PUEBLO, Colorado — The Professional Bull Riders (PBR), the world’s premier bull riding organization, and Harlequin, one of the world’s leading publishers of books for women, today announced a book publishing partnership that will debut in May 2015. Under the agreement, Harlequin intends to publish four Harlequin Pro Bull Riders novels containing distinctive PBR content and featuring actual PBR bull riders on the covers. Harlequin Pro Bull Riders novels will be available exclusively at Wal-Mart stores in the United States.
“We are excited to be expanding our publishing portfolio to include books that feature the Professional Bull Riders,” said Craig Swinwood, Publisher and CEO of Harlequin. “Along with being the fastest growing sport in America, the PBR has a large and loyal base of female fans. Our partnership will bring a new reading experience to these fans and the millions of women who return to Harlequin month after month for reading entertainment.”
“Harlequin is a natural fit for the PBR,” said PBR Chairman and CEO Jim Haworth. “Like many of Harlequin’s stories, the PBR’s roots are steeped in the Western culture with the sport enjoying a large family of female fans. This partnership will allow us to give them more of the PBR lifestyle they appreciate and work with a partner who is by far one of the most time-honored leaders in its industry.”
Under the agreement, Harlequin will publish four previously released titles featuring bull rider heroes by USA TODAY and award-winning author Tina Leonard. The collector’s edition titles will feature covers showcasing top PBR riders Matt Triplett, Reese Cates, Harve Stewart and Zane Lambert. Additional exclusive content will include biographies, interviews, photos and signed reader letters from the riders featured on the covers.
Each book will also contain $20 of value-added coupons for select PBR events, fan club membership and upcoming titles from Harlequin.
Harlequin Pro Bull Riders stories will be heartwarming contemporary tales of everyday women finding love and becoming part of a family or community. The stories showcase the charm of small-town America and the ruggedness of Western locales and regularly feature Western characters as protagonists.
Founded in 1992, the PBR features the world’s best bull riders against the fiercest bucking bulls on the planet in an 8-second showdown. More than 600 bull riders compete in PBR-sanctioned competitions in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and the United States each year. These events are attended by more than 2.5 million fans annually who respect the riders’ athleticism and courage. PBR broadcasts are televised weekly on CBS and CBS Sports Network and reach more than half a billion households in 50 nations and territories around the world.
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