From struggle street to literary giants, James Bowen and his cat Bob
Now, two years after publishing Bowen's story of how, with Bob's help, he got over his addictions to heroin and methadone, Hodder & Stoughton said the author had sold more than a million books in Britain.
In 2007 James Bowen, a recovering drug addict living in sheltered accommodation, found an injured cat curled up on a step.
"He gave me this look, almost saying, 'help', but also saying 'sort it out'," Bowen recalled.
Bowen nursed the cat he called Bob back to health, and found it following him as he busked and sold the Big Issue magazine.
The pair became known in London and attracted the attention of a literary agent.
Now, two years after publishing Bowen's story of how, with Bob's help, he got over his addictions to heroin and methadone, Hodder & Stoughton said the author had sold more than a million books in Britain.
The publisher said combined sales of A Street Cat Named Bob, its sequel, The World According to Bob, and the children's book Bob: No Ordinary Cat had reached 1,082,025 copies. "It's incredible," said Bowen, 35. "When I first saw Bob I never thought this is where I'd be today.