FlatSigned.com Celebrates Ten Year Anniversary

    Rare and Collectible Books Rivaled Only by Fine Art in Retained and

                              Increased Value

 Tim Miller has built a $2 million a year business in rare books by taking

 risks, bucking the traditional 'antiquarian bookseller' system, and making

       friends (and at least one enemy) among the powerful and famous



    NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 22 /EMWNews/ -- Rarer than ever in today's

economy is the investment that not only retains its value, but whose value

increases steadily, immune to "bubble effects." The recent astronomical

increases in fine art values have been well documented as collectors,

especially hedge fund managers with money to burn, send prices soaring not

only on Old Masters, but on works by modern artists from Jeff Koons to

Damien Hirst. Less celebrated, since they rarely sell for millions, but

just as remarkable have been the values of rare and first edition books.

Only a few decades ago, the collectible book trade was limited to its own

"Old Masters," first folios of Shakespeare or first printings of Jane

Austen. But in recent times, especially during the ten years of

FlatSigned.com's history so far, interest in and demand for rare and

collectible books and autographs has exploded.



    Ten years ago a friend told Tim Miller, founder and owner of both

FlatSigned.com and FlatSigned Press, Inc., that he could make money by

getting books autographed and reselling them. At the time, the film version

of John Grisham's novel "The Firm" was being filmed in Memphis, where

Miller served as President of the Junior Chamber of Commerce. He purchased

four copies of Grisham's book and, through his political connections, was

able to garner the autographs of the movie's stars. Within weeks, Miller

had turned $200 worth of paper and pulp into what he discovered was now

$12,000 worth of treasured books - the only change a few lines of

hand-written ink.



    Since then, Miller has devoted his life to offering collectors rare

autographs on the pages of rare books, from everyone from popular novelists

to world leaders and American presidents - and possibly future presidents.

FlatSigned published a signed, limited edition of Hillary Clinton's

"Invitation to the White House," an in-depth and fascinating look behind

the scenes of the home of the President of the United States. FlatSigned

Press and Miller have asked Senator Barack Obama to allow FlatSigned to

have the opportunity to include one of his books in FlatSigned Press'

"American Hero Collection", a matching set of fine, leather-bound books.



    FlatSigned has also published a handsome edition of the Warren

Commission report on John F. Kennedy's assassination, hand signed by the

late President Gerald R. Ford, at that time the last surviving member of

the Commission. FlatSigned Press, Inc. also published Ford's final book, on

the JFK assassination. That book has garnered world-wide attention from the

news and the public.



    Miller' company holds perhaps the world's largest high-end autographed

rare book collection, with over 50,000 collectible books in all. Many of

these hard-to-find treasures are adorned with sought-after autographs by

some of the world's most notable authors and celebrities; this impressive

array of signatures includes the likes of John Steinbeck and Ernest

Hemingway. Miller has worked directly with Ray Bradbury, Harper Lee,

Stephen King, John Grisham, Vincent Bugliosi, Larry McMurtry, Dan Brown,

General Hal Moore, Joe Galloway, William Goldman, John Irving, Wilbur

Smith, James Lee Burke, Joseph Wambaugh, Sue Grafton, Anne Rice, Tim

O'Brien, Nicholas Sparks, H. G. Bissinger, and E. Annie Proulx.



    FlatSigned.com owns an entire Presidential Suite of autographed books,

including those by Gerald Ford, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Jimmy Carter,

FDR, Teddy Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, Herbert Hoover, Woodrow Wilson, Thomas

Jefferson and George H. W. Bush. He's also worked with Supreme Court

Justices William Rehnquist, Sandra Day O'Connor, Antonin Scalia, Stephen

Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Anthony Kennedy, and Clarence Thomas, and

Mercury and Apollo astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Wally Schirra, Richard Gordon,

Alan Bean, Gordon Cooper, Edgar Mitchell and Scott Carpenter.



    Miller has also corresponded for years with Neil Armstrong, though he

has yet to reach a book deal with the famous moon-walker. According to

Antiques Roadshow appraiser Gary Piattoni, "Neil Armstrong signed very

little, and now he's stopped signing altogether." With his signature alone

going for $500 and up, this would indeed be a feather in Miller's cap.



