David Salariya

David Salariya is the creator of the internationally bestselling You Wouldn’t Want to be… series and a pioneer of visually driven non-fiction books for children.

Born in Dundee, Scotland, he studied book design and printmaking at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art. He began his career illustrating and designing books for publishers including Reader’s Digest and Kingfisher Books, before going on to develop a number of influential children’s book series for Franklin Watts, including Time Lines, X-Ray Picture Books, How Would You Survive? and New View.

In 1989 he founded The Salariya Book Company, an independent publishing house dedicated to creating highly visual and engaging books for young readers. Under its imprints Book House, Scribblers, and Scribo, he created and designed numerous bestselling and award-winning series including You Wouldn’t Want To Be…, Inside Story, Spectacular Visual Guides, A Very Peculiar History, Graffex and The Danger Zone.

Throughout his career Salariya has worked across the full creative process of publishing — conceiving book ideas, designing formats, writing texts and commissioning writers and illustrators. His work has ranged from board books for babies to narrative history and educational series for older readers, and he has also explored new storytelling technologies including apps and augmented reality, developing one of the earliest children’s books to incorporate Augmented Reality.

His books have been translated into more than 35 languages and read by generations of children around the world.

He has also written under the pen names David Stewart and Max Marlborough.

David Salariya is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.