Pre-Close Update

Bloomsbury Publishing PLC 15 January 2004 15 January 2004 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Pre-Close Period Update Bloomsbury Publishing Plc ('Bloomsbury' or 'the Group') announced that it expects the Group's results for the year ended 31 December 2003, which will be announced on 23 March 2004, to be in line with market expectations. Sales during the fourth quarter were strong, which reflects the balanced nature of the Group's portfolio. Highlights include Schott's Food and Drink Miscellany in the Adult division, which was published in November, and reached a high position in the bestseller list. In the Children's division, Holes, by Louis Sachar, originally published by Bloomsbury in 2000, significantly increased sales on the back of the release of the film in November and the Harry Potter series had its best year to date, in line with our expectations. In the Reference division Whitaker's Almanac continued to grow following its first launch within the Group in 2002, with the release of four derivative titles. Bloomsbury's subsidiary company, A&C Black Publishers Ltd recently acquired Nautical Data Ltd, the publishers of the Reed's Nautical Almanac series. First published in 1932, the Reed's Nautical Almanac is a unique compendium of annually updated navigational and port information, relied upon by tens of thousands of leisure and professional boaters. The Almanac and its regional editions, which have annual sales of approximately £0.6m a year, will become part of A & C Black's Adlard Coles Nautical imprint. ENDS Enquiries: Tim Spratt/Charles Palmer Financial Dynamics 020 7831 3113 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange