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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This Fall, students in classrooms across the country are once again being challenged to read to help kids in need. By participating in Scholastic Book Clubs' ClassroomsCare program, a philanthropy-based literacy campaign designed to teach children about the joys and importance of reading and giving, students are helping others while they help themselves – and learning how important it is to read everyday to lead a better life.

This school year, the ClassroomsCare theme is "United States of Reading." With the help of teachers nationwide, Scholastic Book Clubs is challenging students to read 10 books per student per classroom triggering a donation of one million books to kids in need from Scholastic Book Clubs. To get the books to children who need them, ClassroomsCare partners with major charities that play a key role. Reach Out and Read^® provides books to the nation's youngest children via pediatricians who work at clinics and in hospitals, and helps parents make books part of their children's daily lives. Save the Children^® reaches children in rural areas who may not have the resources or access to books they need. And this year ClassroomsCare is adding a new partner, The Pajama Program, a non-profit that helps distribute books and pajamas to children in more than thirty states, from preschool through teen. With each program Scholastic carefully selects books that are age-appropriate and engaging for the recipient.

Since 2001, Scholastic Book Clubs' ClassroomsCare literacy program has put more than 10 million books in the hands of kids who might otherwise not have access to books. Resources on the ClassroomsCare website, along with posts on the Scholastic Book Clubs Facebook page and Book Talk blog, will provide teachers with news, tips, activities, quizzes and chance to engage with peers in every state.

"I smile every time I hear about a school where, through their generosity and hard work, students are making a difference and improving the lives of others by participating in ClassroomsCare," said Judy Newman, President of Scholastic Book Clubs. "In order to better prepare the children of the 21^st Century to live complete and successful lives, we need to energize them to read more books, and read everyday.  And showing children that their hard work pays off and they can make a difference in the lives of others is motivating and important as they grow up. Through ClassroomsCare, students aren't just reading, they're reading to give."

Classrooms keep track of books read on a poster, student bookmarks and online, and then tell Scholastic when they've finished. Any books kids read in the classroom, with their parents or on their own count toward the goal. Teachers also can use lesson plans and activities available at http://classroomscare.scholastic.com to incorporate this program into their curriculum.

The ClassroomsCare literacy campaign is open to classrooms nationwide through Scholastic Book Clubs catalogues and the Scholastic web site. Teachers can log onto the ClassroomsCare website to keep track of their class's progress as well as their state's progress. Students, teachers and parents are invited to go onto the site to see how the reading is making a difference.

For over 60 years, Scholastic Book Clubs have provided monthly catalogues offering top quality books and reading materials from all publishers to teachers in pre-school through junior high. Scholastic Book Clubs reach over one million teachers each month, providing the most sought-after titles at affordable prices for children in classrooms nationwide.  The ClassroomsCare campaign is available to teachers and classrooms who participate in Scholastic Book Clubs:  Firefly Book Club for preschoolers; Seesaw Book Club for kindergarten and grade 1; Lucky Book Club for grades 2-3; Arrow Book Club for grades 4-6; and TAB Book Club for grades 7 and up. Scholastic Book Clubs is a division of Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL), the global children's publishing, education and media company.

For more information about Scholastic or ClassroomsCare, visit our Media Room at http://mediaroom.scholastic.com.

SOURCE Scholastic Corporation

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    Agreement with WWF Now Covers all of Domtar's EarthChoice(R) Paper,
    Further Promotes Forest Conservation and Environmental Responsibility

    TICKER SYMBOL
    UFS (NYSE, TSX)

MONTREAL, Sept. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - To promote ongoing forest conservation and environmentally responsible paper products, Domtar Corporation (NYSE/TSX: UFS) announced today that it has expanded a licensing agreement with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to now cover all of Domtar's EarthChoice(R) products, including office paper. The sale of all papers from EarthChoice, Domtar's family of socially and environmentally responsible paper products, will now support WWF's mission.

Domtar will make an annual contribution of US$350,000 to WWF from the sale of its EarthChoice products, the broadest and most flexible collection of environmentally responsible papers available in the marketplace. Since its launch, more than a million tons of EarthChoice papers have been sold, all of which have been certified to the standards of the Forest Stewardship Council(TM) (FSC(R)) and are publicly supported by both WWF-Canada and the Rainforest Alliance.

"Domtar is proud to further support WWF's conservation work through this agreement," said Domtar Vice-President of Brand Management and Sustainable Product Development, Lewis Fix. "Domtar is committed to the responsible sourcing of fiber and to the credible forest certification of its suppliers. We can meet our customers' needs for quality, performance, versatility and value without sacrificing the needs of the environment."

On top of the EarthChoice licensing agreement, Domtar participates in WWF's Global Forest & Trade Network, an initiative to eliminate illegal logging and improve the management of valuable and threatened forests. In addition, Domtar's work with WWF has included efforts to help increase FSC forest certification and protect areas throughout Canada and to increase access to forest certification for small, private landowners in the United States. This work complements Domtar's efforts to increase the availability of FSC(R) certified paper at major office supply retailers, which WWF supports.

