Feiwel & Friends to launch this fall
Jean Feiwel, formerly of Scholastic, has announced a name for her new imprint within the Holtzbrinck family: Feiwel & Friends. Originally Feiwel planned to start publishing next fall. But after acquiring a self-published book (and the author-illustrator’s two next titles), she’s sped up the process.
The book is On the Night You Were Born, by Nancy Tillman, published last fall through Darling Press. There are reportedly 35,000 copies in print, a remarkable number for a self-published picture book.
Tillman’s author bio describes her this way: “Nancy Tillman is a former advertising agency owner who has turned her award-winning advertising skills into a career in greeting card and children's book publishing. With its playful humor and whimsical design, Ms. Tillman's greeting card line has enjoyed such success that it may be found in gift and stationery stores throughout the US and Canada.”
The marketing copy for the book (and remember, Tillman has an advertising background) reads: “On the Night You Were Born weaves rich illustrations and comforting language to promote in children a deep sense of their own worth. Geese fly home to celebrate. Polar bears dance. The world comes alive with thanksgiving. Before the tale ends, children will be wiggling their toes and whispering their names in joyous celebration of their own unique wonder.”
This book thus seems to be an entry in the genre includes such titles as Guess How Much I Love You, The Twelve Gifts of Birth, and Love You Forever. I’ve heard that one publishing executive describes this as the “I love you more than that other book” genre. Some, like the early example The Runaway Bunny, are written for children; others strike me as taking the form of children's picture books, but are really shower gifts to reassure new parents.
Illustration from a series of Little Red Riding Hood paintings