Fan Mail Corner #016: Earl & Worm

My new book series launches in April 2025

Hello friends!

Greetings from the UK where my family and I are spending a month in the lovely town of Norwich.

Our home for the month.

My wife Kay Healy is making new work for an artist residency with Moosey Gallery¹. I have been mostly spending time with our kids, and researching a new nonfiction picture book, and finding great deals on Gameboy games².

But, ahem, let me get to the point. I have a new book coming out next year!

Actually, THREE books in this series will come out next year - and I am thrilled that emerging readers will soon be able to meet Earl and Worm.

The cover! It is revealed!

Knopf Books for Young Readers says:

This giggle-inducing early reader kicks off a brand-new series featuring two unlikely friends, for fans of Frog and Toad, from beloved Geisel Award-winning author of The Watermelon Seed.

So here it is! Or, here it will be in April 2025. Pre-order now, please! The series is called Earl and Worm and this first book is titled “The Bad Idea and other stories”.

It’s got that “and other stories” thing in the title because there are actually three stories in the book. The first is called “Lemonade”, then the titular “The Bad Idea”, and the last one is called “The Poem.” It’s 72 pages long! Paper over board! $10.99!³

Here are some photos of the printer proofs of the first book:

Proofs I brought in my luggage and photographed with my phone :/

It’s a weird thing, trying to sell your own book. I’m much more comfortable talking about how great Kay’s book is.

It sounds obnoxious maybe to be like “HEY THIS IS GREAT - IT’S THE BEST THING I’VE EVER DONE - YOU SHOULD SPEND YOUR MONEY ON IT - YOU WILL LIKE IT MORE THAN MONEY!” - it’s honestly not my favorite thing to do. Making the books is my favorite thing to do.

But I actually DO think this is the best work I’ve done. I love these books. It’s my first real crack at an early-reader series and I couldn’t be happier with how they came out.

I just finished the art for Book 2, and Book 3 is written and sketched and I’ll start final art when we get back home. I will probably write more about the process of making these books soon. Leave me a comment if you have a specific thing about the process of making a book you’d like me to address. I’d like the feedback!

In meantime, you can pre-order the book here. Please do!

Thanks for reading - and don’t forget to pre-order a copy for your best friend, too.

Thanks for being a subscriber and taking a look every once in a while.

If you have a question about how I made something (or really whatever) you’d like answered, please email me at jgpizzoli@gmail.com or send snail mail to:

Greg Pizzoli’s Fan Mail Corner
700 S 7th Street
Fishbox #5445
Philadelphia PA 19147
USA

This is Greg Pizzoli's Fan Mail Corner. Thanks for being here!

1. This is a really cool artist residency that usually hosts three or four artists at a time - but they were kind enough to host our entire family in the space. This is unusual - most residencies like this are close-to-impossible for parents of very young children - but the good folks at Moosey are unusually considerate - and Kay was happy to have us all tag along.

2. Anyone else LOVE Mole Mania???

3. Cheap!