iUniverse and Kensington Publishing Corp. Announce Partnership; Innovative Publishing Opportunity Provides Authors With an Additional Route to Success

Business Wire, Sept 18, 2002

Business Editors

LINCOLN, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 18, 2002

Authors who publish with iUniverse and find market success will now have the opportunity to have their titles considered for print publication by Kensington Publishing Corp., which publishes 7% of the mass market books sold in the U.S.

Under the new partnership, the best-selling iUniverse romance titles will have a chance to land straight on the desk of an editor at Kensington Publishing. iUniverse, the clear leader in independent publishing, and Kensington, which publishes fiction and nonfiction in all formats and which, through its Zebra Books imprint, remains America's largest publisher of romance fiction, have chosen to partner to in pursuit of new talent. This co-venture provides a path to a traditional publisher, which helps both authors and agents.

The partnership is simple - Kensington always on the look-out for promising new writers and iUniverse is one of the leading sources to find these authors. Kensington publishes dozens of original works from first time authors each year and has nurtured the careers of well-known romance authors such as Lisa Jackson and Kat Martin. iUniverse launched the career of recent New York Times Best-Seller Laurie Notaro and allows everyone the opportunity to publish, while keeping the costs low - a new author can get their manuscript published as a quality trade paperback book for as little as $159.

"We have many great authors and the Kensington partnership validates that fact," said Kimra Hawley, iUniverse's Chief Executive Officer, "Kensington is the number one U.S. based publisher of romance titles, and we feel this partnership is a way for our best-selling authors in this popular category to achieve success."

In fact, Kensington has already picked up several iUniverse authors prior to the announcement of the official partnership, including Ruby Ann Boxcar, author of Ruby Ann's Down Home Trailer Park Cookbook, now working on her third book in the series for Kensington, after publishing the initial ground-breaking effort with iUniverse.

"iUniverse has proven its leadership position, providing a level of quality production and support to self-published authors that has helped them to reach their audiences and, for many, bring their books to the attention of established publishers," says Steven Zacharius, President of Kensington Publishing. He also comments, "We're excited about this new partnership. Focusing our resources to discover new talent is a long standing commitment at Kensington that has brought us great success and satisfaction. Our alliance with iUniverse, a company that works with some of the best independently published authors and continues to attract an amazing range of new and ambitious writers, offers us the opportunity to further expand and enhance those efforts."

About iUniverse, Inc.

iUniverse helps individuals publish, market, and sell fiction and non-fiction books. The company is the largest independent publisher in the U.S. and publishes more than 5,000 new titles per year. IUniverse publishing programs are endorsed by industry leading author organizations, including the Authors Guild, ASJA, and the Mystery Writers of America. The company's major investors include Warburg Pincus and Barnes & Noble.

About Kensington Publishing Corporation

Kensington Publishing Corp., located in New York, was established in 1974. The company remains the only independent, full-line publishing house in the United States, as well as the foremost American publisher of romance books. The company's most recent bestsellers are Plain Jane by Fern Michaels, Married Men by Carl Weber, God Don't Like Ugly by Mary Monroe, It's a Thin Line by Kimberla Lawson Roby, Souls of My Sisters written and edited by Dawn Daniels and Candace Sandy, The World of Normal Boys by K. M. Soehnlein, Green Calder Grass by Janet Dailey, Hot Rain by Kat Martin and Cold Blooded by Lisa Jackson.

Kensington Publishing publishes in all formats-hardcover, trade paperback and mass market. Its imprints include Kensington Books, Citadel Press, Dafina Books, Twin Streams, Zebra Books, Pinnacle Books, Lyle Stuart, Ballad Romances, Zebra Regency Romance, and Brava. Through these diverse imprints, Kensington Publishing is well known for its African American titles, gay fiction, alternative and traditional health titles, popular fiction, gambling and Wicca titles as well as for its romance, true crime, western, and mystery publishing programs. The company also continues to represent BET Books/Arabesque to the trade and to distribute titles from Mayo Clinic, New Horizon and Frederick Fell.