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August 1-15, 2005 Edition

Penguin Targets

New Readership

With Short Paperbacks

NEW YORK, NY/07/29/2005—In an effort to attract new readers, Penguin Group USA’s Mass Market Paperbacks division plans to introduce a series of shorter-length, low-price paperbacks this fall.

The new line, called Hot Shots, will launch with six titles form bestselling authors, including J.D. Robb, Jayne Castle, Nora Roberts, Christine Feehan, Sherrilyn Kenyon and Maggie Shayne. Ranging in length from about 92 to 128 pages, the books, all new material rather than reprints, will be sold at $2.99 each.

Earlier this year the mass market division introduced Penguin Premium—a larger size paperback with higher quality paper and easier-to-read page designs.

The Mass Market Paperbacks division, part of Berkley Books, is headed by Leslie Gelbman as president. Gelbman is also president, publisher and editor-in-chief of Berkley Books, which publishes more than 500 titles per year under the Berkley, Jove and Ace imprints, in mass-market, trade paperback, and hardcover formats.