    How does Miller find himself in such good company? "I've been known to

do things no one else has done when collecting autographs," Miller said. "I

take a lot of risks. Sometimes I lose a lot of money on those risks, such

as when I sent a box of valuable books and cash overnight to a contact in

India for the Dalai Lama to sign. I never saw the books, or the money,

again."



    Still, Miller said his risks pay off more often than not, and he's been

able to acquire an enormous volume of autographed books by going to great

lengths to contact authors and secure book-signing deals. The cornerstone

of Miller's collection are rare first-edition, first-printings of Harper

Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird," which sell for around $25,000 each. Miller

said he sells two or three of them each year, and one copy was gifted to

Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman after his indelible portrayal of

Truman Capote in the 2005 film "In Cold Blood."



    "FlatSigned is extremely proud of the fact that our collection has

earned a special place in the hearts of the Hollywood community, many of

which star in movies based on the lives and experiences of celebrities and

authors we specialize in," Miller said.



    Miller's formidable clients include U.S. Ambassadors, Senators, Cabinet

members, and White House employees; and many of FlatSigned's books are

housed in the collections of former U.S. Presidents and other world

leaders. Miller himself has achieved elite status through such prestigious

distinctions as being one of George H. W. Bush's 1,000 Points of Light

recipients and being named to the Who's Who in America list seven

consecutive years. A Lyndon Baines Johnson Scholar who has worked for

Congress and as a White House Press Correspondent during the Jimmy Carter

administration, Miller holds Certified Press Credentials from both the U.S.

Senate and the House of Representatives. In addition to selling rare books,

Miller's company also publishes original, leather-bound commemorative

copies complete with author signatures. These works include "Men From

Earth" and "Encounter With Tiber" by Buzz Aldrin, "John F. Kennedy:

Assassination Report of the Warren Commission" with revealing

never-before-read comments by the late President Gerald R. Ford,

"Invitation To The White House" by Hillary Rodham Clinton, "Braveheart" by

Randall Wallace, and "We Were Soldiers Once... And Young" by Lt. General

Hal Moore and Joe Galloway - the latter of which was given by President

George W. Bush to book protagonist U.S. Army Major Bruce Crandall upon

receiving the Medal of Honor. Miller said that he built this aspect of his

business on a competitor's model, and added a few twists of his own that he

feels makes for a superior product. "I patterned my company after my only

competitor, Easton Press. They're in the business of publishing

leather-bound, limited, numbered editions. I was very impressed with their

quality and I sought out their binder," Miller said. "Now, our books are

bound and printed by the same companies, with moiré patterned sheets, a

built-in satin bookmark, gilded page edges, and gold stamping and raised

hubs on the spines. We go the extra step and add a photograph of the author

signing our books on the inside and a dual- hologram seal - one on the

signed page, and one on the certificate of authenticity. This way, only one

book can match each certificate. It makes for a beautiful product."



    These highly-collectible special editions are inventoried in some of

the nation's most-renowned archives, including The George H. W. Bush

Presidential Library and Museum, The Kennedy Space Center, and The Gerald

R. Ford Library, to name a few.



    Despite Miller's success, some have attacked his credentials and

doubted the authenticity of his autographs - namely the Antiquarian

Booksellers' Association of America. Miller disregards these insults,

saying that the ABAA's leadership had a monopoly on rare autographed books

until the advent of the Internet and are seeking to shut their competitors

down through dishonorable means, including an unsuccessful attempt to

persuade eBay into restricting the sales of rare autographed books on its

popular auction site.



    "A lot of people have accused me of fakes because they don't think

anyone in the world can have 50,000 rare autographed books. I have never

faked an autograph in my life," Miller said. Miller said he has sued

several fake autograph peddlers himself, and even went so far as to attend

an ABAA Convention in San Francisco to try to resolve their differences;

but was escorted out of the convention by those known in inner-circles as

'The Cartel.'



    "Many of the group's members are great people and very professional

booksellers," Miller said. "I buy books from many ABAA members. However, it

saddens me that the organization's leadership is so aggressively trying to

maintain their monopoly on the rare book market that they would attempt to

discredit honest people. The time wasted in terrorizing me has allowed

others who are guilty of faking autographed books to slip through the

cracks and steal money from other honest people." Despite the efforts of

the ABAA, Miller has earned a fortune through his formidable book sales to

some of the most respected collectors in the world. FlatSigned has worked

with some of history's most notable authors, and Miller has been featured

on the cable television network QVC, on the Gordon Liddy Show, and on

national network news. Not bad for a man who grew up without running water

until he was 13. He hopes his story inspires others to take a leap of faith

and pursue their passions. "It is true that people who have small dreams or

simple minds simply cannot believe that a poor guy from the South can

become a multi-millionaire just by taking a few risks," he said. "I'm

living proof that it can happen only in America."

