James Norbury’s self-published Big Panda and Tiny Dragon inspired by the lives of callers to helpline
A man living below the poverty line, helping others as a volunteer with the Samaritans, who self-published a book after literary agents showed no interest in his earlier work has had his book snapped up in a six-figure deal by publishers in 20 countries so far.
James Norbury, a 44-year-old self-taught artist and writer, who lives in Swansea, has had his life turned around after his collection of drawings of two unlikely friends – a panda and a dragon – captioned with life-enhancing proverbs, was picked up in the deal, an extraordinary achievement for a debut author.