Barnes & Noble to Mine iUniverse Star Program for New Writers.

Business Editors

LINCOLN, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 16, 2003

Publisher iUniverse today announced that Barnes & Noble Inc. (NYSE:BKS), the nation's largest bookseller, has endorsed the iUniverse Star Program as a means for discovering -- and bringing to market -- promising authors.

Barnes & Noble will review books that have achieved success within the Star Program. Books that best match the needs of Barnes & Noble's customers will be inventoried and sold in Barnes & Noble stores.

iUniverse developed the Star Program to invest in books published by iUniverse that demonstrate strong initial sales. iUniverse covers (or shares in) the costs of many of the program's benefits, which can include securing book reviews, direct marketing initiatives, book packaging, and co-op advertising. The company also recently introduced an Editorial Review program to help authors improve their books' quality and marketability.

"iUniverse has a thorough screening process to identify promising new writers, and then invests real dollars in promoting their books," says Barnes and Noble Chief Executive Officer Steve Riggio. "Their editorial review process greatly enhances the quality of the books they publish. We see the Star Program as a great opportunity to discover new authors and bring them to market."

"Barnes & Noble is committed to discovering new talent, and we're excited that they have chosen to work with us to give new authors such tremendous visibility," says iUniverse's President and CEO Kimra Hawley. "The Star Program is designed to help talented and driven authors succeed in a business that's very tough to break into. By working with industry leading organizations such as Barnes & Noble, we can really begin to break down the barriers new authors face."

Michael Crider, author of Dada: A Guy's Guide to Surviving Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the First Year of Fatherhood, was recently selected to participate in the Star Program. He says the program is a great opportunity for authors who are motivated to succeed.

"With the Star Program, iUniverse has the tools, methodology and relationships in place to help serious authors move to the next level," says Crider.

For more information about iUniverse, visit www.iuniverse.com.

About iUniverse, Inc.

iUniverse helps individuals publish, market, and sell fiction and non-fiction books. The company is one of the largest publishers in the United States and publishes more than 5,000 new titles per year. iUniverse partners with industry leading author organizations, including the Authors Guild, ASJA, and the Mystery Writers of America, to bring innovative publishing programs to their members. The company's major investors include Warburg Pincus and Barnes & Noble.

About Barnes & Noble, Inc.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE:BKS) is the world's largest bookseller, operating 628 Barnes & Noble bookstores in 49 states. It also operates 258 B. Dalton Bookseller stores, primarily in regional shopping malls. The company offers titles from more than 50,000 publisher imprints, including thousands of small, independent publishers and university presses. It conducts its e-commerce business through Barnes & Noble.com (http://www.bn.com) in which it owns a 37 percent interest.

Barnes & Noble also has approximately a 60 percent interest in GameStop (NYSE:GME), the nation's largest video-game and entertainment-software specialty retailer with 1,231 stores.

General financial information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained via the Internet by visiting the company's corporate Web site: http://www.barnesandnobleinc.com/financials.