Megan Tingley, Executive Vice President and Publisher of Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, announced the acquisition of The SheepOver, the recent self-published picture book success by John and Jennifer Churchman based on the true story of their orphan lamb that fell ill on a cold winter evening. Won by Tingley in a heated auction, the three-book deal for world English rights was negotiated with Brenda Bowen of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. In time for the holiday season, the Little, Brown Books for Young Readers edition will be available as a jacketed hardcover picture book in early December 2015.
Husband and wife team John and Jennifer Churchman base their animal characters on real animals from their farm in Essex, Vermont, where the photos for The SheepOver were taken. The idea for the book started with the Facebook following for John’s photography and the family’s depictions of farm life. When their fans showed a strong interest in their dog saving a sick lamb on the farm, John and Jennifer wanted to capture the story for young readers everywhere. They initiated a Kickstarter campaign that raised enough capital for a small print run, which was quickly purchased by the Churchmans’ ardent supporters in Vermont and the surrounding area.
Elizabeth Bluemle, owner of the Churchmans’ local independent bookstore, the Flying Pig Bookstore, shared a recommendation of The SheepOver in a Publishers Weekly column, prompting Greenburger Associates to quickly sign up the Churchmans. Bluemle said, “The SheepOver is magical and so child-appealing—human appealing, really—[It] has been a wonderful discovery and a big seller. It flies off the store shelves; all we have to do is to hand it to someone and it sells.”
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers will broaden the availability of The SheepOver and bring readers two additional books from the Churchmans in 2017 and 2018. Tingley said, “The minute I saw the irresistible lamb on the cover and read her story I understood why this book has beguiled so many children and their parents. It is classic storytelling with a modern day twist. I am so excited to be working with John and Jennifer and can’t wait to get their books into as many readers’ hands as possible. Just a few days after we acquired the book, we have already started printing!”
Readers will appreciate the Churchmans’ beautifully crafted photo-illustration. Jennifer Churchman comments, “We are very excited to be aligned with and published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. We felt their genuine enthusiasm and future vision for our work from the very first conversation. We know this is the perfect home for Sweet Pea & Friends to be introduced to the wider world.”
John Churchman worked for a number of years in New York City as an airbrush photo illustrator before moving to Vermont where he works as a commercial fine art photographer and graphic designer. When he and his wife moved to their farm in Essex, Vermont, John began using the land as inspiration for his fine-art photography, which has appeared in numerous publications and is shown in local galleries. Jennifer began her career as an American liaison and copywriter in Europe. She went on to serve as the Executive Director for North Country Animal League in Stowe, Vermont where she led fundraising for the Vermont Humane Federation. Jennifer is now a writer, multimedia artist, and business consultant when she is not tending the farm. The SheepOver is John and Jennifer Chruchman’s debut picture book. You can visit them online at sweetpeafriends.com. ABOUT LITTLE, BROWN BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS Little, Brown Books for Young Readers is a division of Hachette Book Group, a leading trade publisher based in New York and a division of Hachette Livre, the third-largest trade and educational publisher in the world. HBG publishes under the divisions of Little, Brown and Company, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Grand Central Publishing, Orbit, Hachette Books, Hachette Nashville, and Hachette Audio.