The sequined ruby slippers Dorothy wore in "The Wizard of Oz" are arguably the most recognized pair of shoes in movie history. And one of the four remaining pairs of the slippers Judy Garland made famous in that classic movie will be on display as a highlight of the 30th annual Judy Garland Festival June 23-25, in her hometown of Grand Rapids, Minn. The festival also features appearances by actresses June Lockhart and Margaret O'Brien, friends of Garland, who also appeared with her in the movie "Meet Me in St. Louis."

When New York Times best-selling author Steve Alten set out to write a novel about Loch Ness's famous inhabitant, he never realized he'd be caught in a battle between angry scientists and the Scottish government. The LOCH, Alten's latest thriller about one man's hunt to find the Loch Ness Monster contains cutting-edge science that has received praise from book reviewers and scientists alike. Loren Coleman, the world's leading cryptozoologist, calls The LOCH, "the best work of fiction since King Kong and The Lost World.

Lulu (www.lulu.com), the world's fastest-growing provider of print-on-demand books, announced today that James Taylor fans around the world actually CAN learn everything they ever wanted to know, and maybe a few things they didn't, about singer-songwriter James Taylor with the availability of "The James Taylor Encyclopedia" now at www.lulu.com. Taylor will launch a 30-city tour over the course of 11 weeks this summer beginning June 17 at the Meadows Amphitheater in Hartford, CT

A new online service helps self- publishing authors market and sell their work on the Web. Interactive Design & Publishing (http://www.idpublish.com/ ), founded by designer Archie Miller, leverages art and technology to help writers not just publish, but also sell their books online. Authors can select marketing options from a complete package that includes a Web site, an online store, and a press release.

American author Lionel Shriver has won the tenth Orange Prize for Fiction with her seventh novel We Need to Talk About Kevin (Serpent's Tail). At a ceremony in central London hosted by Sandi Toksvig, Chair of Judges Jenni Murray, presented the author with the GBP 30,000 prize and the 'Bessie', a limited edition bronze figurine. Both are anonymously endowed.

Lotsa Follows International Bestsellers The English Roses, Mr. Peabody's Apples, Yakov and The Seven Thieves, and The Adventures of Abdi. Callaway Arts & Entertainment is pleased to announce today's release of Lotsa de Casha, the fifth and final installment in an internationally best-selling series of children's books by Madonna.

The American Heart Association's new book the NO-FAD DIET: A PERSONAL PLAN FOR HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS will be released on June 9, 2005. The debut of the book comes at an important time in the national discussion on weight loss. More Americans are overweight now than ever before. In fact, 65 percent of people in the country are overweight and one third are obese, putting them at an increased risk for heart disease and stroke.

Paris and Nicky Hilton, Kimora Lee, Christina Aguilera, Rebecca Romijn, Elle Macpherson and Heidi Klum are among 44 women who are using their star power to raise funds and awareness for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. The well known women have bared all, donning nothing but Cartier jewels and Jimmy Choo shoes for a new coffee table book titled "4 Inches."

Journalist Karen Spears Zacharias will discuss her book, “Hero Mama: A Daughter Remembers the Father She Lost in Vietnam and the Mother Who Held Her Family Together,” at 2 p.m. on Friday, June 17, in the West Dining Room of the James Madison Memorial Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C.

It's the little book that's defied all the odds: a hard-to-categorize manuscript by a first-time author, with a difficult-to-pronounce name, and a cheeky title that both flaunts French superiority and damns by implication the eating habits of all other females. Now, five months after its initial publication, FRENCH WOMEN DON'T GET FAT, the best seller that's taken America by storm, can boast one more triumph

Nearly one in three brides who walk down the aisle this month will gain stepchildren along with a husband.* Most of these women will also acquire a relation they’d like to ignore: their husband’s former wife. She may not be invited to the wedding, but the “ex” is bound to be an important presence in the couple’s life.

Please stop what you are doing, especially if what you are doing is reading this press release. It has just been discovered that Lemony Snicket has completed Book the Twelfth in A Series of Unfortunate Events, the depressing and mysterious chronicles of three unlucky orphans who are plagued by villainy, conspiracy, and itchy clothing.

Kissena Park Press, an imprint of Starlight Runner Entertainment, Inc., today announced the signing of an extended two-book deal with W. William Winokur, author of the forthcoming 'Marathon' (Kissena Park Press, 2006). The second title, 'The Third Miracle,' is set for publication in early 2007 and a third as-yet-untitled novel is scheduled for 2008. Publisher Jeff Gomez negotiated the terms directly with the author.

Sir Paul McCartney has signed with Penguin Young Readers Group to publish his children's picture book, High in the Clouds: An Urban Furry Tale, in the United States on October 4, 2005. The initial US print-run is planned at 500,000 copies.

Are you aware of how many sales are missed online, every single day, because small but extremely important details are overlooked on websites? That doesn't have to happen. In a bestselling new book, "Call To Action," Bryan and Jeffrey Eisenberg explain that the little things do matter online. The brothers then outline some easy-to-implement changes that web owners can use to improve their websites -- as well as their conversion rates.