Bio & News
NEWS
2012
I've now got a Facebook page! If you log into Facebook search for Andrea Shavick Author & Poet. Or go to www.facebook.com/andreashavick
I've now got a Facebook page! If you log into Facebook search for Andrea Shavick Author & Poet. Or go to www.facebook.com/andreashavick
Please help this website reach even more people by 'liking' my site. Just hit the 'f like' sign on the left-hand side of any page in this website.
THANK YOU
BIOGRAPHY INFORMATION
Andrea is a Londoner and she's been writing books and poetry for about 14 years. Here’s what she says about her early writing career and exactly how she got started:
"When I was at school I had no idea I wanted to be a writer. I wasn’t very good at English, however I loved reading, especially fiction. Later on I had a marketing job which required me to write reports and I was most enthusiastic about it. Whereas my colleagues had to be nagged and bullied by the boss to hand in their half-page efforts, I absolutely relished turning in at least 20 pages a week.
My next job was for a newspaper, designing advertisements for clients. I must say creating advertising copy (which is all about using your imagination to entice an unsuspecting buyer into purchasing your client’s product, be it a car, restaurant meal, holiday or even a house) turned out to be an excellent grounding for fiction writing!
My very first story for children was The Truth About Babies. I was busy complaining to a friend (who was a writer) about the stupid things people say to children who are about to acquire a new baby brother or sister - things like, 'You’ll have somebody to play with,’ and, 'Having a little baby will be SO EXCITING!' But the truth is new babies cannot play with anyone - all they do is cry, sick up, fill their nappies (diapers) and keep you awake at night!
My friend suggested that I get my thoughts down on paper because she thought my ideas on the subject might make for a good children's picture book text. She then encouraged me to submit my story to a few children's publishers, and it wasn't long before Oxford University Press bought the story, as well as the follow-up, The Truth About Families. I think my text worked because I felt strongly about the subject, and those feelings shone through the text.
Many writers say that when you have something to say; when you feel strongly about a subject...the words and ideas seem to burst out. My most successful picture book You'll Soon Grow Alex is another examples of a picture book that seemed to write itself.
Once a children's book has been accepted by a publisher, there is usually a very long wait before it actually appears in the shops. The Truth About Babies took five years from idea to real live book! Stop Elephant Stop! was accepted for publication in July 2001 but not actually published until 2004 - a three year wait. A picture book editor once told me that I was far too impatient to be a children's writer, and she was right! One of the reasons I like writing non-fiction for adults is the speed of the process; you produce a book, and four months later it's in the shops!
For those of you who would also like to become a picture book writer, take a look at my brand new book How to Write a Children’s Picture Book and Get it Published (in the Get Published section of this site). And picture book writing tips are at Get Published Tips.
Because picture books take a long time to make it into the shops I then turned to non-fiction writing. My first non-fiction book was a biography of Roald Dahl for children aged approximately 7 - 12. Roald Dahl – True Lives has sold consistently from the late nineties and is still going strong especially in the USA.
The interesting thing about my Dahl biography is that I originally was asked by the publisher to produce a 'picture brief' as well as write the text. A picture brief is a page-by-page description of a book detailing where all the illustrations should be placed on the page, and exactly what they will show. Not being able to draw anything other than stick-people pictures, I found it very difficult, but it was worth the the effort because I am now able to bring the entire project with me when I visit schools. Children are always fascinated by the way a book is transformed from idea to finished product.
Children always love it when I show them the text I originally submitted to the publisher. To my absolute horror, Oxford University Press returned it to me with every one of the 20 pages completely covered in horrible (but all valid!) criticisms from the editor. School children love that - not only does it illustrate the amount of work required from an author, it also makes them feel better about themselves when their teacher scribbles on their homework!
The very first time I went on a school visit I was only expecting to talk to 30 children in one classroom. But when I arrived, they asked me to wait on the stage in the school hall. To my horror the entire school then filed in and sat down. Imagine 350 children and 12 teachers all staring at you, expecting you to do something. It was a very scary moment!
The very first time I went on a school visit I was only expecting to talk to 30 children in one classroom. But when I arrived, they asked me to wait on the stage in the school hall. To my horror the entire school then filed in and sat down. Imagine 350 children and 12 teachers all staring at you, expecting you to do something. It was a very scary moment!
I think the Head Teacher must have read my mind because just as I was debating whether my career would be ruined if I made a run for it, she kindly offered me a glass of water. One of the children was dispatched to fetch it and returned a few seconds later. As he handed the glass to me I did the worst possible thing ever in front of a big audience - I dropped it on the Head Teacher’s foot! We both screamed, there was water everywhere and the entire school burst out laughing. At that point I realised that things couldn’t get any worse and I might as well relax and enjoy the visit.
My children’s poetry writing took off after I attended a creative writing course. The fantastic children's poet Mike Johnson was the tutor, and he encouraged me to submit some poems to one of the biggest children’s poetry publishers: Macmillan. They accepted Auntie Betty Thinks She’s Batgirl which I wrote for my Auntie Betty, and from that moment on nobody could stop me writing poems for children.
Lots of children ask me exactly where I write, and the answer is: usually straight onto my laptop. However for poetry I like to use a notebook. Sometimes I even write poems in the bath, although they can get a bit wet! I also visit the ideas shop in Brighton (the one Roger Stevens talks about in his guest poet interview!)
My non-fiction writing started because (as I have explained above) I'm very impatient and do not like waiting years before a book hits the shops. My four psychometric books are very successful, and my newest non-fiction book, How to Write a Children's Picture Book and Get it Published is also doing well, with an ebook version coming out soon.
This website enables me to showcase my writing and author visits, but even more importantly it allows YOU to express yourself in poetry. From the top page in my poetry section you can surf to read not only my work but poems written by children, teenagers and adults from all over the world. And you can also submit a poem of your own.
Every day I like to connect with other writer friends on the web. Writing is a lonely business and it's nice to talk to like-minded people who understand the highs and lows of the job. Sometimes answering all the emails (and killing the spams) takes ages, and then there's feeding the website monster...which I'm doing right now."
Remember to 'like' Andrea's new Facebook Page by hitting the 'f like' sign on the left-hand side of this page and any other pages in the website. Andrea Shavick - Author & Poet facebook page has its own url www.facebook.com/andreashavick
