Catalog-based retailers continue to boast the best
operating margins, which rose to 32 percent last year from 28 percent in 2003.

" The New Yorker magazine said of the short story, "there is much to
recommend this.

3 retail

Profitability Continues to Climb
Multichannel retailers again posted record profitability last year. And nearly one-fourth (24%) of retailers offered in-
store product availability on their websites last year .0 is a detailed survey that is based on
information from 136 retailers that shared their confidential data.

interest q

According to The State of Retailing Online 8. $399,923 in 2003).

About The State of Retailing Online 8.
Business, marketing, and IT professionals worldwide collaborate with Forrester
to align their technology investments with their business goals. Michael
Johnson, manager of communications for AuthorHouse. The company was founded in Bloomington, Indiana in 1997
to fulfill the dreams of authors who wanted to have their books published
while retaining all rights and control of content .

3 7

Shop.org became a division of the
National Retail Federation in January 2001., A short story can go a long way
- just ask AuthorHouse author O.html
"We're very proud of Mr.

general books

4 billion . "Online retailers who sell products
that are purchased by women are in a favorable position this year, as we
expect those categories to grow substantially. In 2004, 87 percent of
retailers who participated in the study used pay-for-performance search
placement and spent more than twice as much from their marketing budgets on
this category than they did in 2003 ($877,630 in 2004 vs. Forrester
offers products and services in four major areas: Research, Data, Consulting,
and Community.org is the association for retailers online. It's where the best
retail minds come together to gain the insight, knowledge, and intelligence to
make smarter, more informed decisions in the evolving world of the Internet
and multichannel retailing.

5 booksellers

0,
an annual Shop."
In addition, several categories are expected to receive at least ten
percent of their sector's sales from the Internet this year , including:
computer hardware and software (48%), tickets (28%), travel (26%), books
(20%), consumer electronics (13%), cosmetics and fragrances (12%), toys and
video games (12%), and flowers, cards , and gifts (10%).

* "Retail Sales" exclude travel and include the following categories:
sporting goods and equipment; flowers, cards, and gifts; health and beauty;
consumer electronics; other (subscriptions , art, and collectibles); apparel;
jewelry and luxury goods; home; food and beverage; books; tickets; computer
hardware and software; music and video; toys and video games; auctions; auto
and auto parts. These are not the same categories that the National Retail
Federation tracks; therefore, the numbers are not comparable.com.

q books

S.8 percent to $141. This year, a total of
13 categories will reach the five-percent penetration point. Additionally, 45 percent
allowed consumers to purchase and redeem gift cards online and in stores, up
from 30 percent in 2003. It
explores the opportunities and challenges facing retailers selling and
marketing on the Web, including store-based, catalog-based , and Web-only
retailers. The association's membership
includes interactive executives from store -based retailers, catalog-based
retailers, Web-based retailers, and retail solution providers.com /search/?mode=article+url=/archive/Wingspan/2005/February
/FIC.

interest 4

-U.0
percent to $172.4 billion this year.
This year, search engine marketing appeared as the clear leader as a source of
new customers, with retailers reporting that search engine marketing delivered
43 percent of overall customers to their sites.
Bryson, who has published several books, including "Clyde , the Elf that
Santa Fired," "The Box" and "A Trace of Smoke" says he approached a Japanese
airline magazine several months ago with his short story and they bought it. "It just goes to show you
the power of marketing yourself and the success you can enjoy as a published
author.

7 general

Online Sales Expected to Hit $172 Billion in 2005-

WASHINGTON, Ten years after its inception, online
retailing is growing up fast. Sales excluding travel are expected to
reach $109. In fact, categories
with products purchased largely by women will see the most growth this year.org.
"With profitability behind them, retailers can now focus on innovation and
growth through things like increased integration of their online and offline
businesses and internationalization of their sites," said Carrie Johnson , lead
author of the report and Principal Analyst at Forrester Research.

