Random House Audible Debuts With Exclusive Audio Edition of the September Selection From Oprah's Book Club - Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz

Business Wire, Sept 28, 2000

Business, Publishing & Internet Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 28, 2000

Available For Internet Download Or Streaming, "Drowning Ruth"

Premieres in Unabridged Audio and Read by Tony Award(R) Winning

Actress Blair Brown, Exclusively from Audible.com(TM) and Amazon.com

Audible, Inc. (Nasdaq:ADBL) and Random House, Inc. today announced the debut of Random House Audible, the first publishing imprint to produce spoken audio content specifically suited for distribution on the World Wide Web.

In May the formation of Random House Audible was announced by Donald Katz, founder and chairman, Audible, Inc. and Erik Engstrom, President and Chief Operating Officer, Random House, Inc., as a strategic alliance between the two companies.

The first Random House Audible title is Drowning Ruth by first-time author Christina Schwarz, a vivid and haunting novel about family secrets that was just selected as Oprah's Book Club(R) title for September 2000. Based on spectacular early reviews and strong sales, Random House Audible chose Drowning Ruth as the perfect launch title for the new publishing imprint. Audio production was recently completed with Broadway actress Blair Brown as the narrator.

"We welcome the opportunity to make Drowning Ruth and future Random House Audible releases, in addition to Audible's other innovative audio download programs, available to Amazon.com's 23 million customers," stated Lyn Blake, general manager of Books at Amazon.com.

"I cannot imagine a more auspicious introduction for our new imprint," commented Beth Anderson, vice president and publisher, Audible, Inc. "Everyone has heard a lot recently about the downloading of music from the Internet, and in similar fashion Random House Audible listeners can enjoy their favorite books and authors as easily as they can listen to music. Furthermore, because of Audible's secure content delivery system, publishers and authors can feel confident that their audio editions will be protected from unauthorized duplication or distribution."

"I'm extremely happy that Blair Brown, who's long been one of my favorite actresses, will be giving voice to Drowning Ruth," said author Christina Schwarz. "That her rendition will be the first Random House Audible title is very exciting, especially since I've recently become Internet-literate. I can't wait to hear it."

The unabridged audio edition of Drowning Ruth is available for streaming or download and for transfer to portable digital audio players from both audible.com and Amazon.com. About 30% of all audible.com customers regularly listen to their title selections directly from their desktop or laptop computers. The rest listen away from the PC with any AudibleReady(R) digital audio player that works as easily as a personal cassette or CD player, but without cassette tapes or CDs. And since there are no moving parts in a portable digital player, the audio does not skip when a listener is running for a bus or while exercising.

Audio programs can be quickly transferred directly from a PC to any handheld AudibleReady digital audio player using a simple cable connection or cradle link to the computer. Current portable listening options include the Diamond Rio 500, about the size of a deck of cards, or any of the Pocket PCs, powered by Microsoft, that are manufactured by Compaq, Casio and Hewlett-Packard. A number of new devices will be available later this fall.

"With the Random House Audible titles, we will make great books available to millions of people who can't find the time to read everything they'd like," added Mary Beth Roche, Vice President and Publishing Director, Random House Audible. "Following Drowning Ruth, we will release a wide variety of new titles that include science, technology and business titles, current best sellers, as well as a special program introducing a new audio short story each week. The short story selections will be grouped together in monthly themes; November's is science fiction, December will offer holiday stories and in January the New Year starts with new literary voices. We are pleased to utilize the immediacy of Internet delivery and address the interests of our growing community of listeners."

Upcoming Random House Audible titles include:

-- A Short Guide to a Happy Life by Anna Quindlen

-- Bobos in Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There by David
Brooks

-- Eboys: The First Inside Account of Venture Capitalists at Work by Randall E.
Stross

-- Everything You Thought You Knew About Politics...And Why You're Wrong by
Kathleen Hall Jamieson

-- Fish: A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results by Stephen
Lundin, Harry Paul and John Christensen

-- God's Equation: Einstein, Relativity, and the Expanding Universe by Amir
Aczel

-- Irrational Exuberance by Robert J. Shiller

-- Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony
Bourdain

-- Mean Genes: From Sex to Money to Food - Taming our Primal Instincts by Terry
Burnham and Jay Phelan

-- The Second Coming of Steve Jobs by Alan Deutschman

-- Zeitgeist by Bruce Sterling