Book-of-the-Month Club and Little, Brown and Company Announce an Exclusive Book Club for #1 Best-selling Author James Patterson

NEW YORK, April 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Direct Brands Inc., the leading direct-to-consumer club network for books, DVDs and recorded music, and the parent company of book clubs such as Book-of-the-Month Club, Doubleday Book Club and Mystery Guild, is pleased to announce a new partnership with #1 New York Times Best Selling Author James Patterson.

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Members who enroll now in the James Patterson Library will receive the newest book in Patterson's #1 bestselling "Women's Murder Club" series, 10th ANNIVERSARY, plus a free gift for only $7.95.  10th ANNIVERSARY will be released on May 2, 2011.

"The book clubs have had a long-standing relationship with James Patterson over the past 20 years, and we are thrilled to take it to the next level," says Deborah Fine, President and CEO of Direct Brands Inc. "Our new continuity program, in partnership with Hachette Book Group's Little, Brown and Company, will provide James Patterson's loyal fans with a unique, new way to enjoy his work, delivered directly to their mailbox month after month," she adds.  

"I'm delighted about my books being made available through Direct Brands," said James Patterson, "since I know that they are dedicated to giving readers direct access to their favorite authors and titles.  And there's no better book to start with than the 10th book in my Women's Murder Club series; I think it's the best yet and I can't wait to bring it to WMC fans everywhere."

Michael Pietsch, Publisher of Little, Brown and Company, said, "James Patterson fans are ravenous for good stories – and this connection between Jim's books and Direct Brands will be sure to satisfy the appetites of his biggest fans. We couldn't be happier about this partnership."

The James Patterson Library will be available at www.JamesPattersonLibrary.com.  Once enrolled in the club, every four weeks members will automatically receive all new thrillers by James Patterson for $12.95 plus shipping and handling.  If there is not a new Patterson thriller, the member may choose from approximately 50 earlier backlist titles.  "If you're a Patterson fan," says Fine, "you'll want all of his books.  Members will also have the choice of automatically receiving his phenomenally popular books for children and young adults, including his Maximum Ride and Daniel X series, plus the upcoming Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life."

Direct Brands Inc. is the largest direct-to-consumer club network for books, DVDs and recorded music in the U.S.  The company is home to such market-leading book, DVD and music club brands as Book-of-the-Month Club, Doubleday Book Club and Columbia House, among its 24 multi-platform businesses, as well as several other special interest and lifestyle book clubs. The company serves more than 8 million members in the U.S. through its various club catalogs and online.  www.booksonline.com

About James Patterson

Since his first novel, The Thomas Berryman Number, won the Edgar Award in 1977, James Patterson's books have sold more than 220 million copies worldwide. His Alex Cross series, including Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider, is the most popular detective series of the past twenty-five years. In total, his Maximum Ride, Daniel X, and Witch & Wizard series for younger readers have spent more than 200 weeks on national bestseller lists, and all three series are in Hollywood development. His lifelong passion for books and reading led James Patterson to launch the website ReadKiddoRead.com to give adults an easy way to locate the very best books for kids. He writes full-time and lives in Florida with his family.

About Hachette Book Group

Hachette Book Group (HBG) is a leading US trade publisher headquartered in New York and owned by Hachette Livre, the second largest publisher in the world. In one year, HBG publishes approximately 650 adult books, 150 young adult and children's books, and 100 audio book titles. In 2009, the company had a record 130 books on the New York Times bestseller list, with 24 of them ranked #1.

SOURCE Direct Brands Inc.