AuthorHouse Author Sees Short Story Republished 750 000 Times; Asian Travel Magazine Picks Up Tennessee Author's Work

The short story "The Old Man and the
Boy" may be viewed on the Web at
http://www.
AuthorHouse titles are available for order at more that 25,000 retail stores
worldwide, through major Internet booksellers and at the AuthorHouse online
store, http://www.ereleases.

1 top

AuthorHouse provides high-
touch customer service, an easy-to-use process and a broad range of services
to help authors write, publish, distribute and promote their works.

booksellers 7

Women's Retail Categories Poised for Growth
Several retail categories will experience steep growth this year, largely
due to the growing acceptance of online shopping by women.
Online sales of cosmetics and fragrances are expected to grow 33 percent while
sales of over-the-counter medications and personal care will rise 32 percent. For additional information , visit http://www.
Harper's Magazine has called "The Old Man and the Boy," "a beautiful
story . Bryson's accomplishments," said R.com

This release was issued through eReleases(TM).

General retail booksellers.

publications top

Online Retail Sales Profitability Continue Climb According to Shop.org/Forrester Research

Bryson, whose short story "The Old Man and
the Boy" was recently published in a Pacific Rim magazine that reaches more
than 750,000 readers.

booksellers x

Last
year, online retailers improved overall operating margins to 28 percent from
21 percent in 2003. As a result,
retailers are striving to integrate their stores and websites, which signals
cooperation among channels."
Bryson lives in Chattanooga, Tenn.

5 x

6 percent of total retail sales.
Bryson said his work of fiction, "The Old Man and the Boy" was chosen for
the Asian publication because, "they like to have at least one fiction story
in their magazine every month.authorhouse.

books x

8 percent to $89.

Forrester is an independent technology research company that provides
pragmatic and forward-thinking advice about technology 's impact on business.forrester.J."

About AuthorHouse
With over 27,000 books in print , AuthorHouse is the largest self-
publishing house in the world, providing premier publishing and marketing
services to authors.

2 top

org study conducted by Forrester Research (Nasdaq: FORR) of 137
retailers , 2004 online sales rose 23.6 billion.
Last year, almost all (92%) multichannel retailers included URLs on in-
store materials, up from just 77 percent in 2003.

EDITORS: For more information contact:
Communications Department
Tel: 800-839-8640 ext.

shopping 2

Excluding
travel, online retail sales also rose 23.0 billion,
representing 4.
Additionally, sales of jewelry and luxury goods (31%) and flowers, cards, and
gifts (30%) are expected to rise dramatically.
"Though initially adopted by men as a shopping tool, women are flocking to
the Internet in droves to comparison shop, research, and buy," said Scott
Silverman, Executive Director of Shop."

Online Retailers Find Search Engine Marketing Pays Off
One of the most compelling findings of the study addressed retailers'
marketing budgets and the effectiveness in marketing through certain channels. Founded in 1996, Shop.

com.

top books

"One way
retailers will grow sales over the next several years will be by launching
country-specific sites and operations to accommodate a growing number of
international customers. In fact, retailers
reported that the Web influenced 20 percent of in-store sales. The majority of retailers
(81%) also used websites to tout their stores.com.
"They have just asked for another," says Bryson, who has also been
published in Dance Today magazine in the United Kingdom and other travel-
related publications.

7 publications

Multichannel Retailing Advances
According to the study, retailers are keenly aware of the importance that
their website plays into their overall sales goals. Established in 1983, Forrester is headquartered in Cambridge,
Mass. BLOOMINGTON, Ind.5337
Fax: 812-961-3133
Email: rmjohnson@authorhouse. For more information,
visit http://www.

retail 2

*
The report predicts that online sales (including travel) will rise 22.0
The State of Retailing Online 8."
"The Old Man and the Boy" is a story about an old man's loneliness for his
son during the holiday season and all the feelings involved. In a twist
ending, the old man finally gets to see his offspring on stage.mcedit.