BANANAS IN THE BATH

I’m delighted to welcome author Andi Chitty to the blog, to talk about her recently released indie board book Bananas in the Bath (June 2025). Illustrated by Alexandra Elliot, this book is Andi’s first experience self publishing and she’ll be sharing the process and the valuable lessons she learned through this exciting journey. Congratulations, Andi!

About Bananas in the Bath:

Bathtime goes BANANAS in this silly story, full of big emotions, yummy food, and just a bit of MESS!

Book Design: TLC Book Design

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Now on to our interview:

M. Andi, I’m so excited to celebrate with you the release of your first book. Can you share what inspired you to write it? Why a bathtime story?

A. The idea for this book came during… bathtime! How fitting, right? My then 3 year old son was getting into the bathtub when he turned around and, matter-of-factly, asked for a banana.

“A banana?” I said. “In the bath?”
He nodded. “Yup! A banana in the bath.”
And you know what? I brought him a banana.

I wrote the first draft of BANANAS IN THE BATH while sitting on the toilet lid, next to my son, in the bathtub, happily eating his banana. The refrain “Yum, yum, yum! Laugh, laugh, laugh! Eating a banana in the bath, bath, bath.” came to me in song-form later that day. I had to stop what I was doing and quickly record some audio of myself singing the little diddy so I wouldn’t forget!

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M. That’s so fun! I love that you were able to seize the moment and just go for it as it was coming to you. How lovely that your son got to inspire you like that. Can you tell us how was it for you to work on this story as a self published author? Can you share your process?

A. Self-publishing can be a LOT of work, but I knew that going in. One of the reasons (there are many!) I chose this story to self publish, is because I knew it would be a board book. In my ignorance, I thought board books=fewer pages=easier to make! I thought I was starting out with an easier format for my first self-published book, but I learned pretty quickly that I was hilariously wrong. MANY hours went into the creation of this book, and that’s not even factoring in the many hours my fantastic illustrator, Alexandra Elliot, spent doing the artwork, nor the time TLC Book design spent laying the text! There were many successes, many mistakes, and much love poured into this little book along the way. From gathering my team and going over sketches and revisions, to learning all about copyrights, ISBNs, trademarks, business EINs, legal stuff, Library of Congress applications, printing, fulfillment, distribution, marketing, Goodreads, and Amazon (which I’m still figuring out!), there’s a lot to consider when self-publishing. I’ve learned that when you self-publish, you can choose how much effort you put into each step. Gosh, you can skip steps altogether! However, the indie publishers who throw their all into the process are the ones who tend to be successful, so that’s what I did! I want to give my absolute best to the kids.

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M. Wow, I had no idea of all the implications of self publishing! It seems like so much work, but I’m sure it also brings a lot of satisfaction. Can you tell us about your experience working with Alexandra Elliot? Why did you select her for this book?

A. As an author, I’m well aware that it’s the art that will first catch a reader’s eye, so finding the right illustrator to match my text was, to me, the most important step if I was going to self-publish. I needed this book to be indistinguishable from the traditionally published titles in its category, and the art was going to be a huge part of that! Working with Alex was incredible. She’s talented, extremely kind and professional, and very experienced! For a board book, “Bananas in the Bath” has a surprising amount going on in the illustrations. I had a clear vision of how I wanted each page to look, and Alex was open to any revisions I requested, no matter how many I sent to her (I may have gone overboard with the revisions- a touch of hyperfocus kicked in for sure!). It was important to the story which direction each character was facing on each spread, for example, and their emotions needed to be just right. There’s also an entire unwritten storyline going on with the little turtle! But Alex was so kind and reassuring throughout it all, and was so quick throughout the whole process. I’m so grateful to have worked with her!

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M. It really sounds like you and Alex were the perfect team for this project, I am so happy for you. Her illustrations are so colorful and adorable, really perfect for your text. Andi, what would you say is the most valuable lesson you learned from publishing this book?

A. The most valuable lesson I learned is this: if you’re going to publish a book, you need to act like a publisher. Self-publishing isn’t just putting a book out into the world. This is the start of a business, and it should be treated as such (in my opinion, at least!). Maybe it’s just my personality, but reminding myself of that fact throughout the process motivated me (and helped get me through those moments of doubt!). All that being said, though- definitely still have fun with it!

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M. That’s such a great lesson and advice, thank you for sharing. Finally, are there any new projects that you’re currently working on that you can tell us about?

A. Yes! I’ll be publishing another board book in the next few months, though this one is very different from “Bananas in the Bath”. I can’t share the name just yet, but I can share that my illustrator for this next one is the amazing Naya Kirichenko! Her sweet, dream-like art is the perfect match for this book. The illustrations are almost complete, and I’m so excited to share them with the world! Naya’s work is stunningly beautiful, and incredibly nostalgic. Perfect for… a lullaby, perhaps? Stay tuned!

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These are amazing news! Congratulations, Andi! I can’t wait to know more about your new projects and I’d love to have you back on the blog whenever they come out in the world. I wish you all the best with Bananas in the Bath. Enjoy the ride!

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GIVEAWAY ALERT!

Dear readers, Andi is giving away a prize to 1 person who leaves a comment in this post. You can choose:

a) 30 minute AMA (ask me anything) session

b) A picture book or board book critique

c) A copy of Bananas in the Bath

The winner will be randomly selected and announced on my social media on 7/25. I will then put you in direct contact with Andi. Please make sure to submit your comment by 7/24 at 12:00 pm EST. Good luck and thanks for participating!

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ANDI’S BIO:

Andi Chitty has been writing for children for over 4.5 years. With many contest wins and placements under her writing belt, Andi has a foot in both worlds of publishing, as she celebrates the release of her debut self-published board book, BANANAS IN THE BATH while pursuing a traditional publishing deal for other select manuscripts. For fun, she adores instigating a rowdy game of “blanket monster” with her kids! Andi lives in Virginia with her husband and 3 kids, with many nieces, nephews, and other extended family members close by.

Instagram: @andichitty_booksnbugs
Bluesky: @andichitty.bsky.social
Facebook: Andi Chitty- Children’s Author
Twitter/X: @AndiChitty

Thanks for reading!

M

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Cover photo by Aleksandar Pasaric.