USA TODAY Extends Brand to Books

MCLEAN, Va., May 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- USA TODAY, the nation's top-selling newspaper, has signed licenses with six U.S. book publishers to extend the USA TODAY brand to include books. Presenting a variety of subjects, the books will be branded "USA TODAY" and feature graphics and content from USA TODAY.

The book publishing initiative adds another brand extension to USA TODAY which celebrates its 25th anniversary in September. Over the last 25 years, USA TODAY has expanded into the Internet, magazines, mobile, and television programming.

"With more than 5 million readers every day, USA TODAY has one of the strongest brands in news and information and has become a brand that readers know, enjoy, and trust," said Susan Lavington, senior vice president of marketing for USA TODAY. "The time is right to extend that brand into book publishing, calendars and other products for consumers."

Nancy Bailey & Associates, a leading corporate brand licensing agency, has been retained by USA TODAY to help USA TODAY develop new products around its core assets. Nancy Bailey's team also represents companies such as Reynolds and Coppertone.

"We felt it was clear that the most appropriate way to extend the USA TODAY brand equities of clear, concise, timely writing was to expand those into longer-form publications," said Linda Morgenstern, executive vice president of Nancy Bailey & Associates. "We are delighted to have launched USA TODAY's book publishing program with leading publishers in so many categories."

The publishing arrangements include: -- Nolo, the leading publisher of legal information for consumers, and USA TODAY will co-produce a 12-book series of business and legal guides. The guides will focus on the law, real estate, retirement, taxes and small business. The first of the series is due out next February. -- Sports Publishing, a major publisher of sports titles and coffee table books, will publish a collectible hardcover book celebrating "25 Years of USA TODAY," simultaneously with the updated reissue in paperback of "The Making of McPaper, The Inside Story of USA TODAY" in August 2007. Sports Publishing and USA TODAY will also publish "A Year in Sports, 2007" a review of major sporting events, due in stores before the holidays. -- Sterling Publishing, a division of Barnes & Noble, and one of the world's leading publishers of nonfiction titles, will publish eight USA TODAY Crossword Puzzle books in Spring 2008. -- Andrews McMeel Publishing, a top publisher of general nonfiction trade books and calendars, will publish a variety of five USA TODAY puzzle books this Spring and a USA TODAY 2008 Day-to-Day Sudoku Puzzle calendar in Fall 2007. -- MultiMedia Publishing, a magazine publisher, is publishing a monthly USA TODAY Sudoku puzzle magazine that can be found on newsstands in grocery, mass, and chain drug retail. -- Mead Westvaco Consumer Products, the leading calendar publisher, will publish a 2008 USA TODAY Year-In-A-Box (R) Multi-Puzzle Calendar.

Nancy Bailey & Associates, Inc. is a full-service licensing agency specializing in developing and managing corporate trademark licensing programs for America's top brands. Headquartered in Atlanta, Nancy Bailey & Associates has been a leader in brand extension licensing for 25 years, cultivating long- term relationships with clients and creating innovative consumer products through high-quality partners. The company offers a comprehensive, turnkey licensing representation program as well as specialized consulting services customized to meet the clients' needs. For more information, please visit http://www.baileylicensing.com/.

USA TODAY, the nation's top-selling newspaper, will be celebrating its 25th anniversary on September 15th, 2007. It is published via satellite at 36 locations in the USA and at four sites abroad. With a total average daily circulation of 2.3 million, USA TODAY is available worldwide. USA TODAY is published by Gannett Co., Inc. . The USA TODAY brand also includes: USATODAY.com, an award-winning news and information Web site that is updated 24 hours per day; USA TODAY Sports Weekly, a magazine for enthusiasts of professional football and baseball; and USA TODAY LIVE, the television arm of the USA TODAY brand that brings the spirit and quality of the newspaper to television.