MAIN NEWS HEADLINES

February 2-9, 2006 Edition

Bestselling Author Amy Tan

Continues Long-Term Contract

With Putnam’s and Ballantine

New York, NY/01/30/06—Amy Tan, the award winning, internationally-acclaimed, and New York Times bestselling author, is continuing her long-term publishing relationship with G. P. Putnam’s Sons and Ballantine—who have published all of Ms Tan’s novels and are announcing the acquisition of her latest work of fiction. North American rights to the as-yet-untitled novel were acquired by Ivan Held, President, G. P. Putnam’s Sons and Jane von Mehren, Vice President, Publisher, Trade Paperbacks, Random House Publishing Group, from Sandra Dijkstra. The acquisition was a joint venture between the two companies. Aimee Taub of G. P. Putnam’s Sons will edit the book, which Putnam will publish in hardcover in 2009, and Ballantine will publish later in trade paperback and mass market.

To date, Ms. Tan has written five adult novels, including the 2005 New York Times bestseller, Saving Fish From Drowning, and one book of nonfiction, The Opposite of Fate (2003), all of which have been critically acclaimed bestsellers. Her first novel, The Joy Luck Club, was published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons in 1989 and spent 40 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list. It was a finalist for the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award and was a recipient of the Commonwealth Gold Award and the Bay Area Book Award. The Joy Luck Club was adapted into a feature film in 1994, for which Ms. Tan was a co-screenwriter with Ron Bass and a co-producer with Bass and Wayne Wang.

Ms. Tan’s subsequent novels – The Kitchen God’s Wife (1991), The Hundred Secret Senses (1995), The Bonesetter’s Daughter (2001) and Saving Fish From Drowning (2005)—were also all highly successful New York Times bestsellers.

Mr. Held commented, “What a great honor it is for Putnam to publish Amy Tan, who continues to delight and surprise with her masterful sense of storytelling. I know I speak for everyone here who has been associated with the publication of her work that Amy’s wonderful books enrich Putnam’s award-winning list and will endure for generations.” Added Ms. von Mehren, “We are proud of our long history of publishing Amy Tan’s novels at Ballantine, and look forward to a long future with her.”

In addition to her adult novels, Amy Tan has written two books for children: The Moon Lady (1995) and SAGWA The Chinese Siamese Cat (1994), which was developed into an animated children’s television series for PBS. Her essays and stories have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies and her work has been translated into thirty-six languages.

Ms. Tan was born in Oakland, California. She received her Master’s degree in Linguistics from San Jose State University and worked as a language specialist in programs serving children with developmental disabilities. Ms. Tan, who is collaborating on an opera based on her novel, The Bonesetter’s Daughter, is also a member of a vintage garage band, The Rock Bottom Remainders. She and her husband live in San Francisco and New York.

Penguin Group (USA) Inc. is the U.S. member of the internationally renowned Penguin Group. Penguin Group (USA) is one of the leading U.S. adult and children’s trade book publishers, owning a wide range of imprints and trademarks, including Berkley Books, Dutton, Frederick Warne, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, Grosset & Dunlap, New American Library, Penguin Books, The Penguin Press, Philomel, Plume, Puffin, Riverhead Books and Viking, among others. The Penguin Group ( http://www.penguin.com) is part of Pearson plc, the international media company.

The Random House Publishing Group is a division of Random House, Inc., the U.S. company of Random House, which is the trade book publishing division of Bertelsmann, AG, one of the world’s foremost media companies. The Random House Publishing Group is comprised of Ballantine Books, Del Rey, Modern Library, One World, Presidio Press, Random House, and Villard.