iUniverse Breaks "Short Book Barrier" for Authors

Publisher Announces New Capability to Print Trade Paperbacks Down to 48 Pages
Short Format Ideal for Poetry, Children's Books, Other Genres

Lincoln, Neb. (March 12, 2003)

iUniverse, one of the largest publishers in the United States, today announced that it will offer authors the ability to publish perfect bound books down to 48 pages in length, compared to the previous limitation of approximately 100 pages. The new capability is a tremendous benefit to authors in several genres, including:

• Poetry, allowing poets to publish topical volumes with as few as 20 poems.
• Children's books, which are often less than 100 pages.
• Technical and professional titles focused on specific topics.
• Short story collections and novellas down to approximately 10,000 words.

iUniverse president and CEO Kimra Hawley says the company is responding to large numbers of authors requesting professional, perfect bound books with shorter page counts.

"Our authors spoke and we listened," says Hawley. "Because of our strategic printing partnerships, we've been able to stretch the technology of perfect bound printing to accommodate shorter pages lengths. iUniverse also has book designers that focus on poetry and shorter volumes. Offering this new capability to our authors is another example of iUniverse's market leadership."

Authors of shorter works can take advantage of all of iUniverse's comprehensive publishing services, including custom front and back covers, marketing tools and support, and distribution to more than 25,000 online and traditional bookstores, including Barnes & Noble.com (NASDAQ: BNBN) and Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN).

Poet C.E. Laine has published two poetry volumes through iUniverse: Allegory and The Weight of Dust. Laine says iUniverse's new short book capability is a welcome option for authors.

"iUniverse's new technology gives authors the freedom to publish shorter, more tightly focused works according to their artistic goals," says Laine.

About iUniverse, Inc.

iUniverse helps individuals publish, market, and sell fiction and non-fiction books. The company is one of the largest publishers in the United States and publishes more than 5,000 new titles per year. iUniverse publishing programs are endorsed by industry leading author organizations, including the Authors Guild, ASJA, and the Mystery Writers of America. The company's major investors include Warburg Pincus and Barnes & Noble.