Best-Selling Author Publishes New Work Exclusively via Fatbrain.com eMatter Program.

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 15, 1999--

Fatbrain.com (Nasdaq: FATB) today announced that best-selling author Catherine Lanigan, who is known for "Romancing the Stone" and "Jewel of the Nile," has published her newest work exclusively via the eMatter digital publishing program at Fatbrain.com. The new 61-page novella, "Miracles Are Golden," is a family-oriented holiday story about a golden retriever who saves a boy's life. It is available today at http://www.fatbrain.com/ematter.

eMatter provides the first-ever secure digital publishing channel that allows authors and publishers to publish and sell their works online, earning a minimum of 50 percent royalties on every copy sold. Lanigan joins more than 5,500 individuals who have signed up to sell unique and pre-published content through eMatter.

"eMatter is revolutionary -- now I am not limited to writing just 250-page novels," said Lanigan. "I have always had the idea for this novella in my head, but until eMatter came along, there was no economic channel for its distribution. Once I heard about eMatter, not only did I contact Fatbrain.com to release my out-of-print work, but I immediately began to write 'Miracles Are Golden' with the intent of making it available to my fans exclusively via eMatter."

"eMatter is drawing an entire population of writers to Fatbrain.com to publish works that could never be delivered to loyal readers so quickly through traditional publishing methods," said Judy Kirkpatrick, vice president and general manager for eMatter at Fatbrain.com. "eMatter instantly makes sense for authors like Catherine Lanigan because it opens up new options for their work and delivers content to the market instantly."

Lanigan categorizes her work as romantic adventure fiction. This fall in her 20th year of writing, she released her 20th book, "Wings of Destiny," a multi-generational saga. It is also available at http://www.fatbrain.com.

About eMatter

The eMatter program offers authors flexible publishing options and royalties of at least 50 percent on every document sold. eMatter is ideal for material that is longer than an article and shorter than a book, or works that may be time-sensitive or targeted to limited audiences. The eMatter initiative combines newly developed digital rights technologies with Fatbrain.com's established community of customers to provide the first-ever secure publishing channel for the exchange of information between writers and readers everywhere. Original eMatter content available today covers a broad range of professional topics including technology, business, finance, medicine and science, plus a variety of creative subjects such as fiction, poetry, self-help and how-to guides.

About Fatbrain.com

Fatbrain.com, the Internet's most comprehensive bookstore for professionals, is the first e-commerce provider to deliver secure digital publishing through its eMatter initiative. Recently named the number two fastest-growing public company in Silicon Valley, Fatbrain.com offers a world-class selection of books, training materials and documentation for professionals in business and finance, technology and other industries. Through its corporate intranet bookstore program, Fatbrain.com is accessible from the desktops of more than 1.75 million employees at customer sites. Fatbrain.com offers discounts of up to 40 percent, and all in-stock orders placed by 4 PM PST ship the same business day. Visit Fatbrain.com on the Web at http://www.fatbrain.com.

Note to Editors: Fatbrain.com and eMatter are trademarks of Fatbrain.com, Inc. All company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.