2006 Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Media Contact:

Jonathan Zaleski/Patricia Handschiegel Schwartzman & Associates, Inc.
(310) 446-8310
jzaleski@schwartzmanpr.com ph@schwartzmanpr.com

Elissa Lynch, Public Relations Associate
(410) 560-7100 ext. 389  lelissa@diamondcomics.com

HIDDEN CITY GAMES SELECTS DIAMOND BOOK DISTRIBUTORS FOR DISTRIBUTION OF BELLA SARA™ HORSE THEMED TRADING CARDS FOR GIRLS IN U.S. AND CANADIAN BOOK RETAILERS

(Baltimore, Maryland) -- August 24 2007 -- Diamond Book Distributors has been named the exclusive distributor of Bella Sara horse themed trading cards for girls in all U.S. and Canadian book retailers in Diamond’s extensive distribution network. The move will place Bella Sara cards, a phenomenon in Scandinavia which launched successfully in the U.S. earlier this year, in over 2,500 additional retail outlets.

Bella Sara cards will now be available in popular book retailer outlets including Borders, Walden Books, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Hastings, Ingram, Baker & Taylor, and Indigo. They will join major retailers including Blockbuster, K-Mart, Target, Toys ‘R’ Us, and Wal-Mart, as well as regional chains, toy, hobby and equestrian shops, which already carry the popular Bella Sara trading cards.

“Hidden City Games is thrilled to have Diamond’s unsurpassed distribution muscle with book retailers behind the Bella Sara brand,” said Peter D. Adkison, CEO of Hidden City Games, the company behind Bella Sara’s successful debut in the United States. “Diamond’s experience in both the book trade and the comic book industry makes them an ideal match for Bella Sara.” Adkison was also the driving force behind the Pokemon and Magic: The Gathering trading card phenomena in the United States.

“We at Diamond truly admire Hidden City Games dedication to creating great products,” said Diamond Vice President of Purchasing Bill Schanes. “Their continued effort to provide top-quality merchandise is an asset we value, and we’re looking forward to working closely with them.”

Bella Sara trading cards feature stunningly designed and imaginatively artistic imagery of horses, along with inspirational sayings that promote inner beauty, emotional strength, and self-worth. The cards can be used in games, and also to activate and nurture virtual horses in the online world of Bella Sara at www.bellasara.com, a child-friendly website that features horse dress-up, jumping and riding games, plus puzzles, coloring books, interactive activities and much more.

Bella Sara cards recently won a slew of awards, including the “Best Products — Spring 2007” award from Dr. Toy, the “Seal of Excellence” from Creative Child magazine and “2007 Excellent Product” and “2007 Outstanding Product” designations from iParenting Media.

Diamond Book Distributors is a division of Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc., the world's largest distributor of English-language comic books and related merchandise. Diamond Book Distributors is dedicated to making a wide selection of graphic novels and other pop culture collectibles available to the mainstream book market.

Hidden City Games, LLC is a privately held company headquartered in Seattle, Washington and is the exclusive licensor of Bella Sara for worldwide distribution outside of Scandinavia. The company is headed by an experienced executive team, including founder and CEO Peter D. Adkison, who formerly founded Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Jesper Myrfors, chief creative officer and original art director for Magic: The Gathering; and Paul Peterson, HCG’s vice president of research and development, who was previously on the R&D team for Magic: The Gathering. Under Adkison’s leadership, Wizards of the Coast created an entirely new genre of games with the release of Magic: The Gathering, which was the world’s first trading card game, published in 13 languages and loved by millions of players around the world. Additionally, Adkison introduced Pokémon trading cards to North America and reinvigorated the hugely popular Dungeons & Dragons brand after acquiring it from TSR. Adkison grew Wizards into a multimillion-dollar company before selling it to Hasbro in 1999 for nearly $500 million.

© 2007 Hidden City Games, LLC. BELLA SARA is a trademark of conceptcard and used by Hidden City Games under license. HIDDEN CITY GAMES is a trademark of Hidden City Games, LLC, in the U.S.A. and elsewhere. www.hiddencitygames.com

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Elissa Lynch, Public Relations Associate
(410) 560-7100 ext. 389  lelissa@diamondcomics.com

March 12, 2007

Dark Horse Books, Diamond Book Distributors Expand Distribution Agreements

In a dramatic expansion of a relationship that has brought outstanding and diverse works of graphic storytelling to the marketplace for more than two decades, Dark Horse Books has selected Diamond Book Distributors (DBD) to handle distribution of its graphic novels in the U.K. and international book markets, effective immediately.

