1stBooks Library Prints 1,000,000th Book

Print-On-Demand and E-book Publisher Surpasses One-Million Copy Milestone
1stBooks Library announced that the company printed its 1,000,000th book in early December 2002. Reaching this milestone continues to solidify 1stBooks Library's position as a leading player in the print-on-demand publishing sector. Since its inception in 1997, 1stBooks has consistently enjoyed phenomenal growth and record success. In all, 2002 was the company's most successful year in its five-year history -- during which time approximately 650,000 books were printed and sold -- nearly doubling its previous year total of books printed and sold.

From the time the company printed its first book in June 1997 through December 31, 2001, 1stBooks printed and sold a total of more than 350,000 books -- making 2002's output an astounding 185% increase in books printed over the total number printed in the previous four years combined and representative of approximately 65% of the company's total output since 1997.

"Once again, we are extremely pleased to ring in New Year with such celebratory news," said company president Robert McCormack. "Our dedication to providing the industry's most superior customer service and widest range of design, production, distribution and marketing services to our ever-growing family of more than 11,000 authors and their 13,000 titles has paid off handsomely for authors and readers alike. We look forward to continued success and experiencing even greater achievements throughout 2003 and beyond."

1stBooks recently received significant capital investments from Indianapolis based Gazelle TechVentures and Columbus, Indiana based Johnson Ventures. Highly skilled in helping companies grow, both Gazelle and Johnson will provide management expertise and guidance as the company continues its rapid growth and expansion. As a result of the capital investments, the company is expanding upon and enhancing its services to the benefit of its ever-growing stable of authors and their titles.

1stBooks published a record 5,000 new titles last year, making it one of the world's largest independent publishers. Additionally, the company saw a significant increase in revenues and profitability, increasing revenue by more than 65% in 2002 compared to the year prior.