Kim Kavin's Blog, page 17

Little Boy Blue to Appear at Book Expo America

Little Boy Blue himself, along with author Kim Kavin, will make their kick-off marketing appearance on June 6 at Book Expo America in New York City.

Advance reading copies will be available of “Little Boy Blue: A Puppy’s Escape from Death Row and His Owner’s Journey for Truth.” Attendees will have a chance to meet Blue at the booth of publisher Barron’s Educational Services.

Blue and Kim will be making additional appearances throughout the summer and fall to promote “Little Boy Blue.” We will post details as we get them on the “Appearances” page of this website.

Filed under: Little Boy Blue: The Book, LIttle Boy Blue: The Dog

“Little Boy Blue” Now Available for Pre-Order on Amazon.com

Barron’s Educational Series has just made “Little Boy Blue” available for pre-order on Amazon.com.

The official publication date is still a few months away, but you can check out the cover and the first review, which is from Kirkus Books. They said “Little Boy Blue” is a “moving call to action.”

Also please note the cover burst announcing that Barron’s will be donating a portion of proceeds to the Petfinder Foundation—to help even more dogs like Blue in the future. The publisher’s generosity is really outstanding.

 

Filed under: Little Boy Blue: The Book

New Subtitle for “Little Boy Blue”

The manuscript for “Little Boy Blue” has completed copy editing and is on schedule to be typeset in advance of publication this August. The book will go into production with a new subtitle that publisher Barron’s Books helped to conceive.

Originally, the book’s working title was “Little Boy Blue: One Puppy’s Great Escape.” The team at Barron’s felt the subtitle needed to be more descriptive, to better reflect what the book is actually about. After some brainstorming, the editor and I came up with a new subtitle that strikes that mark decisively.

The new, full title of the book is “Little Boy Blue: A Puppy’s Rescue from Death Row and His Owner’s Journey for Truth.”

I’m excited about this editorial decision. I think the new subtitle is far more powerful and will tell readers exactly what they’re about to read.

Filed under: Little Boy Blue: The Book

“Little Boy Blue” Author Accepted into Dog Writers Association of America

Today, I learned that I have been accepted into the Dog Writers Association of America. My membership application was approved based on advance publicity (including this website) for “Little Boy Blue,” which is due out later this year in hardcover from Barron’s Books.

I’m looking forward to meeting my soon-to-be colleagues in the dog writing field, and to introducing them to Blue’s story of rescue.

Filed under: Little Boy Blue: The Book

Barron’s Books Preparing Cover Art for “Little Boy Blue”

The production process is in full swing at Barron’s Books for the publication of “Little Boy Blue” later this year. Final manuscript evaluations and edits are now being started, and the art department has begun to create possible cover designs for the hardcover jacket.

It’s exciting, after so many months of working on the content, to see the manuscript beginning the packaging process. Various photographs of Blue are being considered along with multiple typefaces and cover designs.

As soon as we have a final design and permission from the publisher, we’ll of course share the book’s jacket here. Stay tuned.

Filed under: Little Boy Blue: The Book

“Little Boy Blue” Manuscript Now Completing Revisions

The first draft of “Little Boy Blue: One Puppy’s Great Escape” is continuing on schedule through the editing process at Barron’s Books, on time for  publication in hardcover this coming August.

About 20 evaluators have been given a chance to read the manuscript and provide feedback. The evaluators included people who work in dog rescue, people who train or own purebreds, a veterinarian, and everyday readers from a book club. Following their comments, I’ve worked with the Barron’s editorial team to revise the manuscript into a second draft that should appeal not just to people involved in rescue, but to dog lovers everywhere.

The most common comment we’ve received on the first draft is, “I can’t put it down”—even from readers who do not have dogs of their own. The second draft includes a handful of revisions to make sure that feeling continues on every page and in every chapter of the book.

“Little Boy Blue” should be a finalized manuscript by the end of this month. Next, it will go for final evaluations before beginning the proofreading and typesetting process.

We’ll be working on cover art early in the new year, too, and I hope to be able to share a preview of that with you here on the blog in the next couple of months.

Filed under: Little Boy Blue: The Book

Early Praise for “Little Boy Blue: One Puppy’s Great Escape”

A handful of dog-rescue experts received the first-draft manuscript for “Little Boy Blue: One Puppy’s Great Escape” in early November. While the official editing process continues at Barron’s Books, we sought out expert opinions on the working draft to ensure accuracy when discussing the vast dog-rescue movement across America.

Each reviewer was asked to submit comments before December 1. Several reviewers responded far faster with comments that, we’re proud to say, are pretty darn glowing:

“I am so enjoying the book! It’s hard to put it down.”—North Carolina rescue worker


“I intended to skim it, but once I started, I couldn’t put it down. I was up until 1:30 in the morning reading.”—Massachusetts shelter director


“I am really enjoying it so much as it weaves the ugly reality with cute Blue stories, so it presents very difficult facts in a way that average dog owners who know nothing of what goes on will be absorbed, without having to put it down.  Just when you think it is beyond horrible (heartsticks and gas chambers) then it lightens up so you take a breath and continue along  the journey with you. The people you interviewed are a great mix. Congrats on an awesome soon-to-be bestseller that I am sure will grab the population that is like you were, and open their eyes into action.”—Pennsylvania rescue worker

We’re expecting final comments from a few more rescue advocates in the next couple of weeks. We’ve also given copies of the working draft of “Little Boy Blue” to a large book club to gauge the initial response of general-interest readers. Stay tuned for that feedback, as well.

Filed under: Little Boy Blue: The Book