Outskirts Press, an Inc. 500 company in 2009 and the fastest-growing full-service self-publishing and book marketing company, was recognized once again by Inc. Magazine in 2010 in its annual "Fast 5000" list of the nation's fastest-growing private businesses.

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"As an Inc. 5000 honoree, Outskirts Press shares a prestigious pedigree with such notable alumni as Zappos, Visa, Oracle, and scores of other powerhouses," according to Jane Berentson, Inc. Magazine's editor.

The Inc. 5000 annual rankings are based upon the rate of each company's revenue growth from 2006 through 2009. This is the second year in a row Outskirts Press has appeared on the list.

"We are honored once again to be recognized by Inc. Magazine on this annual list," said Brent Sampson, Outskirts Press president and chief executive officer. "To appear on this list once is a feat; and twice in a row is a true testament of our commitment to quality, customer service, and value for our authors."

The announcement comes on the heels of the recent launch of Outskirts Press Version 4.0, where writing and book marketing services are now available a la carte, regardless of where writers choose to publish. Learn more at http://outskirtspress.com.

About Outskirts Press, Inc.:

Outskirts Press, Inc. offers full service, custom self-publishing services for authors seeking a cost-effective, fast, and flexible way to publish and distribute their books worldwide while retaining all their rights and full creative control. Available for authors globally at www.outskirtspress.com and located on the outskirts of Denver, Colorado, Outskirts Press represents the future of book publishing, today.

SOURCE Outskirts Press, Inc.

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Texas Children's Hospital has adapted its medically acclaimed book, "Vaccine-Preventable Disease: The Forgotten Story" into a Spanish-language version featuring real-life stories about the impact of five diseases that are vaccine-preventable, yet prevalent in the Hispanic and Latino communities. Copies of the book are available for purchase at http://bit.ly/vaccinebookspanish.

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The book recently was distributed to more than 1,200 pediatricians attending the II International Pediatric Updates Symposium, a three-day conference co-sponsored by Texas Children's and held in Cartagena, Colombia. In addition, the book has received praise from the National Hispanic Medical Association who recognized it as a helpful tool to discuss the consequences of vaccine-preventable diseases with concerned parents.

"The National Hispanic Medical Association applauds the making of the book, "Vaccine-Preventable Disease: The Forgotten Story," said Dr. Ciro V. Sumaya, board chairman of the National Hispanic Medical Association and author of the book's forward. "The powerful message in these personal stories is the genuine petition to the public—including the poor and vulnerable, young and old—to get immunized."

The families featured in the stories give an intimate view of just how infectious and fatal vaccine-preventable diseases can be. As advocates for vaccines, these families share the longstanding impact the diseases had on their lives and tell why it is so important to adhere to recommended vaccine schedules.  

The Sotos, one of the families in the book, sat anxiously at daughter Sydney's side as she battled pandemic H1N1 influenza for 28 days in the hospital. Twelve-year-old Sydney had symptoms of nausea, fatigue and a fever above 100 degrees. The worsening of her ailments eventually led to the diagnosis of H1N1 influenza. Soto was then placed on a ventilator, experienced respiratory failure and even had double pneumonia. Fortunately, after intensive medical treatment, her health improved and she continues to recover.

The H1N1 influenza vaccine became available for Sydney's age group a week after she contracted the disease. Sydney and her family shared their story with the hope that another child doesn't have to suffer from a disease that can be prevented.

"I shudder to think how much guilt I would feel if I had refused the vaccine and then watched her go through this experience," said Linda Soto, Sydney's mom. "Sydney almost died."

Dr. Carol J. Baker, executive director of the Center for Vaccine Awareness and Research at Texas Children's Hospital and one of the book's co-authors, says that Sydney is just one example of a child who endured insurmountable pain due to a vaccine-preventable disease. She believes that there are many more children who suffer through similar and sometimes worse pain because they were not vaccinated.

"Through impactful real-life stories of children suffering because they were not protected by vaccines, this book helps to educate and inform parents in a way that mere statistics cannot," said Baker who recently served as chair of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "We're telling parents that scientific studies have proven that these vaccines are indeed safe and save lives."

Along with pandemic H1N1 influenza, the other diseases that are a focus in the book are human papillomavirus, meningococcal meningitis, pertussis (whooping cough) and seasonal influenza.    

In addition to Baker, co-authors of "Vaccine-Preventable Disease: The Forgotten Story" include Dr. Julie A. Boom and Rachel M. Cunningham. Boom is director of infant and childhood immunization for the Center for Vaccine Awareness and Research at Texas Children's Hospital. Cunningham is the immunization registry and educational specialist at Texas Children's.

