Groundbreaking Team Extends the Storytelling of Groundbreaking Novel

NEW YORK, June 12 /PRNewswire/ -- The Perseus Books Group announced today a unique partnership around "Cathy's Book: If Found Call 650-266-8233" (RP hardcover, $17.95, ISBN: 0-7624-2656-X), the eagerly anticipated interactive YA novel by Sean Stewart and Jordan Weisman being published by Running Press in October 2006. The partnership includes the publisher, the authors, CoverGirl cosmetics, beinggirl.com (both divisions of P&G) and 42Entertainment, which specializes in experiential entertainment and marketing. These companies are working together to create a narrative experience which breaks out of the book itself in unprecedented ways.

"Cathy's Book ... " is the story of a teen girl who decides to investigate the mysterious disappearance of her boyfriend. She documents her investigation in a journal, filled with her notes, sketches and pieces of evidence. An immersive experience, the book is filled with clues and the reader can follow where they lead, including phone and web elements.

"'Cathy's Book...' fully immerses the reader in an entertainment experience, taking them on the same journey as the novel's heroine," said Jordan Weisman, co-author of the book and Chief Creative Executive for 42. "The story taps a rich vein of materials in both the on-and-offline worlds, creating a multi-platform experience that goes way beyond the pages of the book. The experience of reading and interacting with 'Cathy's Book...' is firmly grounded in great storytelling, and a world where teen girls feel comfortable and confident."

42Entertainment is creating the web and voice-messaging assets that bring the narrative of "Cathy's Book..." off the page and into the real world. Beinggirl.com - a leading site for girls by girls, is featuring sketches and comics drawn by the book's main character on its website. CoverGirl has makeup products that are also important to character and clues to the mystery. Running Press is publishing this groundbreaking novel in a journal format.

Running Press Book Publishers, headquartered in Philadelphia, and a member of the Perseus Books Group in Manhattan, has been experiencing a significant flood of early interest from retailers and foreign countries on "Cathy's Book...," due out in October of this year and expected to set a new trend in book publishing.

"'Cathy's Book...' is just the kind of project that sets Running Press' upstart YA publishing program apart from the pack," added Jon Anderson, Publisher of Running Press. "This highly designed, heavily illustrated, interactive and hip project is just the kind of publishing we like to do. And P&G's unique support will allow more readers to find the book and makes the story even more believable for its audience."

"'Cathy's Book...' continues to set unmatched standards of narrative ingenuity," said David Steinberger, President and CEO, Perseus Books Group. "With its interactivity and both fictional and real-world web components, we believe 'Cathy's Book...' is unlike any book ever published. The group of companies involved in bringing this experience to readers is very unique, and we are thrilled to be working together to make it powerful and fun."

"We wanted to be a part of this book because we loved Cathy's hip and original voice and her very true-to-life attitude," said Dave Knox, Teen External Relations Manager for Procter & Gamble. "The characters and adventures of 'Cathy's Book...' embody the spirit of both beinggirl.com and CoverGirl, so the partnership was a natural fit to better reach our overlapping target consumer."

In addition to the combined efforts of all the companies and authors in creating and extending the book's narrative, all will be involved in innovatively marketing the book to its core teen audience, via email blasts to their respective customers, PR efforts in their own channels, and post- publication book promotion on and offline.

According to Steinberger, at the 2006 Bologna Book Fair, "Cathy's Book..." attracted extraordinary attention from many of the world's leading children's publishers including Bloomsbury of Harry Potter fame. In addition to Bloomsbury in the UK, rights have been sold in Italy, Germany, Japan, Norway, Denmark and a number of other countries.

The Perseus Books Group is an independent company dedicated to enabling the success of independent publishers, whether they are wholly owned, joint ventures or completely independent companies. Perseus publishing programs include Basic Books, Basic Civitas, Counterpoint, Da Capo Press, Running Press and Westview Press, as well as a partnership with PublicAffairs. Through its wholly owned distribution company Client Distribution Services, the Perseus Books Group provides distribution services to more than 50 independent publishers including Abbeville, Assouline, Distributed Art Publishers (DAP), Harvard Business School Press, Planeta, University of Michigan Press, and Taschen.

Two billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers(R), Tide(R), Ariel(R), Always(R), Whisper(R), Pantene(R), Bounty(R), Dawn(R), Pringles(R), Folgers(R), Charmin(R), Downy(R), Lenor(R), Iams(R), Crest(R), Actonel(R), Olay(R), Head & Shoulders(R), and Wella. The P&G community consists of almost 110,000 employees working in over 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com/ for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

42Entertainment is the leader at inventing, creating, and producing the world's best immersive, participatory, and cross-platform entertainment experiences. With California offices in Emeryville and Pasadena, 42 comprises influencers from entertainment, marketing, gaming and the arts.

  Contact:  Michael Stewart
            212-340-8103
            michael.stewart@perseusbooks.com