Penguin Group

Penguin Group
Parent company	Pearson PLC
Founded	1935
Founder	George Palmer Putnam & John Wiley
Headquarters location	City of Westminster London, England
Imprints	see below
Revenue	£ 1.05billion (2010)
Official website	www.penguin.com

The Penguin Group is a trade book publisher, the second largest in the world, after Random House^[1]. The Penguin Group is the name of the incorporated division of parent Pearson PLC that oversees these publishing operations. Penguin Books has its registered office in City of Westminster, London, England.^[2][3]

Its British division is Penguin Books Ltd. Other separate divisions can be found in the United States, Ireland, New Zealand, India, Australia, Canada, China and South Africa.

History[link]

Penguin Books Ltd. (est. 1935) of the United Kingdom was bought over by Pearson Longman in 1970.

Penguin Group (USA) Inc. was formed in 1996 as a result of the merger between Penguin Books USA and the Putnam Berkley Group. The newly formed company was originally called Penguin Putnam Inc., but in 2003 changed its name to Penguin Group (USA) Inc. to reflect the parent Pearson PLC's grouping of all the Penguin companies worldwide under the supervisory umbrella of Pearson's own Penguin Group division.

The different Penguin companies use many imprints, many of which used to be independent publishers.^[4] Penguin Group (USA) Inc. also operates its own speaker's bureau that books speaking engagements for many of the publisher's authors.

Imprints[link]

Penguin Group imprints include the following:^[5]

See also[link]

• Amazon breakthrough novel award
• Pearson Education
• Pearson PLC
• The Big Six publishing companies:
  • Hachette, Holtzbrinck/Macmillan, HarperCollins, Random House and Simon & Schuster^[6]
• Penguin Group (USA) Inc. v. American Buddha

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• "About Us" on the Penguin Group (USA) website
• Penguin Books (India) website
• Penguin Ireland website
• Penguin Group(NZ) website
• Penguin Group (Canada): Canadian Publishing Programme Announcement
• An open letter to the Penguin Group from David Brock
• Penguin Group (Australia) official website
• Penguin Portfolio official website
• Frederick Warne & Co official website

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Jim Butcher
Born	(1971-10-26) October 26, 1971 (age 40)
Occupation	Novelist
Nationality	American
Period	April 2000–present
Genres	Fantasy, Speculative fiction, Science fiction
Notable work(s)	The Dresden Files, Codex Alera
Influences J. R. R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Lloyd Alexander
www.jim-butcher.com

Jim Butcher (born in Independence, Missouri, United States, on October 26, 1971)^[1] is a New York Times Best Selling author^[2][3] most known for his contemporary fantasy book series The Dresden Files. He also wrote the Codex Alera series. Butcher grew up as the only son of his parents, and has two older sisters. He currently lives in Independence with his wife, Shannon K. Butcher (an author of romance novels), one son, and his guard dog, F. D. M. Butcher.^{[citation needed]}

Career biography[link]

While he was sick with strep throat as a child, Butcher's sisters introduced him to The Lord of the Rings and The Han Solo Adventures novels to pass the time, thus beginning his fascination with fantasy and science fiction.^[4] As a teenager, he completed his first novel and set out to become a writer. After many unsuccessful attempts to enter the traditional fantasy genre (he cites J. R. R. Tolkien, Lloyd Alexander, and C.S. Lewis, among others, as major influences),^[4] he wrote the first book in The Dresden Files—about a professional wizard in modern-day Chicago—as an exercise for a writing course in 1996 at the age of 25.

For two years, Butcher floated his manuscript amongst various publishers before hitting the convention circuit to make contacts in the industry. After meeting Butcher in person, Ricia Mainhardt, the agent who discovered Laurell K. Hamilton, agreed to represent him, kick-starting his writing career.^[5] However, Butcher and Mainhardt have since parted ways; Jennifer Jackson is his current agent.^[6] Butcher has written two series: The Dresden Files and Codex Alera. Codex Alera has ended after six novels and The Dresden Files are still ongoing; he has also written a Spider-Man novel, entitled The Darkest Hours, released on June 27, 2006. In addition, he contributed a short story for publication in My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding with Charlaine Harris and Sherrilyn Kenyon, among others, released in October 2006. He has since contributed to the anthologies Many Bloody Returns in September 2007 and My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon in December 2007.^[7] In October 2008, he released another short story in Blood Lite and a novelette, Backup, illustrated by Mike Mignola.^[8]

The Dresden Files series[link]