More than 3,000 copies of the Spanish book and 80,000 copies of the English book have been distributed to pediatricians and school nurses across the country and internationally. Copies of the book are available for purchase at vaccine.texaschildrens.org, with an educational poster series also offered. Additional information about vaccines can also be found on the Web site. All proceeds from the sale of vaccine books and posters go directly toward the cost of producing future editions. The Center for Vaccine Awareness and Research at Texas Children's Hospital does not profit monetarily from this project.

About the Center for Vaccine Awareness and Research

The Center for Vaccine Awareness and Research at Texas Children's Hospital promotes healthier children and families by providing parents and health care professionals with the latest information and recommendations on vaccines for infants, children, adolescents, pregnant women and adults and by conducting research that contributes to effective vaccine delivery models. Information is available on its Web site, www.vaccine.texaschildrens.org. An ongoing program, the center is the creation of four Texas Children's Hospital physicians who are experts in the fields of vaccine education and research, pediatrics, infectious diseases and adolescent medicine.

About Texas Children's Hospital

Texas Children's Hospital is committed to a community of healthy children by providing the finest pediatric patient care, education and research. Renowned worldwide for its expertise and breakthrough developments in clinical care and research, Texas Children's is nationally ranked in all ten subspecialties in U.S.News & World Report's list of America's Best Children's Hospitals. Texas Children's also operates the nation's largest primary pediatric care network, with more than 40 offices throughout the greater Houston community. Texas Children's has embarked on a $1.5 billion expansion, Vision 2010, which includes the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute™, a comprehensive obstetrics facility focusing on high-risk births and a community hospital in suburban West Houston. For more information on Texas Children's Hospital, go to www.texaschildrens.org. Get the latest news from Texas Children's Hospital by visiting the online newsroom and on Twitter at twitter.com/texaschildrens.

Available Topic Experts: For information on the listed experts, click appropriate link.

C. Mary Healy

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Carol Baker

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Julie Boom

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SOURCE Texas Children's Hospital

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Ralph Crosby, founder and CEO of one of the nation's leading marketing communications firms, has written a new book; It's The Customer, Stupid! Lessons Learned in a Lifetime of Marketing.  In it, Crosby says that any organization's success starts and ends with the customer, not with its products or services.  Using examples and stories of both marketing success and failure, It's The Customer, Stupid! offers guidance on how to achieve better business results through customer focus and satisfaction.

The book explains how Crosby's education as a marketer led to his understanding of the critical nature of the customer-centric approach, especially in today's fast-paced marketing environment, which blends traditional media with new, online media.

The author contends that if you are in business – for profit or nonprofit – you must focus on those whose satisfaction is key to the organization's success, be they buyers, members, contributors, patients, clients, volunteers, subscribers, employees or suppliers.

The lessons learned by the author started in his hard-working youth, grew in his early career as a successful journalist, and flourished in his more than 30 years as head of Crosby Marketing Communications, now one of the largest advertising/PR agencies in the mid-Atlantic region.  The firm is ranked #260 on Advertising Age's list of the country's 500 largest agencies.  It has offices in Annapolis, Md., and Washington, D.C.

The book recounts lessons the author learned through hands-on experience and the personal teachings of such experts as the late Peter Drucker, known as "the father of modern management."

Among the subjects covered in the book:

• Best practices in the customer-centric process.
• How to bond with your customer.
• Sending the right message to the customer.
• Avoiding the myths and mistakes of marketing.
• Customer engagement in the Internet age.
• New media + old media = The future of marketing.

Copies of the book can be purchased from Crosby Marketing at www.crosbymarketing.com.  The price is $19.95 plus shipping and handling.  Quantity discounts are available.

In concert with the book's publication, Mr. Crosby has begun a blog on customer-centric marketing:  www.its-the-customer-stupid.com.

SOURCE Crosby Marketing

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Continuing to provide book lovers with the most natural, immersive digital reading experience, Sony today announced the launch of its beautifully-designed new line of Reader digital books, including the new Reader Pocket Edition™, Reader Touch Edition™ and, in the U.S., the wireless Reader Daily Edition™.  The new line of Readers features a host of new design and technology enhancements that make them the perfect device for any reader's lifestyle.  

"Today, we're excited to announce not just the availability of the Reader Touch Edition and Pocket Edition in the countries we already serve but also plans to expand the Reader line to previously untapped markets," said Steve Haber, president of Sony's Digital Reading Business Division. "We take a thoughtful approach to country expansion, including Italy, Spain, Australia, Japan and China, working with local bookstores to ensure content is compatible, relevant and in the appropriate language for each market."

The new Reader models bring a fresh level of flare to e-reading with colorful, elegant aluminum designs and all new, highly responsive touch screens. In addition to the new devices in the U.S., Sony announced development of a set of applications for iPhone and the Android Marketplace to extend the Reader experience across multiple portable devices.  