Furthermore, Dark Horse has selected DBD to handle distribution of its M Press and DH Press imprints in the North American, U.K. and international book markets.

“With Dark Horse’s U.K. bookstore sales more than tripling over the last three years, there couldn’t be a better time to begin this new chapter in our long relationship with Diamond,” said Dark Horse Comics Vice-President of Business Development Michael Martens. “Dark Horse Comics has been doing business with Diamond Comic Distributors since our company was founded in 1986, and Dark Horse Books was the first major graphic novel publisher to sign on with Diamond Book Distributors. Both of those relationships have been extremely fruitful, and we look forward to expanding that relationship as DBD takes our titles into the U.K. and other international book markets.”

“All of us at DBD are very excited to be working with Dark Horse in this new capacity,” said DBD Vice President of Sales & Marketing Kuo-Yu Liang. “In 2006, our sales in the U.K. and other international territories have experienced high double-digit growth. The addition of Dark Horse’s robust and wide-ranging list will allow us to deliver some of the finest graphic novels and prose works to retailers and consumers worldwide.”

With international book market sales of more than a quarter of a million graphic novels in the past two years, Dark Horse Books has expanded global consumer awareness of and appreciation for the art form through a number of high-profile, best selling releases from such renowned comic-book writers and artists as Frank Miller (Sin City, which has sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide), Mike Mignola (Hellboy), Neil Gaiman (The Last Temptation, Murder Mysteries), Kazuo Koike (Lone Wolf and Cub), and others whose works are often turned into motion pictures. A prime example is Frank Miller and Lynn Varley’s 300, a widely acclaimed epic tale of battlefield valor that has over 200,000 copies in print to date — a number poised to skyrocket in the wake of 300’s motion picture adaptation from Warner Brothers. [The film grossed a record-breaking $70 million on its opening weekend in North America, and is set for release across key international territories — including the U.K. (March 23) and Japan (June 9) — over the next three months.]

Dark Horse Books also holds publishing licenses to several of the world’s top entertainment properties, including the worldwide rights to Aliens, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Predator and — outside of the U.K. — Star Wars.

Many more of the world’s most recognizable pop-culture properties are being transformed into prose by DH Press with exciting results, as demonstrated by its line of novels based on the anime blockbuster Vampire Hunter D: Line of Light (which has sold nearly 200,000 copies to date.) DH Press also provides handsome showcases for a number of the comic industry’s most popular artists, such as Yoshitaka Amano whose art books have sold nearly 25,000 copies.

M Press publishes a diverse list of both fiction and non-fiction by authors with a unique voice. Its first release in 2004, Ursula Bacon’s Shanghai Diary (her account of her family’s flight from Hitler’s Germany to Shanghai), has sold more than 15,000 to date and is under option for a film. The imprint also publishes the insightful, ongoing Playboy Interview series, and is preparing new titles by widely read film critic and historian Leonard Maltin, a volume by renowned artist LeRoy Neiman, and a biography of filmmaker John Landis, for 2007.

Diamond’s Sales Managers for the U.S., Canada, U.K. and International divisions will immediately begin working with bookstores, mass merchandisers and libraries to bring Dark Horse Books to consumers in these markets.

1966 Greenspring Drive, Suite 300
Timonium, MD 21093
Phone (410) 560-7100
FAX: (410) 560-2583
 www.diamondcomics.com

DIAMOND BOOK DISTRIBUTORS (DBD)  is a division of Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc., the world's largest distributor of English-language comic books and related merchandise. Under the guidance of Vice President of Sales and Marketing Kuo-Yu Liang, an 18-year veteran of the retail publishing and book trade, DBD is dedicated to making a wide selection of graphic novels and other pop culture collectibles available to the mainstream book market. Back to the top

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Elissa Lynch, Public Relations Associate
(410) 560-7100 ext. 389  lelissa@diamondcomics.com

August 8, 2007

Baen Forms Relationship with DBD UK

Diamond Book Distributors UK Named Exclusive Distributor for all markets and territories in UK and Ireland

Diamond Book Distributors UK (DBD UK) has been selected by Baen Books as the exclusive distributor of the publisher’s English-language graphic novels to the bookstore, library, warehouse club, and specialty mass merchandise markets in all markets and territories in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Baen Books is an American publishing company established in 1983 by SF publishing industry long-timer Jim Baen. The company specializes in science fiction and fantasy publishing with an emphasis on space opera/military science fiction and fantasy.

“We at Diamond are thrilled to welcome Baen to our family of publishers,” said Diamond Book Distributors Vice President of Sales and Marketing Kuo-Yu Liang. “Its impressive stable of science-fiction and fantasy novels has been a constant in the industry for years.”