Six months after Butcher was signed by Mainhardt, Storm Front, the first novel in The Dresden Files, was picked up by ROC for publishing. It was released as a paperback in April 2000. Fool Moon followed nine months later on January 1, 2001, and the third book, Grave Peril, was published in September 2001. Thereafter, the release schedule slowed, with Summer Knight appearing on September 3, 2002. The fifth and sixth books, Death Masks and Blood Rites, appeared in August 2003 and 2004, respectively. Coinciding with the release of Blood Rites, Butcher published a Harry Dresden short story, entitled Restoration of Faith, on his website, chronicling Harry's life before The Dresden Files as a private eye for Ragged Angel Investigations.^[9] In December 2004, the Science Fiction Book Club picked up the first three novels in the series for release in a hardcover omnibus edition entitled Wizard for Hire for a March–April 2005 rush release in order to arrive on store shelves before the seventh novel in May.^[10]

Dead Beat, released on May 3, 2005, was the first hardback release in the series by ROC. The first printing of 15,000 copies sold out in three days, and the book was immediately reprinted.^[11] A second omnibus edition, called Wizard by Trade and containing Summer Knight and Death Masks, appeared in early 2006, followed by Proven Guilty on May 2, 2006, the same day as the paperback edition of Dead Beat. Proven Guilty quickly climbed to #21 on the New York Times Best Seller List and #91 on the USA Today list.^[2] A third omnibus release from the Science Fiction Book Club entitled Wizard at Large and containing Blood Rites and Dead Beat was released in November 2006.^[12]

A ninth book from ROC, White Night, was released on April 3, 2007, shortly after the paperback edition for Proven Guilty in February. White Night reached the top five of the New York Times Best Seller List on an initial printing of 100,000 copies.^[13] Small Favor, the tenth book in the series, was released April 1, 2008.^[14] It debuted at number two on the New York Times Best Seller List, Butcher's highest debut ever,^[15] and number three on the USA Today best seller list.^[16] The eleventh book in the series, Turn Coat, was released April 7, 2009. The 12th book in the series, Changes, was released April 6, 2010.^[17] The 13th book, Ghost Story, was released July 26, 2011. The series garners a strong following and is now available in several languages, including Russian, Spanish, Dutch, French, Czech, Polish, German and Mandarin Chinese.

The Dresden Files in other media[link]

Audiobooks and game[link]

Due to the popularity of The Dresden Files, Buzzy Media Publishing has released the first four novels as audiobooks in both audio and MP3 CD formats. They are voiced by actor James Marsters. Storm Front was released in July 2002 as an unabridged 8-CD set, with an unabridged 9-CD set of Fool Moon following in August 2003. The Grave Peril audiobook shipped as an unabridged 10-CD set on October 28, 2004, with a free t-shirt bundled with all purchases before December 26, 2004. Summer Knight was released March 31, 2007. All four have since been released in MP3-CD format with fewer discs.

Buzzy Multimedia announced in November 2007 that Penguin Audio had purchased the audio rights to the remaining Dresden Files novels, and the tenth novel, Small Favor, would be next in line for audio treatment. The audio book was released simultaneously with the hardcover April 1, 2008.^[18] Jim-Butcher.com reports that Penguin Audio intends to produce and release the remaining novels as soon as James Marsters' schedule allows.^[19]

On December 16, 2004 Butcher also inked a deal with Evil Hat Productions to release a role-playing game based on The Dresden Files. The game uses a modified ruleset from Evil Hat's acclaimed Fate RPG.^[20]

Television show[link]

Television writer and producer Morgan Gendel optioned The Dresden Files in June 2003, paving the way for a film or television release of the series.^[21] On April 5, 2004, Sci Fi announced production of a two-hour backdoor pilot film of The Dresden Files based on the events of Storm Front in conjunction with Lions Gate Television and Saturn Films, with Nicolas Cage and Norm Golightly set to executive produce. Gendel was listed to write and executive produce the television series, along with Anthony Peckham.^[21] Initially, Harry Dresden was listed as "Erik" Dresden, but by the end of 2004 the name had been canned in early drafts of the pilot in favor of Harry.^[10]

