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January 04 – January 11 , 2007 Edition

Dorchester Beefs Up Thriller Line, Adds Doctor Books

NEW YORK, NY/1/2/2007—Dorchester, the oldest independent mass market publisher in America, and widely known for its romance, horror and Western titles, has been quietly branching into other areas of publishing during the past several years.

The privately-held company is growing its line of thriller titles which it launched in 2003. On January 2, Dorchester unveiled America’s Last Days, a thriller by Washington presidential writer Douglas MacKinnon, with an initial print run of 250,000 copies—one of the largest ever for the independent press. The MacKinnon thriller focuses on a national coup against an unpopular conservative president by an aspiring liberal candidate. But a team of “good” revolutionaries bar the liberal candidate from overtaking the oval office and succeed in rebuilding the nation. MacKinnon was once Senator Bob Dole’s press secretary and also was a writer for Presidents Reagan and Bush.

Also on January 2, the promotional website www.familydrbooks.com was set to debut for Dorchester’s new line of health literacy books, launched in late November 2006.

The Family Doctor Books, which have sold more than four million copies in the UK alone, have been licensed to Dorchester Publishing for release in the U.S. and Canada. Including full-color diagrams, and up-to-date information, the books will sell for $4.99 each.

“In this age of rising medical costs and corner-cutting HMOs, books like these are essential,” said Dorchester Publisher and CEO John Prebich. “There are a lot of celebrity-driven health books out there, as well as books by doctors looking to write the next South Beach Diet. But there are very few books that are targeted, authoritative and affordable. These guides give you the tools necessary to have an informed discussion with your doctor.”

The first five Family Doctor books—Arthritis, Asthma, Back Pain, Bowels and Cholesterol—hit bookstores and pharmacy counters in November 2006. The next five books in the series are due to be released in March 2007.

The company also publishes the Hard Case Crime line of pulp-style mysteries. Dorchester also added Smooch, an imprint for young adults, in 2003, and Making It, a chick-lit line of novels in 2004.