News For Immediate Release Date: January, 2004 Contact: Karen McDiarmid 1-800-552-1867 carlsams@carlsams.com © Copyright 1980-2006 Carl R. Sams II & Jean Stoick All Rights Reserved		Millionth Copy of Stranger in the Woods Rolls Off the Press Success Snowballs for Self-Published Authors’ Best-selling Children’s Book Wildlife photographers Carl R. Sams II and Jean Stoick, authors of the New York Times’ best-selling children’s book Stranger in the Woods, printed their 1 millionth copy Friday, October 31, 2003. Seldom have self-published authors experienced the sort success this book has enjoyed. In today’s economic climate of corporate behemoths, bureaucracy and small business owners disappearing daily, Sams and Stoick quietly and, with spectacular success, operate their studio in the woods outside of Milford, Michigan. With their staff of eight, who often consists of family members and friends, the couple publishes their book and ships their products all over the world. Stranger in the Woods, a "photographic fantasy", tells the story of a snowman who appears in the woods and is inspected by the curious wildlife. The book was released in 1999 and was an immediate success in Michigan, making the Northern Michigan Best Sellers’ list. "We knew we were on to something when our book started outselling Harry Potter in several markets," Sams said. The following year, the book made the New York Times’ Best Sellers’ list for children’s books where it has appeared each winter for three consecutive years reaching the number one spot on December 15, 2003. Stranger in the Woods has won five other prestigious awards including the Benjamin Franklin award in 2000, the International Reading Association award in 2001, and the Directors’ Choice and Judges’ Selection awards from Early Childhood News in 2002. Earlier this year it was published in Chinese and will soon be available in Korean and German. The product line expanded when relatives, Rob and Laura Sams, directed a movie based on the book. The movie won 16 national and international awards. Sams and Stoick have several wildlife books and magazine articles to their credit. Jean Stoick, a former middle school art teacher, conceived the idea of a children’s book featuring the wildlife photographs the couple had been shooting for years. They self-published their book after a publisher rejected their concept of a children’s book featuring photographs as opposed to illustrations.

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