"The success of our previous line of Readers illustrates book lovers' demand for feature choices and full touch screens on their digital reading devices," said Phil Lubell, vice president of Digital reading at Sony Electronics. "Today, we're answering their call by providing an entire line of stylish, full touch screen devices with a variety of features and price points."

What's New

The new generation of Readers builds on the popularity of last year's line. For 2010 Sony has restyled all three of the devices, reduced their size and weight, and made new, innovative touch screens available across the entire line.  

• Touch Screen for Everyone
  • Based on the popularity of the full touch screen on its previous Reader Touch Edition and Daily Edition models, Sony equipped the entire line of new Readers with improved, optical touch screen technology designed specifically for digital reading*.  The new, first-to-market technology enhances ease of use and increases reading clarity, creating an immersive reading experience for consumers. Book lovers can now escape into their favorite books with the lightest swipe of a finger or stylus pen.
• Improved E Ink Displays
  • All three devices utilize E Ink® Pearl electronic paper displays, which delivers a paper-like display that is readable in direct sunlight. The screens offer a high contrast ratio with 16 levels of grayscale, ensuring that text and images are crisp and easy to read.
• A Reader Pocket Edition that Will Wow You
  • The new Reader Pocket Edition sports a five-inch, full touch screen and a smart, lightweight design that's easy to slip into a purse or jacket pocket for convenient, on-the-go reading. It is available in chic colors, including silver and pink. It has 2 GB of onboard memory, which lets you carry up to 1,200 of your favorite books, and retails for about $179.  
• A New Reader Touch Edition: More of Everything Readers Love
  • The new Reader Touch Edition features a six-inch full touch screen and an intuitive design with 2 GB of onboard memory. In addition, it offers dual expansion slots for up to 32GB of additional memory and the ability to play MP3 and AAC audio files. It's available in black or red for about $229.
• A Reader Daily Edition that Adds Wi-Fi and New Web Features
  • The Reader Daily Edition provides a wireless connection to Sony's Reader Store from most of the U.S. via AT&T's 3G network. Now, it will also provide Wi-Fi and basic Web browsing capability on its large, seven-inch full touch screen.
  • "The eReading space is doing very well and the Daily Edition has been a great performing product in this popular connected devices category," said Glenn Lurie, president of AT&T emerging devices. "We're looking forward to connecting Sony's next generation wirelessly connected eReader on the nation's fastest mobile broadband network."    
  • A host of pre-loaded practical and reading-based URLs will provide direct access to optimized, text-based sites to add a new dimension to the reading experience. The Reader Daily Edition also includes 2 GB of memory and expansion slots for additional memory (up to 32 GB). It comes in silver and will sell for about $299.
• Additional New Features Across the Entire Line
  • New features allow for easier reading of PDF or personal documents. Intuitive content zoom, adjustable contrast and brightness control, as well as automatic multiple page creation will make documents designed for a standard sheet of paper easier to read on a smaller screen. Also, personalized standby screen options will allow users to use their favorite photos as a screen saver and the collections functionality will allow them to group their favorite reads.
  • In addition, the new Reader line is more global than ever, offering users the ability to look up words and phrases with the built in New Oxford American Dictionary, Second Edition and Oxford Dictionary of English eDictionaries, as well as 10 translation dictionaries in languages such as French, German, Spanish, Italian and Dutch. Wordsmiths across the globe can now create "word logs" to track the words they've looked up per dictionary, book or periodical in chronological order, while quickly switching between dictionaries.
• More Content on More Devices
  • In addition to announcing a new generation of Readers, Sony has also made several changes and improvements to Reader Store. More than 1.2 million titles are available in the U.S. via the store. Sony remains committed to providing an extensive offering of newspaper and magazine content for single issue purchase or subscription within the newsstand area of the store.  Soon to be available titles include The Harvard Business Review, The Wilson Quarterly and Dell Magazines' highly regarded fiction magazines: Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, Asimov's Science Fiction, and Analog Science Fiction and Fact. The store's Library Finder application continues to provide easy access to local public libraries to borrow eBooks for free. To make choosing a book easier, the New York Times Bestsellers list will be featured alongside the Reader Store's bestsellers. By next month, integration with Goodreads will also permit the inclusion of reader reviews from that site onto the Reader Store.
  • With Reader™ Desktop Edition (formerly Reader Library) for Apple's Mac OS X and Microsoft® Windows® and Reader™ Mobile Edition for Apple iPhone and Google Android-based smartphones, users will be able to synchronize their reading among multiple devices. These free applications, available later this year, will offer an intuitive digital reading experience with an elegant interface and access to Sony's Reader Store for browsing and purchasing content. Reader Desktop Edition also includes the ability to easily manage content for the non-wireless Reader models.

