Anna Claybourne

Blue Peter Book Awards Shortlist

Anna — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:59:01 +0000

100 Most Dangerous Things on the Planet (A&C Black) has been shortlisted for the 2009 Blue Peter Book Awards - in the category “Best Book with Facts”. This is one of the few well-known children’s book awards to feature non-fiction - three cheers for them. The winners are announced in March 2009. Of course, I haven’t got round to listing my books properly on my site yet, but you can check out the book at amazon.co.uk - or even better at amazon.com, where there’s a great review too.

Coming soon?

Anna — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:56:42 +0000

Aaahh, a blog! Only time will tell whether I take to this, or ignore it completely.

Coming soon

Anna — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:51:40 +0000

This page will include links to professional organisations, publishers and colleagues, as well as my own favourite stuff.

Meanwhile, a link to Surface Pressure, the site of artist, designer and musician Tommy Perman, who designed this site for me.

Coming soon

Anna — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:47:05 +0000

This page is for information on my non-work activities, such as music and crafting. The books page will get priority though, so don’t hold your breath!

Coming soon

Anna — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:21:47 +0000

This page will list my books in order of publication, most recent first. Just scroll down or search the page to find particular titles.

My specialist areas include:

Life science topics, such as the human body, genes and DNA, insects, plants and sea life

Other science topics, such as sound and light, matter, electricity, invention and discovery

Geography and geology, especially volcanoes and other natural disasters

Shakespeare, both as a non-fiction topic, and retellings of his works

Art, craft and “how-to” topics

Retellings of myths and legends, folktales and classic novels

History, especially ancient history, and ancient Greece in particular

New website!

Anna — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:20:15 +0000

Welcome to my new website! I have abandoned my old HTMLing ways as too time-consuming, and gone the way of WordPress. It will take some time to set up all the new pages, including listing all my books, as I hadn’t updated the old site for some time. For now, only some of the pages have content, but I hope to complete the site over the next few months. Meanwhile, please email me if you want to discuss new projects or have any questions.

The Story of Inventions

Anna — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 13:11:00 +0000

Part of Usborne’s new-style non-fiction series, combining in-depth exploration of facts with cartoon illusration.

Second in the series, the blah blah blah

How did you get that job?

Anna — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:11:26 +0000

I was lucky - I became a writer by just applying for a job as a trainee children’s non-fiction writer with Usborne Publishing. I had a degree in English and a small amount of proofreading experience. I got the job, and worked there for three years. Usborne trained me in all aspects of non-fiction writing and editing. Then I went freelance so I could move to Scotland.

Do you draw the pictures too?

Anna — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:10:45 +0000

No - and this really is a frequently asked question. I write the text, then a designer lays out the text and decides on the pictures. If we’re using artwork (rather than photos), an artist does the pictures. If we’re using photos, I sometimes get to choose the ones I like from online picture libraries. My favourite is the Science Photo Library.

How do you manage being on your own at home all day? How do you motivate yourself?

Anna — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:09:24 +0000

Everyone asks this, but I love being at home alone all day - it’s just a personality thing. If you like being around people all the time, you probably shouldn’t think about doing this kind of job. However, I do talk to friends and colleagues on the phone several times a day and do a lot of emailing. About the motivation - since I don’t get paid if I don’t work, I have to work! Also, I enjoy my work a lot, so it’s not too difficult.