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Penguin Group Acquires Rights to Savas Beatie Title
by Sarah Keeney, Marketing Director Savas Beatie LLC
Monday, November 19, ^th, 2007

El Dorado Hills—Savas Beatie, a leading independent publisher of military and general history titles, is proud to announce that New York publisher Penguin Group has purchased trade paperback and mass market paperback rights to Gary Moore's award-winning Playing with the Enemy: A Baseball Prodigy, a World at War, and a Field of Broken Dreams (2006).

"We are very excited for Gary and for our company," related Managing Director Theodore P. Savas. "With a major motion picture scheduled to begin shooting in the near future, and a release next spring of the Penguin paperback edition, 2008 promises to be an exciting year for everyone."

David Cashion, Senior Editor for Penguin Books, agrees. "I read Gary's book in one sitting and knew right then that this was something that I had to publish. As an editor, it's rare to have that immediate and absolute confidence in a project," continued Cashion. "And now everyone at Penguin is very excited and proud to be part of the next step in the continuing success story that is Playing with the Enemy."

For a first-time author, Moore's heartwarming story about his father's secret-and fateful-brush with baseball greatness has received a wide variety of attention. Publishers Weekly gave it a coveted starred review, noting, "Gene's story, a surprising paean to the power and humanity of a game, is told here by his son, a first-time author who exhibits the confidence and pacing of a pro." Military Writers Society of America awarded Playing with the Enemy its "Book of the Year" award for 2006, and two professional musicians have written songs as a tribute to the moving all-American story. Schools across the country are picking the book up for their English and literature programs, teaching the book and its message along with such classics as A Separate Peace and Catcher in the Rye.

All of this has humbled author Gary Moore. "I am so grateful to Mr. Savas, his marketing director Sarah Keeney, and Savas Beatie LLC for the amazing job they have done in the launch and promotion of the hardcover edition of Playing with the Enemy. I'm also delighted to work with Penguin, one of the world's great publishing houses, on the paperback release of this story." Moore's agent, Tris C. Coburn, agrees. "Savas Beatie has done a masterful job with the publication and promotion of Gary's book. Everyone is thrilled that Penguin has picked up the paperback rights and is onboard to take this extraordinary story to the next level."

Baseball legend Jim Morris (former pitcher for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays) wrote the Foreword for Playing with the Enemy. Morris says, "Gary Moore's touching book about his father's baseball career serves as a reminder that life is all about second chances and people inspiring each other to chase their dreams. . . . I loved Playing with the Enemy. You will, too."

Oscar-winning producer Gerald Molen (Schindler's List, Minority Report, Jurassic Park) acquired movie rights to Playing with the Enemy. Molen says, "Gene Moore and his fellow sailors teach all of us that compassion and tolerance does exist, especially when the bridge builder happens to be that great American pastime: baseball.

History and baseball buffs alike will revel in this episode of man's ability to reach out, even during a time of war."

Filming is set for late 2007. Gary Moore's son, actor Toby Moore (www.tobymoore.com) will portray his grandfather Gene Moore in the film.

Southwest Airlines is the Proud Sponsor of the Playing with the Enemy Hardcover Book Tour!