Author-Illustrator Interview with Nadia Shireen

When did your first book come out and what do you see as the difference in the UK children’s book world from then vs now?

My first book, Good Little Wolf, came out in 2011. I knew next to nothing about the children’s book world at the time, to be honest. The beginning of my career was a happy accident, so I spent most of the time learning on the go, and I was extremely naïve about the whole industry. I have never shaken off the sense that I have missed several meetings about the way children’s publishing works.

Can you tell us a little about your writing process – how do you decide which book to write, how do you do research, do you plan with an outline or write as you go?

I make picture books and middle grade books. Both differ in approach. Picture books begin visually. I play and doodle in sketchbooks and develop characters, which in turn prompt stories. For my Grimwood series, I will very loosely plot things out chapter by chapter – and I really mean just a sentence or two, so that the book has a vague roadmap. I then just start writing. I can deviate from the map if I feel like it.

Is there a book that you have read that you wish you had written? Or a book that you had written you wish were either published or better received?

I have learned to accept that not every book I make will find an audience straight away. I love it when someone tells me they like one of the quieter books I’ve made. The Cow Who Fell To Earth is a gentle yarn about a space cow who struggles to speak the same language as the natives. Yeti and the Bird is a picture book about letting love in, and letting it go. They didn’t do amazingly well, but I’m fond of them.

What are you working on currently – if you are allowed to share it?

I am working on Grimwood 5. I’m also excited about being a World Book Day author this year. And I have two picture book collaborations out this year; one with Katie Clapham and one with Charlie Higson.

Is there a difference on how to approach writing before and after you get an agent / be published ? What is your advice for beginning writers and mid-level writers?

I don’t think the creative approach is terribly different no matter what stage you are at. I’m still plagued by confidence dips and mental blocks. As your career develops, more and more people have opinions on your work. But it’s worth remembering that your own opinion remains paramount. That way, you will wholly own your successes as well as your failures.

“Life is ugly, beautiful and ridiculous and children know this. Perhaps they know it more than adults do.”

— Nadia Shireen

If you could change one thing in your writing career, either personally, professionally or in the industry, what would it be?

I’ve made many mistakes because I really feel I have been learning on the job, so I assume people think I’m a total joke anyway! Industry-wise, I suppose I wish we lived in a culture that really valued children’s literature and wasn’t constantly in pursuit of the new. I wish we could take more risks. I wish there was more weirdness and humour out there. Sometimes it all feels so suffocatingly earnest. Life is ugly, beautiful and ridiculous and children know this. Perhaps they know it more than adults do.