| 2008-03-03 | Contract/Agreements | Amazon Customers Can Now Vote to Choose the Grand Prize Winner at http://www.amazon.com/abna
Winner to be Announced in New York City on April 7
NEW YORK and SEATTLE, March 3 /PRNewswire/ Ten finalists have been chosen from a pool of nearly 5,000 qualified writers in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (ABNA), a contest in search of the next popular novel, sponsored by Amazon.com, Penguin Group (USA), and HP. From now through March 31, the public can go to http://www.amazon.com/abna and vote for their favorite work by reading, rating and reviewing excerpts of the Top 10 finalists' submissions. The winner of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award will be unveiled in New York City on Monday, April 7, 2008 and will be awarded a publishing contract with Penguin Group (USA).
The Top 10 finalists and the titles of their respective novels, are (in alphabetical order):
Bad Things Happen by Harry Dolan, Ypsilanti, MI
Mr. Dolan edits an academic journal by day but yearns to publish
mysteries like his favorite authors Harlan Coben and Raymond Chandler.
The Butterflies of Grand Canyon by Margaret Erhart, Flagstaff, AZ
Ms. Erhart teaches creative writing through the poetry of Pablo Neruda
to middle schoolers on a Navajo reservation.
Casting Off by Nicole Dickson, Greensboro, NC
Ms. Dickson completed her manuscript while commuting to and from her
job at Macy's.
Fresh Kills by Bill Loehfelm, New Orleans, LA
Mr. Loehfelm is a retired high school English teacher who currently
bartends at night and writes by day.
The Hellraiser of the Hollywood Hills: A McAfee Twins Novel by Jennifer
Colt, Santa Monica, CA
Ms. Colt is a former screenwriter for Miramax.
Motherless Children by Randall Luce, Montgomery Village, MD
Mr. Luce is a paralegal with an advanced degree in Anthropology, who
based his manuscript on the deeply stirring research and interviews he
had conducted while writing a thesis on social change in the Deep
South.
The Prospect of My Arrival by Dwight Okita, Chicago, IL
Mr. Okita works as an office manager for a non profit in Chicago and is
a playwright on the side.
Ring of Lies by Karen Laugel, Woodbridge, CT
Ms. Laugel is a pediatrician who conceived her medical thriller after
hours.
The Wet Nurse's Tale by Erica Eisdorfer, Carrboro, NC
Ms. Eisdorfer is the longtime manager of a college bookstore in North
Carolina, whose historical novel was inspired by her literary heroes
Charles Dickens and Jane Austen.
Wrecking Civilization Before Lunch by John Ring, Shawnee, KS
Mr. Ring is a computer programmer who's been writing on the side for
the past 20 years.
The 10 finalists' work represents a diverse range of genres, perspectives, themes and literary styles. Although the 10 writers come from across the country, they all share the common dream of having their manuscript chosen by Amazon customers as the Grand Prize winner on April 7 and having their novel subsequently published by Penguin Group (USA).
Susan Petersen Kennedy, President of Penguin Group (USA), commented: "The range of imagination among the finalists is incredibly broad. Each manuscript has a distinct voice and setting, and it will be fascinating to see which novel ultimately ends up capturing the interest of readers everywhere."
Russell Grandinetti, Vice President of Books at Amazon.com, said: "Our goal with the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award was to provide our customers with an exciting, significant voice in discovering the next popular novel. Now Amazon customers have the exciting chance to make the final decision on what that breakthrough novel will be."
Rich Raimondi, Vice President and General Manager, U.S. Graphic Arts Organization, HP, said: "We are excited to be helping these writers to the next phase of their careers as published authors. For more than a year, Amazon has relied on HP Indigo presses f |
| 2008-03-03 | Contract/Agreements | Amazon Customers Can Now Vote to Choose the Grand Prize Winner at http://www.amazon.com/abna
Winner to be Announced in New York City on April 7
NEW YORK and SEATTLE, March 3 /PRNewswire/ Ten finalists have been chosen from a pool of nearly 5,000 qualified writers in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (ABNA), a contest in search of the next popular novel, sponsored by Amazon.com, Penguin Group (USA), and HP. From now through March 31, the public can go to http://www.amazon.com/abna and vote for their favorite work by reading, rating and reviewing excerpts of the Top 10 finalists' submissions. The winner of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award will be unveiled in New York City on Monday, April 7, 2008 and will be awarded a publishing contract with Penguin Group (USA).