On October 5, 2005, Variety reported that the television project had been officially greenlit by Sci Fi, with Hans Beimler and Robert Wolfe coming onboard as executive producers with Cage, Golightly, and Gendel. Production of the pilot took place in Toronto, and the original intent was to air the pilot movie in the summer of 2006.^[22] In November, the Sci Fi Wire released casting details for the series, with Paul Blackthorne cast as Harry Dresden over James Marsters, who turned down the opportunity to audition because he was unwilling to relocate from Los Angeles.^[23] In May 2006, Sci Fi announced an initial purchase of eleven episodes of The Dresden Files and a January 2007 premiere of the two-hour pilot movie.^[24] However, the two-hour pilot was not shown, and the show premiered on January 21, 2007 with the episode Birds of a Feather, originally intended to be the third episode.^{[citation needed]} The show garnered mixed reviews^[25]

After the season one finale aired on April 15, 2007, fans began a letter campaign in an attempt to have the show renewed.^[26] Sci Fi decided not to continue production on the Dresden Files the following August.^[27]

The Codex Alera series[link]

After the success of Dresden, Butcher returned to the traditional fantasy genre with his second series, Codex Alera. The series chronicles the life of a young man named Tavi from the Calderon Valley of Alera on the world of Carna. The people of Alera have grown complacent with the trappings of empire (the story is based loosely on the late Roman Empire) and their control of powerful elemental forces known as furies. On March 3, 2003, Jim Butcher announced that Ace won a bidding war against rival publisher Del Rey Books for the rights to the series.^[28]

The first novel in the series, Furies of Calderon, was published in hardcover by Ace, and in August 2004, major booksellers began taking pre-orders for an October 5, 2004 release. Furies of Calderon was the first hardcover release for Butcher,^[29] and was a significant step forward in making the transition from a part-time to a full-time writer.^[30] A paperback version followed in June, 2005, just a month before the release of the second book, Academ's Fury. It was released in paperback on November 28, 2006, with the third novel, Cursor's Fury, following on December 5.

While originally intended to be a six-book series, Codex Alera was initially signed as a trilogy. After the series showed success, Roc agreed to publish three more novels in the Codex Alera series.^[31] The fourth novel, Captain's Fury, released December 4, 2007 and peaked at #17 on the New York Times Best Seller List.^[7] The fifth novel, Princeps' Fury, was released November 25, 2008 and peaked at #13 on the New York Times Best Seller List.^[32] The sixth and final novel, First Lord's Fury, was released on November 24, 2009 and has reached #7 on the New York Times Best Seller List.^[33]

Audio rights to the Codex Alera belong to Penguin Audio. Captain's Fury was released in audio format March 27, 2008, read by Kate Reading. Audio versions of the first three books were released in November, 2008. The audio book of Princeps' Fury was released simultaneously with the hardcover.^[8]

Bibliography[link]

The Dresden Files[link]

• "Restoration of Faith" (Harry Dresden short story)
• "Vignette" (Harry Dresden vignette)
• "Something Borrowed" (Harry Dresden short story), published in My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding (October 3, 2006, ISBN 0-312-34360-4)
• "It's My Birthday Too" (Harry Dresden short story), published in Many Bloody Returns (September 4, 2007, ISBN 0-441-01522-0)
• "Heorot" (Harry Dresden short story), published in My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon (December 26, 2007, ISBN 0-312-37504-2)
• "Day Off" (Harry Dresden short story), published in Blood Lite (October 21, 2008, ISBN 1-4165-6783-6)
• Welcome to the Jungle, a prequel to the series. A graphic novel, illustrated by Ardian Syaf), published by Dabel Brothers (October 21, 2008, ISBN 0-345-50746-0
• Backup: A Story of the Dresden Files (Harry Dresden novelette, illustrated by Mike Mignola), published by Subterranean Press (October 31, 2008, ISBN 1-59606-182-0)
• "The Warrior", published in Mean Streets (January 6, 2009, ISBN 978-0-451-46249-7)
• "Last Call", published in Strange Brew (July 7, 2009, ISBN 978-0-312-38336-7)
• "Even Hand", published in Dark and Stormy Knights (July 20, 2010, ISBN 978-0-312-59834-1)

Butcher received a nomination for the Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story for Welcome to the Jungle.^[34]

Codex Alera[link]

Other[link]

• The Darkest Hours (June 27, 2006, ISBN 1-4165-1068-0)

Notes and references[link]

External links[link]

Find more about Jim Butcher on Wikipedia's sister projects:
	Definitions and translations from Wiktionary
	Images and media from Commons
	Learning resources from Wikiversity
	News stories from Wikinews
	Quotations from Wikiquote
	Source texts from Wikisource
	Textbooks from Wikibooks