    About FlatSigned Press



    Founded in 1998, FlatSigned Press, Inc. is a rare book seller and

publishing company specializing in the sale and publishing of rare and

collectible books, signed first-editions, manuscripts, historical

documents, art, and autographs. FlatSigned has worked with many of the

world's most famous authors and notable figures including the late

President Gerald R. Ford, astronaut and moonwalker Buzz Aldrin, and General

Hal Moore, best known for his leadership during the battle of La Drang

during the Vietnam War, well- detailed in the 1992 book "We Were Soldiers

Once ... And Young," which became the 2002 film "We Were Soldiers" starring

Mel Gibson. The firm's catalog features autographed books from a diverse

group of authors, including:



    -- Supreme Court Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Anthony

Kennedy, Sandra Day O'Connor, William Rehnquist, Antonin Scalia, and

Clarence Thomas;



    -- Mercury and Apollo astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Alan Bean, Scott

Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, Edgar Mitchell, and Wally Schirra;



    -- Former United States Presidents (and presidential candidates) George

H. W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Hillary Rodham Clinton;



    -- As well as authors H. G. "Buzz" Bissinger, Ray Bradbury, Dan Brown,

Vincent Bugliosi, James Lee Burke, Arthur C. Clarke, Joe Galloway, William

Goldman, Richard Gordon, Sue Grafton, John Grisham, John Irving, Stephen

King, Harper Lee, Cormac McCarthy, Larry McMurtry, Arthur Miller, Lt.

General Hal Moore, Tim O'Brien, E. Annie Proulx, Anne Rice, Wilbur Smith,

Nicholas Sparks, Hunter S. Thompson, Kurt Vonnegut, and Joseph Wambaugh.



    Coined by legendary horror writer Stephen King, the term FlatSigned

refers to the most desirable type of collectible book: One that is signed

by the author directly on the title page without an inscription. FlatSigned

has consistently earned annual sales in excess of $2 million and an EBITA

profit of 30%. Additional information can be obtained from

http://www.flatsigned.com or by calling 1-866-FLATSIGNED.



    About Owner and Publisher of FlatSigned Press Inc., Tim Miller



    Born to an impoverished southern family that had no running water until

he was 13, Tim Miller has worked hard his entire life, becoming one of the

most notable publishers and book collectors in the world. Throughout his

illustrious career, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Scholar has served as White

House Press Correspondent and worked directly for the U.S. Congress. He

held Certified Press Credentials for both the U.S. House of Representatives

and the U.S. Senate. He has been honored with distinctions including

Memphis, TN newspaper "The Commercial Appeal's" version of President George

W. Bush's 1,000 Points of Light Award, named to Who's Who in America for

seven consecutive years, and named to Who's Who in American Colleges four

consecutive years. Always civic-minded, Miller has held distinctive

positions including National Staff Officer for the United States Junior

Chamber of Commerce, President of the Memphis Junior Chamber of Commerce,

State Officer of the Tennessee Jaycees, and Executive Director of the

Wisconsin Junior Chamber. A graduate of Austin Peay State University, he

attended the Memphis State University School of Law and Western Washington

State University. Miller has also held the post of Personnel Officer for

St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. His civic contributions have

earned him the nationally- recognized Steve Little Memorial Award from the

United States Jaycees.



    As President and CEO of the multi-million dollar autographed book

company and publisher FlatSigned Press, Inc., Miller consistently lends his

expertise to television, radio and newspaper personalities and journalists

researching the historical accounts and contemporary values of rare

autographed books. He is a contributor to "The Sanders Price Guide to

Autographs," the definitive price guide for autograph collectors, and many

other trade and consumer autograph publications. He maintains memberships

in the Better Business Bureau, The International Society of Appraisers, The

Manuscript Society and the Universal Autograph Collectors Club, and has

been featured in various programs and publications including cable

television channel QVC, the Gordon Liddy Show, and national network news.

Additional information can be obtained from http://www.flatsigned.com .