MCLEAN, Va., May 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- USA TODAY, the nation's
top-selling newspaper, has signed licenses with six U.S. book publishers to
extend the USA TODAY brand to include books. Presenting a variety of
subjects, the books will be branded "USA TODAY" and feature graphics and
content from USA TODAY.
The book publishing initiative adds another brand extension to USA
TODAY which celebrates its 25th anniversary in September. Over the last 25
years, USA TODAY has expanded into the Internet, magazines, mobile, and
television programming.
"With more than 5 million readers every day, USA TODAY has one of the
strongest brands in news and information and has become a brand that
readers know, enjoy, and trust," said Susan Lavington, senior vice
president of marketing for USA TODAY. "The time is right to extend that
brand into book publishing, calendars and other products for consumers."
Nancy Bailey & Associates, a leading corporate brand licensing agency,
has been retained by USA TODAY to help USA TODAY develop new products
around its core assets. Nancy Bailey's team also represents companies such
as Reynolds and Coppertone.
"We felt it was clear that the most appropriate way to extend the USA
TODAY brand equities of clear, concise, timely writing was to expand those
into longer-form publications," said Linda Morgenstern, executive vice
president of Nancy Bailey & Associates. "We are delighted to have launched
USA TODAY's book publishing program with leading publishers in so many
categories."
The publishing arrangements include:
-- Nolo, the leading publisher of legal information for consumers, and USA
TODAY will co-produce a 12-book series of business and legal guides.
The guides will focus on the law, real estate, retirement, taxes and
small business. The first of the series is due out next February.
-- Sports Publishing, a major publisher of sports titles and coffee table
books, will publish a collectible hardcover book celebrating "25 Years
of USA TODAY," simultaneously with the updated reissue in paperback of
"The Making of McPaper, The Inside Story of USA TODAY" in August 2007.
Sports Publishing and USA TODAY will also publish "A Year in Sports,
2007" a review of major sporting events, due in stores before the
holidays.
-- Sterling Publishing, a division of Barnes & Noble, and one of the
world's leading publishers of nonfiction titles, will publish eight USA
TODAY Crossword Puzzle books in Spring 2008.
-- Andrews McMeel Publishing, a top publisher of general nonfiction trade
books and calendars, will publish a variety of five USA TODAY puzzle
books this Spring and a USA TODAY 2008 Day-to-Day Sudoku Puzzle
calendar in Fall 2007.
-- MultiMedia Publishing, a magazine publisher, is publishing a monthly
USA TODAY Sudoku puzzle magazine that can be found on newsstands in
grocery, mass, and chain drug retail.
-- Mead Westvaco Consumer Products, the leading calendar publisher, will
publish a 2008 USA TODAY Year-In-A-Box (R) Multi-Puzzle Calendar.
Nancy Bailey & Associates, Inc. is a full-service licensing agency
specializing in developing and managing corporate trademark licensing
programs for America's top brands. Headquartered in Atlanta, Nancy Bailey &
Associates has been a leader in brand extension licensing for 25 years,
cultivating long- term relationships with clients and creating innovative
consumer products through high-quality partners. The company offers a
comprehensive, turnkey licensing representation program as well as
specialized consulting services customized to meet the clients' needs. For
more information, please visit http://www.baileylicensing.com.
USA TODAY, the nation's top-selling newspaper, will be celebrating its
25th anniversary on September 15th, 2007. It is published via satellite at
36 locations in the USA and at four sites abroad. With a total average
daily circulation of 2.3 million, USA TODAY is available worldwide. USA
TODAY is published by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI). The USA TODAY brand
also includes: USATODAY.com, an award-winning news and information Web site
that is updated 24 hours per day; USA TODAY Sports Weekly, a magazine for
enthusiasts of professional football and baseball; and USA TODAY LIVE, the
television arm of the USA TODAY brand that brings the spirit and quality of
the newspaper to television.
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