Author Interview with Swapna Haddow
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 was published in 2016 and honestly, it took at least another five years to walk into a publishing meeting and not be the only Brown person in the room! That's a huge and meaningful difference but we still have a long way to go. I want to see diverse voices getting those big publishing deals, feature spots in bookshop windows, shelf space in supermarkets and coverage in mainstream media.
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 think if anyone looks at my bibliography, they'll see I like to mix it up a bit! I write everything from picture books to middle grade historical fiction to non-fiction and reading scheme texts. And because of that, my approach to each book varies but I will always start with the idea – it may be a title, or a character or even a fully fleshed out plot that has just sprung into my head.
I tend to have to write down every idea otherwise I'll be plagued by it until the end of time but it's the ideas that keep coming back to me, stronger and stronger, that eventually get written. I would love to indulge all my ideas but I have to prioritise the ones that have the best chance of being sold and so I'll talk to my brilliant agent first, before I sit down to really flesh out a story.
And then I just go for it. I allow myself a messy first draft, throwing perfection out of the window, so I can have something to work with as I try and create a story that a reader will enjoy.
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 really wish my book TORN APART had been better publicised. It slipped under the radar and I'm gutted it didn’t reached the audience I hoped it would. It was particularly gutting because it was a book very close to my heart.
On the back of my partition research for TORN APART, I also wrote a picture book which sold to Scholastic in 2022. It's called THE LINE but due to a high turnover of editors, the book won't be published until 2026 at the earliest.
In the meantime, I spotted the awesome Hiba Noor Khan has a book coming out in 2025 about the partition and looking at the blurb for her book, I see we have a common title and a lot of common themes across our books. I'm really hoping the reading audience won't be suffering from 'partition-exhaustion' by the time my book comes out, especially with what will be Hiba's incredible bestselling, award-winning book, because this picture book is a special one for me and I hope it helps remind readers of TORN APART.
What are you working on currently – if you are allowed to share it?
I'm working on a whole bunch of things! I have a brand new young fiction series called THE TERRIBLE TRIO, illustrated by Minky Stapleton, coming out next year and I'm also working on non-fiction science books with Jess Bradley and Farshore. The first in the series, HOW TO SAVE YOUR GRANNY FROM A RUNAWAY TRAIN, is out in July next year and I can't wait for kids, and their grownups, to have fun with all the experiments in the books.
Coming a little sooner in 2025 is THE NIGHT BEFORE HOLI with Aditi Kakade Beaufrand and later in the year is the follow up, THE NIGHT BEFORE DIWALI, illustrated by Darshika Varma.
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 think I'm much more aware of how things actually work in the industry and I've learnt to lower my expectations massively. My advice is to remember no one will champion your book like you do, so as awkward and as uncomfortable as it might be, put yourself out there and let people know about your book - whatever else your publisher does for your book is a bonus.
If you could change one thing in your writing career, either personally, professionally or in the industry, what would it be?
Honestly, nothing! I've been so fortunate to be able to write for the last decade and build my career - I think if I had changed anything, I'm not sure I would be where I am today.
I would have liked to stand up for myself more in the early years but I have an awesome support system in my brilliant group of family and friends who always picked me up when I needed it.
Swapna Haddow, who also writes as Swapna Reddy, is the award-winning children’s author of the Dave Pigeon books. She loves writing about boisterous characters and madcap adventures and is working with Faber & Faber, Magic Cat, Oxford University Press and Scholastic to bring stories to young readers around the world.
Follow her on Twitter: @SwapnaHaddow
and BlueSky: @swapnahaddow.bsky.social
