gift shops worldwide.

About IDG Books Worldwide

IDG Books Worldwide, Inc. (Nasdaq:IDGB), headquartered in Foster City, Calif., is a leading global knowledge company with a diverse portfolio of technology, consumer and general how-to content brands, computer-based learning tools, Web sites and Internet e-services. IDGB's best-selling brands include For Dummies(R), 3-D Visual(R), Bible(R), CliffsNotes(TM), Frommer's(R) Travel Guides, The Unofficial Guides(R), Betty Crocker's(R) cook books, Weight Watchers(R) and Webster's New World(TM). IDGB is also the publisher of AOL Press, Hewlett-Packard Press, Netscape Press and Novell Press.

The company has more than 4,000 active titles, has publishing partnership agreements in more than 90 countries plus translations in 38 languages around the world. IDGB owns the Web sites www.dummies.com, www.frommers.com and www.cliffsnotes.com. More information about IDGB is available from the company's SEC filing or by visiting the company Web site at www.idgbooks.com. IDGB is a subsidiary of International Data Group, Inc., a leading global provider of information technology media, research, conferences and expositions.