"Domtar has been recognized as a leader in sustainable growth in the pulp and paper industry," said Terry Macko, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at WWF. "The funds generated by this agreement will build upon Domtar's long-standing commitment to supporting WWF's sustainability efforts around the globe. We hope their commitment to source fiber responsibly and promote credible forest certification sets an example for other companies to follow."

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About Domtar

Domtar Corporation (NYSE/TSX:UFS) is the largest integrated manufacturer and marketer of uncoated freesheet paper in North America and the second largest in the world based on production capacity, and is also a manufacturer of papergrade, fluff and specialty pulp. The Company designs, manufactures, markets and distributes a wide range of business, commercial printing and publishing as well as converting and specialty papers including recognized brands such as Cougar(R), Lynx(R) Opaque Ultra, Husky(R) Opaque Offset, First Choice(R) and Domtar EarthChoice(R) Office Paper, part of a family of environmentally and socially responsible papers. Domtar owns and operates Domtar Distribution Group, an extensive network of strategically located paper distribution facilities. The Company employs over 9,000 people. To learn more, visit www.domtar.com.

SOURCE DOMTAR CORPORATION

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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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FastPencil Premiere Provides Best-Selling Authors with Unparalleled Control, Speed to Market and Higher Royalties

CAMPBELL, Calif., Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- FastPencil today announced FastPencil Premiere (http://premiere.fastpencil.com), a new and exclusive line of general interest titles that provides top-tier and best-selling authors a publishing home with all the benefits of FastPencil's integrated suite of digital and social media publishing services to produce and publish the best in book content. Several best-selling authors are leveraging FastPencil Premiere to use its high-quality services to publish print and eBook versions of their titles in a simple, fast and top-quality fashion, while also gaining much higher royalties with more frequent payout.

"FastPencil exemplifies a fresh way of thinking during a transformative time in the industry and I'm very excited to be working with them," said Guy Gilchrist, an award-winning cartoonist. "With their digital publishing tools they are able to provide me with unprecedented support, speed to market, higher royalty rates and more frequent payments - but best of all, the team at FastPencil is incredibly creative, responsive and professional."

Gilchrist - a skilled cartoonist and children's book author whose work includes the comic strip Nancy, Your Angels Speak, Night Lights & Pillow Fights, Screams, The Poetry Guy, The Muppets and The Rock Channel, has recently selected FastPencil to publish his cartoons in print and eBook formats and his latest book, The Best of Today's Dog, is now available at FastPencil, Amazon and iBookstore.

FastPencil Premiere offers companies and organizations planning to launch new book publishing ventures the best in proprietary and pioneering technology and also plans to break and introduce top-notch new talent to the public. FastPencil's digital and social media platforms provide incredible improvements and advantages over traditional publishing houses, including speed to market, transparency throughout the publishing process and a superior return on investment with a much larger share of royalties.

"More and more mid- and top-tier authors are using FastPencil and we have created a special place tailored to their needs," said Steve Wilson, FastPencil co-founder and CEO. "Best-selling authors no longer need to line up for the tedious traditional publishing "go to market" plan – and instead can take back control of their work and reap all the benefits along the way."

In utilizing a next-generation digital publisher such as FastPencil, authors have the opportunity to move swiftly through the book writing and publishing process. FastPencil provides professional design templates, robust import and tools and collaboration features enabling authors to invite editors and their book design team into the project no matter where they are geographically before moving into distribution. FastPencil's concierge team can provide custom design, editing and marketing services and the publishing wizard ensures that all of the important details in publishing are taken care of including table of contents, ISBN, dedications and copyright details.

At FastPencil authors can sell more books and maintain complete control of content creation, price, distribution decisions and sales activity. FastPencil's relationships with thousands of book and eBook retailers ensures that each of their authors' books are available to the broadest possible audience and the write-once, publish anywhere approach guarantees their books can be read anywhere today and in the future.

FastPencil Features:

• Free book writing tools
• Professional book design templates
• Import manuscripts, turn blogs to books or write collaborative stories
• Connect and share through Twitter, Facebook, Gmail, AOL, Yahoo and MSN
• Author concierge services including consulting, design services and formatting
• Collaborate with your book creation team, personal network of friends or industry professionals
• Integrated self-publishing wizard for step-by-step assistance
• Print on Demand or to eBook formats
• Wide distribution including iBookstore, Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About FastPencil

FastPencil is leveraging the disruptive trends of self-publishing, social media, print-on-demand and eBook distribution to deliver a new unified online service that streamlines the book publishing process offering more control and higher margins for authors. The FastPencil writing and publishing service enables authors to create books online, collaborate, publish and distribute from one engaging, simple, cost-effective solution. For more information please visit FastPencil.com.

For regular FastPencil updates follow us at www.Twitter.com/FastPencil

Become a Fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/FastPencil

FastPencil is a registered trademark of FastPencil, Inc. All other registered or unregistered trademarks are the sole property of their respective owners.

SOURCE FastPencil

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