:: CALLAWAY ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT ::

MADONNA’S BOOK, THE ENGLISH ROSES, DEBUTS AT NO. 1
ON THE NEW YORK TIMES' CHILDREN’S BEST-SELLER LIST:

A RECORD-SETTING WORLDWIDE BESTSELLER

MADONNA TO COME TO NEW YORK FOR U.S. BOOK SIGNING

NEW YORK, September 25, 2003. For Immediate Release….One week after its release in 30 languages and more than 100 countries around the world, The English Roses, Madonna's first book for children, is a global bestseller.

The book will enter The New York Times' best-seller list in the October 5, 2003 edition of The New York Times Book Review in the No. 1 position for children’s picture books.

Today, the book debuts on the USA Today best-seller list at No. 7 among all books sold in America last week.

The book is the No. 1 children’s bestseller on the BookSense list, reflecting the strong support for The English Roses by America’s independent booksellers.

The English Roses is No. 2 on the Amazon.com children’s best-seller list and the No. 1 children’s bestseller on bn.com, Barnes & Noble’s online bookstore.

The English Roses, a 48-page jacketed hardcover, filled with whimsical, colorful illustrations by renowned fashion artist Jeffrey Fulvimari, is a story about the importance of compassion and the rewards of friendship among five schoolgirls in contemporary London.

There are over 50,000 retail stores carrying The English Roses in the United States alone, including Barnes & Noble, B. Dalton, BJ’s, Books-A-Million, Borders Group, Costco, GapKids, Hastings, Musicland Group, Sam’s Club, Scholastic School Fairs and Book Clubs, Target, Toys "R" Us, Virgin Megastores, and Waldenbooks, among many others. Online stores include Amazon.com and bn.com.

Nicholas Callaway, CEO of Callaway Arts & Entertainment, the originating American publisher, says, "In its first week of release, The English Roses has set a record as the biggest and fastest-selling book in publishing history for a first-time children’s author. This is an unprecedented accomplishment. We are thrilled that audiences around the world have embraced The English Roses so wholeheartedly. It demonstrates once again that Madonna has an extraordinary gift for communicating with children of all ages—even grown-up ones.

"As she always does, Madonna is setting trends. We’ve heard that girls across the country are dressing like the English Roses, practicing their dance steps, and learning the lessons of the story. The first edition, with its polka dot slipcase, has already become a collectible. We are hearing reports from all over that people are preordering first editions of all five books."

Praise is pouring in from every sector of the book trade. Steve Riggio, CEO of Barnes & Noble, raves, "The English Roses is a delight; slyly wise and sweetly sensible. Career booksellers learn caution at an early age, but I can’t resist saying I honestly think that Madonna’s books will etch their way into publishing history." Madonna will be in New York on Monday, September 29 for a book signing at the Rockefeller Center Barnes & Noble store beginning at 3:30 pm. Every customer who purchases a copy of The English Roses at that store on Monday will receive a free limited-edition The English Roses poster.

Sarah Parker, children’s book manager of Scott’s Bookstore in Mount Vernon, WA, says, "Booksellers tend to not give very much credit to celebrities who try to write books, especially books for children. Madonna has earned my respect with this first of five picture books for children of all ages. The story is told in a perfect young girl’s voice and delivers a very important and timely message. The illustrations are fresh, unique and bright and will entice any girl to turn the pages. This is my holiday gift pick for the season."

Linda Jones, vice president of merchandising for Borders Group, says, "First week sales of The English Roses at Borders Group stores exceeded what we anticipated and we are eagerly awaiting the release of her second book, Mr. Peabody’s Apples, on November 10."

"Our customers have shown great interest in Madonna's new storybook, as evidenced by its high sales rank and positive customer reviews," says Bill Carr, Amazon.com's director of books, music, video, and DVD. "Readers worldwide love that they can listen to Madonna talk about the book at Amazon.com thanks to an audio message she provided exclusively for our customers."

In the United Kingdom, the book is No. 2 on the UK BookScan children’s best-seller list, running a close second to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Puffin Books, the children's division of Penguin Group UK, is in its fourth printing of The English Roses in response to surging demand. Penguin Group USA is the American distributor of Madonna's books for Callaway Editions, the American publisher.

The French publisher of The English Roses, Gallimard Jeunesse, is in its third printing and publishers in Germany (Hanser), the Netherlands (Vassallucci), Finland (WSOY) and Turkey (Iletisim) are each in their second printing. In Finland, bookstores were sold out of the book within two hours of its release on September 15.

The book is already a bestseller in countries as diverse as Taiwan, Slovenia, and Iceland. The list of languages and countries in which Madonna’s children’s books will be published is steadily growing. The latest additions include Indonesia and Japan (Shueisha).

Lindsay DiLorenzo, (212) 843-8025
Rubenstein Associates for Callaway Editions.
ldilorenzo@rubenstein.com

Andy Shearer, (212) 843-8061
Rubenstein Associates for Callaway Editions.
ashearer@rubenstein.com