• Dresden Files RPG
• SyFy.com | The Dresden Files (recaps)
• The Butcher Block: A podcast about Jim and his books.
• The official Jim Butcher Site
• Penguin Audio Register here to be notified when The Dresden Files 5..9 are released as audio books.
• Novel synopses, cover art, and reviews at FantasyLiterature.net
• 2011 Interview on the Geek's Guide to the Galaxy podcast
• Jim Butcher at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database

Sharon Begley is an American journalist. She writes a science column for Newsweek.^[1]

Biography[link]

Begley graduated from Yale University in 1977 ^[2] and then began working at Newsweek, where she has spent most of her career. From 2002 to 2007, she wrote the "Science Journal" column in the Wall Street Journal. ^[3] In 2007, Begley's Newsweek cover-story on climate change focused on efforts to manufacture a controversy not reflected in the views of mainstream scientists.^[4] She is the author of Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain: How a New Science Reveals Our Extraordinary Potential to Transform Ourselves, as well as the co-author of The Mind and the Brain: Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force, along with psychiatrist Jeffrey M. Schwartz.

Publications[link]

Books[link]

• Sharon Begley, Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain: How a New Science Reveals Our Extraordinary Potential to Transform Ourselves, New York: Ballantine Books, 2007. ISBN 978-0-345-47989-1.

• Jeffrey Schwartz and Sharon Begley, The mind and the brain: Neuroplasticity and the power of mental force, New York: Regan Books, 2002. ISBN 0-06-039355-6.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Science writer latest speaker at Creative Minds
• Sharon Begley's interviews with Charlie Rose

Dickson Beattie "Doc" Hendley
Doc pumping water from a well in Trujillo, Peru
Born	(1979-03-19)March 19, 1979 Augusta, Georgia
Nationality	American
Other names	Doc
Known for	Wine to Water

Dickson Beattie "Doc" Hendley (born March 19, 1979 in Augusta, Georgia) is the founder of Wine to Water, an American charitable organization devoted to providing clean water and sanitation to people around the world.

Biography[link]

Hendley was born to Jeff and Libbi Hendley. He is the second of four children, with one older sister and two younger brothers. Hendley is married with two sons and resides in Boone, North Carolina.

After graduating from Ragsdale High School in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1997, he later received a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from North Carolina State University in 2004.

Wine to Water[link]

Hendley is the founder and current president of Wine to Water, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit aid organization focused on providing clean water to needy people around the world.^[1] Wine to Water has worked in Sudan, India, Cambodia, Uganda, Ethiopia, Peru, South Africa, and Kenya^[2]. The organization responded to the 2010 Haiti earthquake by bringing a water purification system to be implemented within disaster areas.^[3]

Hendley first envisioned the concept of Wine to Water in 2003 while bartending and playing music in nightclubs around Raleigh, North Carolina^[4]. In January 2004, the first fundraiser was held at a local bar in Raleigh. With the money raised during the event, Hendley traveled to Darfur, [[Sudan],] and began installing water systems for victims of government-supported genocide^[5]. He then lived in Sudan for about a year. Upon his return to the United States, he began to focus his energy on developing Wine to Water programs in other countries and received local and national media attention as a result.

CNN Heroes Selection[link]

In May 2009, Hendley was selected as one of the CNN Heroes of the 2009 year out of nearly 9,000 submissions.^[6] In October 2009, a panel of judges — including Gen. Colin Powell, Whoopi Goldberg, Ted Turner, and Elton John^[7] — announced that Hendley was a "Top 10 Finalist for CNN’s Hero of Year."^[8] As of 2009, Wine to Water has implemented sustainable drinking water initiatives for over 25,000 individuals.^[9]

References[link]

External links[link]

• http://www.winetowater.org
• http://articles.cnn.com/2009-04-30/us/heroes.doc.hendley_1_water-projects-clean-water-wine?_s=PM:US
• http://www.cnn.com/heroes
• http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/04/30/heroes.doc.hendley/index.html
• http://www.tonic.com/news/article/tonics-50-most-beautiful-people-1-10/
• http://www.takepart.com/blog/2009/03/23/world-water-week-qa-with-doc-hendley/

Jessica Rowley Pell Bird (born 1969 in Massachusetts, U.S.A.) is an American novelist. Under her maiden name, Jessica Bird, she writes contemporary romance novels, and as J.R. Ward, she writes paranormal romance. She has received the Romance Writers of America RITA Award.