The Top 10 finalists and the titles of their respective novels, are (in alphabetical order):
Bad Things Happen by Harry Dolan, Ypsilanti, MI
Mr. Dolan edits an academic journal by day but yearns to publish
mysteries like his favorite authors Harlan Coben and Raymond Chandler.
The Butterflies of Grand Canyon by Margaret Erhart, Flagstaff, AZ
Ms. Erhart teaches creative writing through the poetry of Pablo Neruda
to middle schoolers on a Navajo reservation.
Casting Off by Nicole Dickson, Greensboro, NC
Ms. Dickson completed her manuscript while commuting to and from her
job at Macy's.
Fresh Kills by Bill Loehfelm, New Orleans, LA
Mr. Loehfelm is a retired high school English teacher who currently
bartends at night and writes by day.
The Hellraiser of the Hollywood Hills: A McAfee Twins Novel by Jennifer
Colt, Santa Monica, CA
Ms. Colt is a former screenwriter for Miramax.
Motherless Children by Randall Luce, Montgomery Village, MD
Mr. Luce is a paralegal with an advanced degree in Anthropology, who
based his manuscript on the deeply stirring research and interviews he
had conducted while writing a thesis on social change in the Deep
South.
The Prospect of My Arrival by Dwight Okita, Chicago, IL
Mr. Okita works as an office manager for a non profit in Chicago and is
a playwright on the side.
Ring of Lies by Karen Laugel, Woodbridge, CT
Ms. Laugel is a pediatrician who conceived her medical thriller after
hours.
The Wet Nurse's Tale by Erica Eisdorfer, Carrboro, NC
Ms. Eisdorfer is the longtime manager of a college bookstore in North
Carolina, whose historical novel was inspired by her literary heroes
Charles Dickens and Jane Austen.
Wrecking Civilization Before Lunch by John Ring, Shawnee, KS
Mr. Ring is a computer programmer who's been writing on the side for
the past 20 years.
The 10 finalists' work represents a diverse range of genres, perspectives, themes and literary styles. Although the 10 writers come from across the country, they all share the common dream of having their manuscript chosen by Amazon customers as the Grand Prize winner on April 7 and having their novel subsequently published by Penguin Group (USA).
Susan Petersen Kennedy, President of Penguin Group (USA), commented: "The range of imagination among the finalists is incredibly broad. Each manuscript has a distinct voice and setting, and it will be fascinating to see which novel ultimately ends up capturing the interest of readers everywhere."
Russell Grandinetti, Vice President of Books at Amazon.com, said: "Our goal with the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award was to provide our customers with an exciting, significant voice in discovering the next popular novel. Now Amazon customers have the exciting chance to make the final decision on what that breakthrough novel will be."
Rich Raimondi, Vice President and General Manager, U.S. Graphic Arts Organization, HP, said: "We are excited to be helping these writers to the next phase of their careers as published authors. For more than a year, Amazon has relied on HP Indigo presses f |
| 2008-02-29 | Earnings/Dividends | NEWARK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Audible, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBL; www.audible.com), the leader in spoken audio entertainment, information, and educational programming on the Internet, today announced unaudited financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2007.
Audible reported consolidated fourth quarter net revenue of $31.1 million, up 35% over the $23.2 million reported in the fourth quarter of 2006 and 13% over the $27.6 million reported in the third quarter of 2007. Revenue for the year ended December 31, 2007, was $110.0 million, up 34% from the $82.0 million in revenue for 2006.
Adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter of 2007 was $3.2 million, an increase of $2.6 million from adjusted EBITDA in the fourth quarter of 2006, and an increase of $1.3 million from $1.9 million in the third quarter of 2007. The company finished 2007 with $8.0 million of adjusted EBITDA, compared to a loss of $(1.0 million) in 2006.
Net income for the fourth quarter of 2007 was $4.0 million, or $0.16 per share, an improvement from the net loss of $(0.9 million), or $(0.04) per share, reported in the fourth quarter of 2006. Net income included a non-operating benefit of $3.1 million from the sale of net operating loss tax credits in the state of New Jersey. The company finished 2007 with net income of $2.4 million or $0.10 per share compared to a net loss of $(8.7 million) or $(0.36) per share in 2006.
During the quarter, 71,000 new AudibleListener members were acquired, an increase from the 70,000 new AudibleListener members reported in the fourth quarter of 2006, and a 13% increase quarter over quarter, from the 63,000 new members reported in the third quarter of 2007.