Diamond’s Sales Managers in the UK will immediately begin working with bookstores, mass merchandisers and other retail accounts to bring Baen Books to consumers in these markets.

2nd Floor, Warton House, 150 High Street
London, E15 2NP
Phone 020 8536 5730
FAX: 020 8536 5736 www.diamondbookdistributors.com

Established over twenty years ago in Baltimore, USA, Diamond Comic Distributors is the world’s largest distributor of comics, graphic novels and pop culture merchandise and has been the No. 1 supplier to the UK’s comics specialty market for twelve years, servicing these accounts from offices in London and a warehouse in Warrington. With increasing demand for graphic novels and Manga from high street outlets, Diamond Book Distributors US was set up in 2002 to service the US book trade. Now Diamond Book Distributors UK has been set up as a separate division to cater for high street demand through the UK’s book trade.Back to the top

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Elissa Lynch, Public Relations Associate
(410) 560-7100 ext. 389  lelissa@diamondcomics.com

August 13, 2007

Diamond Book Distributors Expands Distribution Agreements with DH Publishing, Go Media, and Subterranean Press

Diamond Book Distributors has finalized negotiations with several key suppliers to exclusively distribute their products to bookstores, libraries and other mass merchandise outlets in selected regions throughout the world.

Diamond Book Distributors has entered into an agreement with leading horror, suspense, and dark mystery publisher, Subterranean Press, to exclusively distribute their new Go Far Territories imprint worldwide. "We're looking forward to working with Diamond to bring some titles originated by our specialty press, Subterranean, though the Far Territories imprint, to a much wider audience, and have found an energetic, excited partner in Diamond who shares our goals."

Diamond has also expanded its agreement with DH Publishing to include distribution in the United Kingdom, European Union and Oceanic territories. DH Publishing is the popular publisher of the Japanese pop culture imprints Cocoro Books and Jet Books.

"DH Publishing is very excited about expanding its relationship with Diamond to include DBD," says DHP publisher Hiroshi Yokoi. "With Japanese pop culture attracting a global audience, it is the obvious next step for us to work with a distributor that can reach fans everywhere."

Lastly, Go Media has expanded their exclusive deal with Diamond to additionally include United Kingdom and International territories. Go Media is publisher of Japanese comics for the American market under the Go! Comi imprint, and a leading creator of new manga and manga-oriented properties for both the Japanese and American markets.

"These agreements represent a way for these publishers to expand globally and reach fans who want to enjoy their quality products," said Diamond Vice President of Purchasing Bill Schanes. “Their continued effort to provide top-quality merchandise is an asset we value, and we’re looking forward to working with these publishers to promote and sell their books and merchandise.”

"We are very pleased to have our products in distribution in the UK with Diamond," said Go! Media CEO David Wise. "We are looking to have the same success in the U.K. market that we have had in the U.S under our existing distribution agreement with Diamond. Diamond's knowledge and experience in the field pf graphic novels is unparalleled, and we are confident that we will continue to grow and strengthen our brand recognition through our relationship with Diamond.

Diamond’s Sales Team will begin working with bookstores, book wholesalers, warehouse clubs, mass merchandisers, and libraries to place these titles across the country and the UK.

1966 Greenspring Drive, Suite 300
Timonium, MD 21093
Phone (410) 560-7100
FAX: (410) 560-2583
 www.diamondcomics.com

DIAMOND BOOK DISTRIBUTORS (DBD)  is a division of Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc., the world's largest distributor of English-language comic books and related merchandise. Under the guidance of Vice President of Sales and Marketing Kuo-Yu Liang, an 18-year veteran of the retail publishing and book trade, DBD is dedicated to making a wide selection of graphic novels and other pop culture collectibles available to the mainstream book market. Back to the top

NEWS RELEASE

NEWS RELEASE

1966 Greenspring Drive, Suite 300
Timonium, MD 21093
Phone (410) 560-7100
FAX: (410) 560-2583
www.diamondbookdistributors.com

DIAMOND BOOK DISTRIBUTORS (DBD) is a division of Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc., the world's largest distributor of English-language comic books and related merchandise. DBD is dedicated to making a wide selection of graphic novels and other pop culture books and collectibles from top publishers such as Dark Horse Books, Marvel Comics, and others available to the mainstream book market.Back to the top

NEWS RELEASE

CONTACT: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Kuo-Yu Liang
Vice President of Sales and Marketing
(917) 769-6595

