About.com and Adams Media Introduce the About.com Book Series

November 2, 2006; 03:40 AM
About.com, a leading provider of original content on the Web, and Adams Media today introduced the first four titles of a 24-part series of informative “how-to” books (www.about.com/books). The series begins with the release of “the About.com guide to Acoustic Guitar;” “the About.com guide to Having a Baby;” “the About.com guide to Job Searching;” and “the About.com guide to Southern Cooking.”

Written by About.com Guides, who are authoritative and credible sources of information that matters to consumers, each book is supplemented with companion content on the corresponding author’s About.com GuideSite. Readers are encouraged to dig more deeply into the subject with online updates, which provide expanded information on their areas of interest.

“This series is distinct in that it goes beyond the traditional print experience and offers readers a personal approach that cannot be achieved through traditional books alone,” said Gary M. Krebs, publisher, Adams Media. “By combining both the book and Web formats, readers can customize their involvement based on their level of interest.”

• “the About.com guide to Acoustic Guitar” – features About.com’s Guitar Guide (http://guitar.about.com/), Dan Cross, a professional guitarist and private instructor with a decade of experience as a guitar teacher.
• “the About.com guide to Having a Baby” – written by About.com’s Guide to Pregnancy (http://pregnancy.about.com/), Robin Elise Weiss, who is a childbirth and postpartum educator, doula, doula trainer and proud mother of seven children.
• “the About.com guide to Job Searching” – authored by About.com’s Guide to Job Searching (http://jobsearch.about.com/), Alison Doyle, who has 25 years of experience in human resources, career development and job searching, takes readers through the ins and outs of finding a job.
• “the About.com guide to Southern Cooking” –features 265 enticing recipes by About.com’s Guide to Southern U.S. Cuisine (http://southernfood.about.com/), Diana Rattray, an avid home cook, recipe collector and confessed foodie.

“Our Guides are at the core of what makes About.com unique, so utilizing their expertise in this book series was not only a natural extension of our brand but a key ingredient in making this initiative a success,” said Michael Daecher, senior vice president, content, About.com. “The investment in this series by Adams Media is validation that the significance of About.com, and the expertise of our Guides, extends beyond online to an engaging print experience.”

The About.com book series is now available for $17.95 each (Canada $22.95) at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million and Borders.

The companies plan ten additional titles for 2007 on the following topics: Baby Care; Healthy Relationships; Home Cooking; Home Decorating; Getting in Shape; Family Crafts; Owning a Dog; Quilting; Shortcut Cooking; and Web Design.

About About.com

Founded in 1996, About.com is a leading online source for original consumer information and advice and was acquired in March 2005 by The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT - News), a leading media company with 2005 revenues of $3.4 billion, which includes The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, The Boston Globe, 15 other daily newspapers, nine network-affiliated television stations, two New York City radio stations and 35 Web sites, including NYTimes.com, Boston.com and About.com. The Company's core purpose is to enhance society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news, information and entertainment.

About Adams Media

A successful series-brand non-fiction publisher, Adams Media has built its reputation by providing practical and meaningful content that purposefully inspires, informs and impacts the lives of its customers. In 2003 F+W Publications, one of the largest special interest publishers in the world purchased Adams Media. With the strength of this pairing, Adams Media’s continues to further its vision of publishing ‘difference making’ books that meet the diverse needs of today’s readers.