There were 457,000 total AudibleListener members at the end of 2007, compared to 381,000 total members reported at the end of 2006. This included 324,000 Gold/Platinum members which represented a gain of 85,000 members in one of the minimum monthly delivery subscription plans since last year.
Amazon Acquisition
On January 31, 2008, Audible and Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) announced that they had reached an agreement for Amazon to acquire Audible. Amazon commenced a tender offer on February 11, 2008, to purchase for cash all of the outstanding shares of Audible for $11.50 per share. The transaction is subject to certain regulatory reviews and other conditions and is expected to close by the second quarter of 2008.
Use of Non-GAAP Measures
In addition to the results presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, Audible presents financial measures that are non-GAAP measures, specifically adjusted EBITDA. Adjusted EBITDA is net (loss) income excluding interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, asset impairment, loss on equity investment, and stock based compensation. Audible believes that this non-GAAP measure, viewed in addition to and not in lieu of Audible's reported GAAP results, provides useful information to investors regarding its performance and overall results of operations. These metrics are an integral part of Audibles internal reporting to measure the performance of the company and the overall effectiveness of senior management. Reconciliations to comparable GAAP measures are available in the accompanying schedules to this press release and on Audible's Web site. The GAAP financial measures presented are consistent with Audible's historical financial reporting practices. The non-GAAP measures presented herein may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies, and are not identical to corresponding measures used in our various agreements or other public filings. Management also presents total cash sales. The measurement of total cash sales is defined as the change in deferred revenue plus consolidated net sales. Management believes that total cash sales is a useful measurement when understanding the increase in deferred revenue.
About Audible, Inc.:
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| 2008-01-31 | Merger/Acquisition | Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), today announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire Audible Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBL).
Audible.com is the leading online provider of premium digital spoken word audio content, specializing in digital audio editions of books, newspapers and magazines, television and radio programs and original programming. Through its web sites in the US and UK and alliances in Germany and France, Audible.com offers over 80,000 programs, including audiobooks from well-known authors such as Stephen King, Thomas Friedman, and Jane Austen, and spoken word audio content from sources including The New York Times, The New Yorker, Fresh Air and Charlie Rose.
Audible.com offers the best customer experience, the widest content selection and the broadest device compatibility in the industry, said Steve Kessel, Amazon.coms senior vice president for worldwide digital media. Working together, we can introduce more innovations and bring this format to an even wider audience.
This deal brings together two pioneering companies that share a long history of ceaseless focus on improving the customer experience, said Donald Katz, founder and chief executive of Audible.com. We are very excited to be joining a company as innovative as Amazon.com.
In recent months, Amazon has announced a number of innovations in the digital space, including Amazon Kindle, a revolutionary wireless portable reader that provides instant wireless downloads of more than 90,000 books, blogs, magazines and newspapers to a crisp, high-resolution electronic paper display.
Under the terms of the agreement, Amazon.com will commence a cash tender offer to purchase all of the outstanding shares of Audible.com for $11.50 per share and will assume Audible.coms outstanding stock-based awards, for an aggregate transaction value of approximately $300 million which includes Audible.coms cash and short-term investments at closing.
The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals, and is expected to close by the second quarter of 2008. |
| 2008-01-30 | Earnings/Dividends | SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) today announced financial results for its fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2007.
Operating cash flow was $1.41 billion in 2007, compared with $0.70 billion in 2006. Free cash flowincreased 143% to $1.18 billion in 2007, compared with $0.49 billion in 2006.
Common shares outstanding plus shares underlying stock-based awards outstanding totaled 435 million on December 31, 2007, compared with 436 million a year ago.
Net sales increased 42% to $5.67 billion in the fourth quarter, compared with $3.99 billion in fourth quarter 2006. Excluding the $0.20 billion favorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the quarter, net sales grew 37% compared with fourth quarter 2006.
Operating income increased 38% to $271 million in the fourth quarter, compared with $197 million in fourth quarter 2006. Excluding the $14 million favorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the quarter, operating income grew 31% compared with fourth quarter 2006.
Net income increased 112% to $207 million in the fourth quarter, or $0.48 per diluted share, compared with net income of $98 million, or $0.23 per diluted share, in fourth quarter 2006.
This quarter showed accelerated sales growth and record operating profits, said Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com. In our view, these unusual financial results are driven by one thing: continuously improving the customer experience.
Full Year 2007
Net sales increased 39% to $14.84 billion, or 35% excluding the $0.40 billion favorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the year, compared with $10.71 billion in 2006.
Operating income increased 69% to $655 million, or 61% excluding the $29 million favorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the year, compared with $389 million in 2006.
