Howard Books served birthday cake to mark the 10th anniversary of the launch of its successful "Hugs" line. Publisher John Howard helped offer slices to retailers who visited the Howard booth to recognize the more than 50-title series that has sold a total of 7 million copies.

Howard staff handed out brightly colored rubber bracelets stamped "Hugs-everybody needs them" and promoted a special price on Hugs to Wrap Around Your Heart, a 10th-anniversary limited-edition title that collects 10 of the series' best-loved stories for an $11.99 retail price.

Howard said that the series had been born when Vice President of Sales Gary Myers had observed that two books being planned were "just like getting a big hug." He attributed their success to there being "a gift book that was content-driven more than photographic or quote-driven, great stories, great messages, wonderful sentiments. They were just something that touched people because of the content."

The "Hugs" series "really put us on the map," Howard added, enabling the company to develop a fiction line and play a part in bringing it to the attention of general market publisher Simon & Schuster, which acquired the West Monroe, La.-based company in 2006.

The relationship with the new owner "couldn't be better," Howard said. "They have really allowed us to operate as autonomously as we want to be and give us all the help we ask (for)."

New Howard titles include Life's Healing Choices by John Baker, a pastor at Rick Warren's Saddleback Church in Southern California, due out Aug. 21.

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