The new Reader Pocket Edition and the new Reader Touch Edition are available immediately, and the new Reader Daily Edition is expected to be available this in time for the holidays. The Reader Pocket Edition and Touch Edition, as well as available accessories such as AC adaptors, cases and covers with reading lights, are available now at SonyStyle.com and SonyStyle stores.

*Optical touch screen technology customized for Sony and licensed from Neonode Inc.

SOURCE Sony Electronics

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Borders® today announced it is teaming with Build-A-Bear Workshop® to bring the popular teddy bear to life in more than 500 Borders superstores nationwide.

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Borders will feature the Build-A-Bear Workshop book "Holly & Hal Moose™: Our Uplifting Christmas Adventure", "Holly & Hal Moose: Our Uplifting Christmas Adventure" DVD and Hal Moose™, a Build-A-Bear Workshop plush toy, in stores. Borders will encourage customers to purchase the furry friend, book, and DVD and donate the items to the company's holiday book drive. Borders hosts several book drives each year to benefit needy children. Borders will also carry "Build-A-Bear Workshop" Make and Play Kits, available Nov. 1, 2010.

"We are excited to partner with Borders this holiday season to offer fun make and play kits and Holly & Hal Moose products," said Maxine Clark, Build-A-Bear Workshop founder and chief executive bear. "We anticipate that the Build-A-Bear Workshop Make and Play Kits in Borders stores will encourage creativity and imaginative play for kids of all ages."

Borders will host a free Build-A-Bear Workshop themed party on Nov. 13 in stores nationwide to celebrate the partnership.  Activities will include singing, dancing and coloring.

"This relationship with Build-A-Bear Workshop further emphasizes our focus on expanding our retail offerings beyond books, and delivering as much consumer choice as possible," said Mike Edwards, CEO of Borders. "Our customers are creative, and Build-A-Bear Craftshop products provide an opportunity for them to express themselves in Borders retail stores in new, fun ways. We're committed to delivering an excellent customer experience—it'll be exciting to see just how creative our community can be."

About Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc.

Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. is the only global company that offers an interactive make-your-own stuffed animal retail-entertainment experience. The company currently operates more than 400 Build-A-Bear Workshop stores worldwide, including company-owned stores in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland and France, and franchise stores in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, the Middle East, and Mexico. Founded in St. Louis in 1997, Build-A-Bear Workshop is the leader in interactive retail. Brands include make-your-own Major League Baseball® mascot in-stadium locations, and Build-A-Dino® stores. Build-A-Bear Workshop extends its in-store interactive experience online with its award winning virtual world Web site at buildabearville.com®. The company was named to the 2009 and 2010 FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For® lists. Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE: BBW) posted total revenue of $394.4 million in fiscal 2009. For more information, call 888.560.BEAR (2327) or visit the company's award-winning Web site at buildabear.com®.

About Borders Group, Inc.

Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich., through its subsidiaries, Borders Group, Inc. (NYSE: BGP) is a leading specialty retailer of books as well as other educational and entertainment items. The company employs approximately 19,500 throughout the U.S., primarily in its Borders(R) and Waldenbooks(R) stores. Online shopping is offered through borders.com. Find author interviews and vibrant discussions of the products we and our customers are passionate about online at facebook.com/borders, twitter.com/borders and youtube.com/bordersmedia. For more information about the company, visit borders.com/media.

Safe Harbor Statement

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. One can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "expects," "planning," "preparing," "possibility," "opportunity," "goal," "will," "may," "intend," "anticipates," "working toward" and other words of similar meaning. One can also identify them by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. These statements are likely to address matters such as the company's future financial condition and performance (including earnings per share, liquidity, cash flows, debt levels, market share growth and other sales information, inventory levels and capital expenditures), its strategic initiatives such as the expansion of product categories, including eBook content and eReaders and contemplated strategic partnerships. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and plans to differ materially from those included in the company's forward-looking statements.

These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, consumer demand for the company's products, particularly during the holiday season, which is believed to be related to general economic and geopolitical conditions, competition and other factors; the availability of adequate capital – including vendor credit – to fund the company's operations and to carry out its strategic plans; adverse litigation results or other claims; the performance of the company's information technology systems; the anticipated impact of our Borders Rewards and Borders Rewards Plus programs; with respect to eBook content and eReaders, the availability to the company of anticipated content levels and a variety of competitive devices; and, with respect to strategic partnerships, the ability to identify and reach agreements with acceptable partners.

The company's periodic reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission contain more detailed discussions of these and other risk factors that could cause actual results and plans to differ materially from those included in the forward-looking statements, and those discussions are incorporated herein by reference. The company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Borders

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