Net income increased 150% to $476 million in 2007, or $1.12 per diluted share, compared with net income of $190 million, or $0.45 per diluted share, in 2006.
Highlights
The Company introduced Amazon Kindle, a revolutionary wireless portable reader that provides instant wireless downloads of more than 90,000 books, blogs, magazines and newspapers to a crisp, high-resolution electronic paper display. The Amazon Kindle team is scrambling to increase manufacturing, as demand remains higher than supply. Kindles are being delivered to customers on a first come, first served basis. Amazon MP3 added DRM-free music downloads from Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group, making it the only retailer to offer DRM-free MP3 music downloads from all four major music labels as well as over 50,000 independent labels. The MP3 store now includes over 3.4 million songs from more than 270,000 artists. Pepsi will debut the Pepsi Stuff Amazon MP3 promotion, a massive collect-and-get program, during the upcoming Super Bowl. Over 330,000 developers have registered to use Amazon Web Services (AWS), up more than 30,000 from last quarter. Adoption of Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) and Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) continues to grow. As an indicator of adoption, bandwidth utilized by these services in fourth quarter 2007 was even greater than bandwidth utilized in the same period by all of Amazon.coms global websites combined. AWS launched a limited beta of its SimpleDB Service, which allows queries to run on structured data in real time. This service works in conjunction with Amazon EC2 and Amazon S3, collectively providing the ability to store, process and query data sets in the cloud. AWS launched European storage for Amazon S3, allowing software developers and businesses to store their data physically in Europe. Amazon S3 is a storage service in the cloud offering software developers and businesses low-cost access to the same scalable and reliable storage infrastructure Amazon uses |
| 2008-01-29 | Contract/Agreements | SEATTLE & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Capitol Music Group today announced the exclusive premiere of the new Lenny Kravitz music video Love, Love, Love on www.amazon.com/music. Fans around the world will get their exclusive first and only look at the new music video online at Amazon.com for a 24-hour window tomorrow, January 30.
The uniqueness of Lenny Kravitzs music, which incorporates elements of rock, soul, funk, reggae and folk, is unlike anything else on the music scene, and were very excited to debut his new music video on Amazon.com, said Peter Faricy, vice president of music and movies at Amazon.com. This is an extraordinary opportunity for Lennys fans to get their very first glimpse in almost four years of his latest work online. Were proud to provide our customers with this unique experience.
The new Lenny Kravitz album is a great return to form for one of the most important and iconic artists of this generation, said Jason Flom, chairman, CEO of Capitol Music Group. We're excited that Amazon.com has chosen to lend their support to Lenny as they continue to grow as a digital store and a hub for people to discover great music.
Kravitz has won the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance four years in a row from 1998 to 2001, and also received an American Music Award in 2002 for Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist. A top-selling musician for almost two decades, Kravitz has been described by Amazon music editors as more prolific than D'Angelo and Terence Trent D'Arby combined and a one-man rock & soul revivalist who has kept traditional pop values alive.
Kravitzs new album, It Is Time for a Love Revolution, will be released on Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2008, and is now available for pre-order on www.amazon.com for $12.99, a savings of 32 percent.
About Capitol Music Group
The Capitol Music Group, part of EMI Music, consists of the Capitol and Virgin imprints, and its roster includes such artists as 30 Seconds to Mars, Lily Allen, The Beatles, Corinne Bailey Rae, Coldplay, Decemberists, Gorillaz, Interpol, Lenny Kravitz, OK Go, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, The Rolling Stones, Joss Stone and KT Tunstall. More artist information is available at www.capitolpub.net
About Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc., (NASDAQ:AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earths Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earths most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as books, movies, music & games, digital downloads, electronics & computers, home & garden, toys, kids & baby, grocery, apparel, shoes & jewelry, health & beauty, sports & outdoors, tools, auto & industrial.
Amazon Web Services provides Amazons developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazons own back-end technology platform, whichdevelopers can use to enable virtually any type of business. Examples of the services offered by Amazon Web Services are Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2), Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3), Amazon SimpleDB, Amazon Simple Queue Service (Amazon SQS), Amazon Flexible Payments Service (Amazon FPS), and Amazon Mechanical Turk.
Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.ca, and the Joyo Amazon websites at www.joyo.cn and www.amazon.cn.
As used herein, Amazon.com, we, our and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.
Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Secu |
| 2008-01-18 | Earnings/Dividends | SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) announced today that it will hold a conference call to discuss its fourth quarter 2007 financial results on January 30, 2008, at 2:00 p.m. PT/5:00 p.m. ET.