Biography[link]

Born Jessica Rowley Pell Bird on 1969 in Massachusetts, U.S.A., she is the daughter of W. Gillette Bird, Jr. and Maxine F. Bird.^[1] She began writing as a child, penning her thoughts in diaries as well as inventing short stories. The summer before she went to college she wrote her first book, a romance novel.^[2] After that, she wrote regularly, but for herself.^[3] Bird attended Smith College^[1] where she double majored in history and art history, concentrating on medieval period.^[3] She then received a law degree from Albany Law School^[1] and worked in healthcare administration for many years,^[3] including as the Chief of Staff at Beth Israel Deaconness Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts.^[1]

In 2001, Bird married John Neville Blakemore III.^[1] Her new husband encouraged her to try to get an agent and market her manuscripts. She found an agent, and in 2002 her first novel, a contemporary romance called Leaping Hearts, was published.^[3][4] Several years later, Bird invented a world populated by vampires and began writing single-title paranormal romance novels under the pen name J.R. Ward. These novels are a series, known as the Black Dagger Brotherhood.^[4]

Bird likes to write series novels which incorporate characters from her previous books. She likens the process of creating a series to "meeting friends through other friends".^[3] Her heroes are most often alpha males, "the tougher, the cockier, the more arrogant, the better", while the heroines are smart and strong.^[3]

The Romance Writers of America awarded her the RITA Award for Best Short Contemporary Romance in 2007 for her novel From the First.^[5] She has also been nominated six times for Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Awards, winning once for Lover Awakened.^[6]

Bibliography[link]

As Jessica Bird[link]

Single novels[link]

• Leaping Hearts 07/30/02 ISBN 0-8041-1988-0
• Heart of Gold 06/03/03 ISBN 0-8041-1989-9
• An Unforgettable Lady 03/02/04 ISBN 0-345-45895-8
• An Irresistible Bachelor 03/30/04 ISBN 0-345-45896-6

The Moorehouse Legacy Series[link]

1. Beauty and the Black Sheep 07/01/05 ISBN 0-373-24698-6
2. His Comfort and Joy 01/01/06 ISBN 0-373-24732-X
3. From The First 04/01/06 ISBN 0-373-24750-8
4. A Man in a Million 01/01/07 ISBN 0-373-24803-2

The O'Banyon Brothers Series[link]

1. The Billionaire Next Door 08/01/07 ISBN 0-373-24844-X

Omnibus[link]

• From the First / What are Friends for? (2006)

Collections in collaboration[link]

• Plain Jane's Secret Life / Beauty and the Black Sheep (2005) (with Cathy Gillen Thacker)
• "The Billionaire Next Door" in Mistress: Taken by the Tycoon (2009) (with Jan Colley and Kristi Gold)

As J. R. Ward[link]

Black Dagger Brotherhood series[link]

1. Dark Lover 09/06/05 ISBN 0-451-21695-4
2. Lover Eternal 03/07/06 ISBN 0-451-21804-3
3. Lover Awakened 09/05/06 ISBN 0-451-21936-8
4. Lover Revealed 03/06/07 ISBN 0-451-41235-4
5. Lover Unbound 09/25/07 ISBN 0-451-22235-0
6. Lover Enshrined 06/03/08 ISBN 0-451-22272-5
7. Lover Avenged 4/28/09 ISBN 0-451-22585-6
8. Lover Mine 05/01/10 ISBN 0749941789
9. Lover Unleashed 03/29/11
10. The Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insider's Guide 10/01/08 ISBN 978-0-451-22500-9
11. Lover Reborn 03/27/12 ISBN 978-0-451-23584-8

• J.R. Ward Box Set: Dark Lover, Lover Eternal, Lover Awakened, Lover Unbound, Lover Revealed, Lover Enshrined (omnibus) (2009)

Fallen Angels series[link]

1. Covet 9/29/2009 ISBN 0-451-22821-9
2. Crave 10/05/2010 ISBN 0-451-22944-4
3. Envy 09/06/2011 ISBN 0-349-40020-2

Collections in collaboration[link]

• "The Story of Son" in Dead After Dark (2008) (with Sherrilyn Kenyon, Susan Squires, Dianna Love)
• "Dark Lover" in Blood Lust 6 (2010) (with MaryJanice Davidson, Christine Feehan)
• "Lover Awakened" in Blood Sample 7 (2010) (with MaryJanice Davidson, Laurell K Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, Katie MacAlister)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Jessica Bird Official site
• J. R. Ward's Official Site
• BookPage interview with JR Ward
• J. R. Ward at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database