Book Gains Drive Sales at Rodale

Rodale reported last week that sales increased 21% in 2003 with earnings jumping 135%. PW estimates that the sales gain pushed total Rodale revenue to approximately $500 million last year.

Sales in the book group increased 48% last year, led, of course, by The South Beach Diet, which had more than five million copies in print at the end of the year. Advance orders for both The South Beach Diet Good Fats, Good Carbs Guide and My Prison Without Bars also contributed to the good year, Rodale said. The book group's direct response unit also had a solid year, with sales up 12% led by The South Beach Diet, Alternative Cures and Shrink Your Female Fat Zones.

While 2003 will be difficult to top for the book group, January was a "huge month," a spokesperson said, led once again by South Beach, which benefited from a new direct mail campaign. In late February, Rodale printed another 650,000 copies of the book, and a 24th printing, for 1.3 million copies, is set for later this month. The Good Fats, Good Carbs book, released in January, has three million copies in print, and The South Beach Diet Cookbook, scheduled for release in April, has 1.7 million copies in print.

In a personnel change, Marc Jaffe left the company earlier this month. Jaffe joined Rodale in January 2001 and, as senior v-p of licensing and books, helped to turn around the company's book operation. A spokesperson said there are no plans to replace him.