Sex sells for publisher Quarto

A STRING of 'soft sex' titles boosted annual profits at Quarto, the London-based international book publisher.

While American readers are lapping up new titles such as Your Long Erotic Week-End, Britons will have to wait until later this year for Quarto's publication here of The Bedside Orgasm Book.

Chairman and chief executive Laurence Orbach also promised a new Outdoor Kama Sutra later in the year with an array of poses and positions shot on location in India.

Describing 2004 as a 'tough year', Orbach said the firm still managed to beat market expectations, with pre-tax profits rising 12% to £6.4m to end-December, thanks to the American market's appetite for self-help books.

He said: 'A lot of spiritual titles published by respected publishers are really all about sex - they are sort of soft sex books.' The dividend rises 9% to 6.25p.