Kay signs with Puffin for two more children's books

Adam Kay has signed a new deal with Puffin for two books, in addition to Kay's Marvellous Medicine coming this September. 

Following his children's debut Kay's Anatomy, his second children's book, Kay's Marvellous Medicine: A Gross and Gruesome History of the Human Body, will be published on 30th September 2021, which was part of an original two-book deal Kay signed with Puffin. It will be backed by a "major marketing and publicity campaign".

In addition, publisher Ruth Knowles has now signed world rights for two more titles from Cathryn Summerhayes at Curtis Brown.

The new book's synopsis explains: “Kay’s Marvellous Medicine is as remarkable and remarkably revolting as his children’s debut and will also be illustrated throughout by award-winning artist, writer and comedian Henry Paker. The book for readers aged seven and over will transport kids back to the days when doctors didn't have the slightest clue about how our bodies worked. They will discover why Ancient Egyptians thought the brain was just a useless load of old stuffing that might as well be chucked in the bin, why teachers forced their pupils to smoke cigarettes, why hairdressers would cut off their customers' legs, and why people used to get paid for farting.”

Puffin said Kay's Anatomy was its biggest ever hardback non-fiction launch. The bulk of its sales came in November 2020 when Nielsen BookScan figures were not available owing to lockdown but, according to the publisher, it was the fastest-selling children's general non-fiction hardback of the last decade and the bestselling children’s non-fiction title overall in 2020, while it has already been translated into 21 languages. The book will be released in paperback on 27th May 2021 with an extensive PR and marketing campaign.

Kay said: “I have absolutely adored the first steps of my journey as a children’s author and am thrilled to have tricked Puffin into publishing three more books. There’s a lot to recommend writing children’s books – for example, this is the first time I’ve been given ‘12 million stars out of 10’ for my writing, or been sent a depiction of me and my dog carved out of a potato. Ruth and the whole team at Puffin have been utterly brilliant partners for me and Henry on Kay’s Anatomy, and I can’t wait to get started on the next book. (Unless I’ve meant to have already started writing it, in which case please ignore that last bit, Ruth.)”

Kay's debut This is Going to Hurt was a runaway hit and has sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide and been translated into 37 languages, according to the publisher. It is soon to be a major comedy-drama for BBC/AMC starring Ben Whishaw.

Knowles commented: “Everyone at Puffin is delighted to be working with Adam in such a big and exciting way. His unique brand of laugh-out-loud funny and informative non-fiction took the children’s market by storm this autumn and that was only the beginning. We can’t wait for more and more young people to become completely fascinated by the human body.”

Kay, who was a World Book ambassador earlier in the month, and Puffin will also be donating 1,000 copies of the paperback of Kay’s Anatomy to schools in Birmingham and the north-east this week via the National Literacy Trust along with worksheets which will also be available online.

A virtual schools’ event will enable children who received a copy to ask Kay questions at a special event in June and teachers will be nominating pupils to review early copies of Kay’s Marvellous Medicine.

Jonathan Douglas, c.e.o. of the National Literacy Trust, said: “We are so thrilled to receive Puffin’s generous donation of 1,000 copies of Adam Kay’s Kay’s Anatomy in our Birmingham Stories and Read North East hubs. Our research and experience shows non-fiction books are a brilliant way to engage readers and bring information alive. The pandemic has made all of us more aware of our health, and Kay’s works demystify many unknowns about the human body in a fascinating way. I’m sure children and teachers alike are excited to attend his special virtual event in June and I can’t wait to read some of the children’s reviews of early copies of Kay’s Marvellous Medicine!”