Reader’s Digest Profits Up 21%

Reader’s Digest Assn. Inc. said today its first-quarter earnings climbed 21.8% from a year ago as its revenue rose 18.6%.

The publisher of books and home entertainment products as well as Reader’s Digest magazine and several other titles said it earned $50.2 million in the three months ended Sept. 30. That compared to $41.2 million a year earlier.

Revenue rose to $524.1 million from $442 million a year ago.

The company said revenue from Reader’s Digest magazine rose 9.5% to $156.7 million in the quarter, while revenue from its other magazines including American Health rose 38.9% to $15.3 million.

It said revenue from books and its home entertainment products rose 23.5% to $339 million.