ONWARD: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul, by Howard Schultz, ceo of Starbucks, to Launch with Webcast and 14-City Book Tour

NEW YORK & SEATTLE, - Rodale Inc. and Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) announce the publication of ONWARD: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul (Rodale Inc.; March 29, 2011), by Howard Schultz, ceo of Starbucks. It’s the inspiring story of one company’s struggle from crisis to comeback, featuring themes of hope, conscience, innovation, courage, and responsibility. As a preview to the book launch, Starbucks will host a live Webcast featuring an interview and Q&A session with Schultz at 9 a.m. PT/Noon ET today. Access to the Webcast is http://starbucks.com/onward/live.

The Onward book tour commences in New York City, March 29-30, and will also include stops in Washington, DC, March 31; Boston, April 1; San Francisco, April 4; Los Angeles, April 5; Denver, April 6; Seattle, April 7; Chicago, April 11-12; Toronto, April 13; Shanghai, April 26; Shenzhen, April 27; Seoul, April 28-29; London, May 10-11, and Vancouver, May 26. Starting in late April, translated versions of Onward will be published in China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, U.K., Russia and Brazil. On Sept. 19, 2011, translated versions of Onward will be published in France, Germany, and Spain.

Participating Starbucks stores worldwide will carry the translated versions when they launch in respective countries and will carry an English version in countries where translations are not available. Additional information about the book and tour is available at www.starbucks.com/onward.

The National Braille Press will also offer Onward in the e-Braille format as a free download for Braille readers. Starting on March 29, it can be downloaded at http://www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/ONWARD.html.

A starred review from Publishers Weekly described Onward as “personal, suspenseful, and surprisingly open ... [Schultz’s] sequel to the founding of Starbucks is grittier, more gripping, and dramatic, and his voice is winning and authentic. This is a must-read for anyone interested in leadership, management, or the quest to connect a brand with the consumer.”

Schultz’s first book, Pour Your Heart into It (Hyperion; 1997), described the founding and ideals of a young company determined to make its mark. Onward is Schultz’s story of the next and perhaps harder challenge of any entrepreneur’s journey: saving a mature company from losing its way, and rediscovering its purpose.

In 2008, Howard Schultz made the unprecedented decision to return as the ceo, eight years after he stepped down from daily oversight of the Company and became chairman. Concerned that the Starbucks Experience had been compromised by its quest for growth, Schultz was determined to help Starbucks return to its core values and restore its financial health. In Onward, he shares the remarkable story of his return and the Company’s ongoing transformation under his leadership, revealing how, during one of the most tumultuous economic times in history, Starbucks again achieved profitability.

Schultz not only had to act quickly and aggressively on a global scale, but had to look in the mirror, confront the Company’s blemishes, and search for answers to such hard questions as:

* How can you evolve your brand—especially an iconic one—to be relevant to a new age while being true to its roots?
* How can you grow a company without losing an intimate relationship with each customer?
* How can you revive your employees’ passion for your company’s founding principles?

There was no easy road map, and there were plenty of risks. From a leaked memo that exposed Starbucks’ troubles to the world, to the costly decision to close all U.S. Starbucks stores for a few hours of employee retraining, to introducing an aggressive pipeline of new innovations to develop the next blockbuster offering, Onward takes readers through the tough decisions and painful steps of a turnaround that should inspire anyone who wants to reinvent themselves and triumph against the odds.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Howard Schultz is the chairman, president, and ceo of Starbucks and the author of the New York Times bestseller Pour Your Heart into It.

He wrote Onward with Joanne Gordon, a former Forbes writer and contributing editor who has spent more than a decade profiling companies and business leaders for numerous publications, including five previous books. Schultz will donate all of his royalties from the sale of the book to the Starbucks Foundation and the CUP Fund.

About the Book
ONWARD
How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul
By Howard Schultz with Joanne Gordon
Published by Rodale Inc.
Publication date: March 29, 2011
Price: $25.99; 350 pages; ISBN: 978-1-60529-288-5

About Rodale Inc.

Rodale is a global multiplatform media company with a mission to improve the health and wellness of the individual, community, and planet. The company, which reaches more than 70 million people worldwide, publishes some of the best-known health and wellness lifestyle magazines, including Men’s Health, Prevention, Women’s Health, Runner’s World, Bicycling, Mountain Bike, Running Times, and Organic Gardening, and is also the largest independent book publisher in America, with a collection of bestselling titles including Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth and Our Choice, former FDA commissioner Dr. David Kessler’s The End of Overeating, as well as franchise titles such as The South Beach Diet; Eat This, Not That!; and Flat Belly Diet! Rodale is also a leader in direct-response marketing and has more than 25 million active customers in its database. Visit Rodale’s Web site at www.RodaleInc.com.

About Starbucks

Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting the highest quality arabica coffee in the world. Today, with stores around the globe, the company is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience, please visit us in our stores or online at starbucks.com.