March 1, 2007

Aurora Publishing, Diamond Sign Booktrade Agreement

Aurora Publishing has selected Diamond Book Distributors as a worldwide distributor of English-language editions of its graphic novels to the bookstore, library, warehouse, mass merchandise, specialty mass merchandise, hobby, game and comic book specialty markets.
Founded in Los Angeles in March 2006, Aurora Publishing’s mission is to expand their manga to the global market. Aurora is a subsidiary of Japanese publishing giant Ohzora, a company whose previously licensed manga has been published by esteemed companies such as Dark Horse and Digital Manga. Using the skills and expertise gleaned from their corporate parents, Aurora’s foray into the North American and European markets is further proof of the growing manga phenomenon.
“We are extremely thrilled to be partnering with Aurora,” said Diamond Vice President of Purchasing Bill Schanes. “Ohzora’s publications are read by over 15 million people in Japan every year, and we’re excited to be a part of their expansion into the rest of the world.”
“Diamond’s unsurpassed expertise and knowledge of graphic novels will contribute greatly to our success,” said Aurora General Manager Mika Ogata. “We are truly looking forward to expanding the manga market with our mutually beneficial relationship with Diamond.”
Diamond’s Sales Team will begin working with bookstores, book wholesalers, warehouse clubs, mass merchandisers and libraries to bring Aurora’s graphic novels to consumers everywhere.

1966 Greenspring Drive, Suite 300
Timonium, MD 21093
Phone (410) 560-7100
FAX: (410) 560-2583
www.diamondbookdistributors.com

DIAMOND BOOK DISTRIBUTORS (DBD) is a division of Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc., the world's largest distributor of English-language comic books and related merchandise. DBD is dedicated to making a wide selection of graphic novels and other pop culture books and collectibles from top publishers such as Dark Horse Books, Marvel Comics, and others available to the mainstream book market.Back to the top

NEWS RELEASE

CONTACT: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Kuo-Yu Liang
Vice President of Sales and Marketing
(917) 769-6595

January 19, 2007

Virgin Comics, Diamond Sign Booktrade Agreement

Virgin Comics has selected Diamond Book Distributors as the exclusive worldwide distributor of English-language editions of its graphic novels to the bookstore, library, warehouse, mass merchandise, specialty mass merchandise, hobby, game and comic book specialty markets.
Virgin Comics, and its subsidiary Virgin Animation, is a new media and entertainment company formed by Sir Richard Branson and his Virgin Group alongside writer Deepak Chopra, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur and entrepreneurs, Sharad Devarajan, Gotham Chopra and Suresh Seetharaman. Virgin Comics is focused on two areas of development – Similar to the phenomena of Japanese anime and Manga, Virgin’s “Shakti” comics line creates of original stories and character properties that tap into India’s vast library of mythic content, showcasing a new generation of young Indian comic book artists and writers. Virgin’s “Director’s Cut” and “Voices” comic lines craft new stories with creative talent from around the world – collaborating with film-makers like John Woo and Guy Ritchie, actors such as Nicolas Cage and musicians including Dave Stewart and Duran Duran.
“We are extremely excited to add Virgin Comics to the Diamond family,” said Diamond Vice President of Purchasing Bill Schanes. “Since the company’s launch last year, Virgin has been one of the biggest stories in comics.”
Sharad Devarajan, Virgin Comics, Co-Founder and CEO added, “Diamond has unparalleled experience in distributing comic related products in North America. They have an amazing team who has really understood our vision at Virgin to define a new area in the graphic novel space. We are thrilled to be working with them.” Diamond’s Sales Team will begin working with bookstores, book wholesalers, warehouse clubs, mass merchandisers and libraries to bring Virgin Comics’ graphic novels to consumers everywhere.
 

1966 Greenspring Drive, Suite 300
Timonium, MD 21093
Phone (410) 560-7100
FAX: (410) 560-2583
www.diamondbookdistributors.com

DIAMOND BOOK DISTRIBUTORS (DBD) is a division of Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc., the world's largest distributor of English-language comic books and related merchandise. DBD is dedicated to making a wide selection of graphic novels and other pop culture books and collectibles from top publishers such as Dark Horse Books, Marvel Comics, and others available to the mainstream book market.

VIRGIN COMICS is a new media and entertainment company founded by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group  alongside author Deepak Chopra, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur and South Asia's leading publisher of comic magazines, Gotham Entertainment Group LLC. The company has offices in New York City and Bangalore, India. Virgin Comics titles include the hits: Devi, Sadhu, John Woo’s Seven Brothers, Snakewoman, Ramayan 3392 A.D. and others.Back to the top