The event will be webcast live, and the audio and associated slides will be available for at least three months thereafter at www.amazon.com/ir.
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| 2008-01-17 | Merger/Acquisition | SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com), the Webs most comprehensive and authoritative source of information on movies, TV, and celebrities and a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), today announced it has agreed to acquire Without A Box, Inc. (www.withoutabox.com), the worldwide media company dedicated to advancing independent film and connecting artists with audiences.
Co-founded in 2000 by David Straus and Joe Neulight, Withoutabox empowers all stakeholders in the independent film arena, from aspiring and established filmmakers to film festival organizers and audiences. For independent filmmakers, Withoutabox offers a fully integrated service for submitting films to festivals worldwide and promoting these films directly to fans everywhere. For film festival organizers, Withoutabox provides tools to manage and promote film festivals online.
For eight years, Withoutabox has enabled filmmakers and festivals to reach the widest audience possible, said David Straus, CEO, Withoutabox. Now, they will be able to connect directly with the 50 million film lovers who visit IMDb each month.
Our mission has always been to provide film lovers around the world with the most comprehensive movie-, TV-, and celebrity-related information, said Colin Bryar, Vice President, IMDb. Working with Withoutabox, we can offer our viewers even more great film-related content.
Withoutabox will continue to function as a stand-alone operation based in the Los Angeles area. |
| 2008-01-16 | Contract/Agreements | BALA CYNWYD, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Skinny Nutritional Corp. (OTC:SKNY) has signed an agreement with Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) that brings Skinny Water, an appetite-suppressing, flavored water, to the worlds biggest online store at http://www.amazon.com/Skinny-Water-Lemon-0-5-Liter-Bottles/dp/B000Z4UG Y6. The agreement with Amazon is the Skinny Nutritional Corp.s first e-commerce deal, and makes Skinny Water available at the click of a mouse in the Health and Personal Care section of Amazons Grocery Department. Three Skinny Water flavorsraspberry, lemon, and peachare now available as 24-packs of 16.9 oz bottles. Each 24-pack retails for $27.99, and qualifies for Amazons free Super Saver shipping.
Skinny Water is now available to anyone in the world, says Don McDonald, President and CEO of Skinny Nutritional. This is another major step in our national distribution efforts. Amazon is a strategically important distributor for us from credibility, visibility, and market reach standpoints. Theres no better place to be online than Amazon.
Skinny Waters two key ingredients, Super CitriMax and ChromeMate, have been clinically proven to help dieters lose three times more weight than diet and exercise alone, according to a study conducted at the Georgetown University Medical Center. Each 16.9 oz. bottle of Skinny Water contains zero calories and provides 15 percent of the U.S. Recommended Daily Intake of calcium, and 9 percent of the U.S. Recommended Daily Intake of potassium. Dieters are recommended to drink three bottles of Skinny Water each day, 30 to 60 minutes before each meal, to help feel full and eat less.
Skinny Water is available at more than 1,100 Target stores nationwide. Skinny Water can also be found on Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/Skinny-Water-Lemon-0-5-Liter-Bottles/dp/B000Z4UG Y6. For more information about Skinny Water, or for samples, visit www.SkinnyWater.com, or contact Jackie Zima at 610-642-8253 ext. 138, 215-534-2973 (mobile), or Jackie@GregoryFCA.com.
ABOUT SKINNY NUTRITIONAL CORP.
Skinny Nutritional develops, acquires, and distributes lifestyle and consumer products that capitalize on emerging trends in the health and wellness industry. Headquartered in Bala Cynwyd, Pa., the company is the exclusive worldwide distributor of Skinny Water, a multi-functional, flavored water and appetite suppressant. Skinny Water is the first flavored water in the market that contains two key ingredients, Super CitriMax and ChromeMate, which have been clinically proven to aid in weight loss. Skinny Nutritional will also be launching Skinny Tea, Skinny Shakes, and other Skinny branded beverages in 2008. For more information, visit www.SkinnyWater.com.
***This news release contains forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance and underlying assumptions and other statements, which are other than statements of historical facts. When used in this release, the words "believe," "anticipate," "think," "intend," "plan," "will be," "expect," and similar expressions identify such forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to uncertainties and risks including, but not limited to, risks set forth in documents filed by the Company from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All such forward-looking statements, whether written or oral, and whether made by, or on behalf of, the Company, are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements and any other cautionary statements which may accompany the forward-looking statements. In addition, the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.***
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