[November 24, 2009]

Sony UK Adds Exclusive James Patterson Pocket Edition To Reader Family; James Patterson Reader Pocket Edition - available from Sony Centres, Waterstone's and sony.co.uk from 30th November 2009

(M2 PressWIRE Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Weybridge, -- Sony UK today announces the launch of an exclusive limited edition model of the Reader Pocket Edition for thriller fans. The James Patterson Reader Pocket Edition features the no. 1 best selling Alex Cross novel, 'Cross Country,' as well as selected excerpts from two James Patterson books and a letter from the author. In addition, every customer who purchases the bundle will be able to download 'Worst Case', a new James Patterson novel, exclusively from www.sony.co.uk from Christmas Day. The hardback and eBook will go on general sale from January 21st 2010.

The James Patterson Reader Pocket Edition is available in a stylish midnight blue finish and includes a premium case with an embossed Alex Cross logo on the front. The James Patterson Pocket Edition Reader will be available to purchase from Waterstone's and Sony Centres nationwide, and from www.sony.co.uk,from 30th November 2009.

James Patterson is one of the best-known and biggest-selling writers of all time. He is the author of some of the most popular series of the past decade, such as the Women's Murder Club and the Alex Cross and Detective Michael Bennett novels, and he has written many other number one bestsellers including romance novels and stand-alone thrillers.

James Patterson remains the most borrowed author from UK libraries and earlier this year spearheaded a campaign in partnership with the National Literacy Trust to get children reading with their fathers.

The Reader Pocket Edition sports a five-inch electronic paper display packaged in a stylish chassis and is simple to navigate with one hand and easily fits into a handbag or jacket pocket, making it ideal for commuters. The diminutive device can store approximately 350 standard eBooks and provides up to two weeks of reading on a single battery charge.

The Pocket Edition features Sony's award-winning industrial design and an E Ink Vizplexelectronic paper display that mimics the look of ink on paper. They will ship with a USB cable, and will support EPUB, the industry-standard for eBooks.

Sony's eBook Library software 3.0, which now includes support for many Apple Macintosh computers as well as PCs, makes it easy to transfer and read any Adobe PDF (with reflow capability), Microsoft Word , BBeB files, or other text file formats on the Reader.

"Thriller novels have a huge fan base here in the UK, so we are delighted to be teaming up with James Patterson and Cornerstone to offer this limited edition Reader. We've done our best to offer true fans an amazing opportunity for exclusive books and content, and we hope this is the beginning of many collaborations," said Omar Gurnah, category manager for Reader for Sony UK.

Random House added: "Today, by bringing together two leaders in their respective fields, we have created a unique and compelling partnership. The bundle of a limited edition device plus exclusive content make for a distinctive and ideal Christmas gift for book lovers in the UK," said Jonathan Davis, Digital Publisher, Random House Group.

"James Patterson is one of our all time bestselling writers. He is incomparably prolific and every book he writes is a guaranteed bestseller in whatever genre he chooses. An Alex Cross branded Reader is a brilliant idea, and hopefully the first of many such collaborations between great authors and this exciting new way of reading books," commented Simon Burke, Waterstone's Fiction Buying Manager.

About Sony: Sony manufactures audio, video, communications and information technology products for the global consumer and professional markets. With its music, pictures, game and online businesses, Sony is uniquely positioned to be one of the world's leading digital entertainment brands. Sony recorded consolidated global annual sales of EUR 55.44 billion (yen 8,871 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008, based on an average market exchange rate for the same period of yen 160.0 to the EUR. It employs approximately 180,500 people worldwide.

In Europe, the Sony Group recorded consolidated annual sales of EUR 12.73 billion (yen 2,328 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008. Sony Europe, headquartered at the Sony Center am Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, is responsible for the company's European electronics business and registered consolidated sales of EUR 9.55 billion for the same period.

For more information on Sony Europe, please visit http://www.sony-europe.com "Sony"and "WALKMAN "are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sony Corporation. All other trademarks are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

About Cornerstone: In November 2008, the CHA group of imprints announced a new name, Cornerstone Publishing. Cornerstone publishes a broad portfolio of titles across fiction and non-fiction; commercial and literary. We have five hardback imprints; William Heinemann, Hutchinson, Century, Random House Books and Preface and two paperback lists; Arrow and Windmill - which between them publish something for every reader.

James Patterson is published under the Century and Arrow imprints.

Century was founded in 1981, one of the co-founders being Gail Rebuck, now Chief Executive of The Random House Group. Almost immediately Century established itself as an exceptionally dynamic publisher of bestselling authors, a tradition continued to this day. The Century list includes brand-name novelists such as John Grisham, James Patterson, Karin Slaughter, Chris Ryan and Katie Fforde, and autobiographies from major celebrities such as Peter Kay, Dawn French and Katie Price.

Arrow Books is one of the most successful paperback imprints of its kind, publishing a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction ranging from big book-a-year brands to bestselling paperback originals.

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