March 2003 - Nr. 3
Bertelsmann Launches International Book Club
TWIG - DirectGroup Bertelsmann, a division of the German-based publishing conglomerate, will launch a world-wide bestseller book club, the company announced Tuesday (March 18). No Second Chance, a new thriller by popular American author Harlan Coben, will be the first selection for the International Book of the Month project. In the coming weeks, the book will be offered in more than 15 countries on four continents to some 28 million club members.
In the first phase, the English edition will be offered in the U.S., U.K., Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Translations will follow for club members in countries ranging from China to the Czech Republic. DirectGroup Bertelsmann expects the new strategy will sell more than one million copies of No Second Chance worldwide. This title was selected by the book club’s publishers and executive editors in Europe, Asia, Australia and the U.S. based on its potential to become an international bestseller. Future selections will be released three times a year.
"The International Book of the Month campaign offers authors and publishers the opportunity to present new books to an international readership" and "proves our unique position as mediator between readers, publishers and authors in a book market shaped by strong competition," said Ewald Walgenbach, director of DirectGroup Bertelsmann.
