* UPDATED NOVEMBER 2013*
You can’t
get published without an agent, and you can’t get an agent without being
published – or so the adage goes.
Thankfully,
there are still a few children’s book publishers who are happy to wade through the
‘slush pile’, that teetering tower of manuscripts we imagine fill up a corner
of the office, each one representing an agent-less writer who is hoping against
hope that they might be plucked from obscurity.
So in the
spirit of writerly comradeship here is my current list of writer-friendly
children’s fiction publishers in the UK who still accept unsolicited
manuscripts. Check their website guidelines and submit away, but please
do correct me if I’ve made any errors or incorrect assumptions.
NB
Where there is a link, I have endeavoured to take you, the linkee, to the
submissions guidelines page of the publisher’s website; where that is not
possible I have linked to the main website page.
Anderson
Press publish picture books of approximately 500 words (1K max), juvenile
fiction of 3-5K and older fiction of up to 75K. They require a synopsis
and 3 sample chapters, hard copy only, and aim to reply within 2 months.
They use a standard rejection slip and reply promptly.
Bridge House
– CURRENTLY NOT OPEN TO SUBMISSIONS
Bridge
House is a small press which specialises in themed anthologies of short
stories, often for charity. They are currently closed to submissions but
check the website for future anthology details. May be unsuitable for
‘darker’ material.
An
imprint of Michael O’Mara Books, Buster Books publish children’s non-fiction
and activity books as well as a small range of fiction. Submission
details are sparse so try the usual three chapters plus synopsis and covering
letter/email. You can submit by post or by email and they ask you to
include an envelope if you would like your paper manuscript returned, but they
can’t guarantee a response. Again, probably best to assume the usual
procedure and submit elsewhere after three months if you haven’t heard back.
Candy Jar
are a small independent publisher with a self publishing arm. They are
looking for children’s fiction for all ages. Send the first three
chapters, synopsis and covering letter by post or using the form provided on
the submissions page. Response time isn’t mentioned.
Child’s
Play specialise in quality picture books for age 0-8, sometimes combined with
games and toys, for example to make up the popular Story Sacks. They have
companies in the US and Australia. You should submit by post only with
the full text (note length recommendation of max 1,500 words). Enclose an
SAE or indicate that you would like a reply by email. Note that they
recommend simultaneous submissions (sending off to more than one publisher),
and that they do not require illustrations with the text.
A new
venture publishing picture books on the iTunes platform. Very early days
but could be a chance to make your mark on a newly growing market. Words
only but artists can submit their portfolios.
A new
publisher who will be releasing their first titles in Spring 2013, Curious Fox
are looking for “bold, fun and imaginative” fiction for age 8 upwards, by email
submission. They are also intererested in incorporating innovative
approaches such as reader-generated plot turns and delivering content through
websites. Send a synopsis, the first chapter and a covering letter by
email only. They aim to respond within 2 months (I heard back after 10
weeks which is pretty close!).
David Fickling Books – NOT
CURRENTLY ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS
David
Fickling Books publish picture books, and fiction for 5-8 years, 9-12 years,
teens and young adults. They require the first three chapters by post
only, and aim to reply within 3 months if they are interested. If you
don’t hear back by then, you have not been successful.
This
Scottish publisher accepts postal submissions for its Picture Kelpies, and
Kelpies range of books for 6-9 and 8-12 year olds. Books should be
between 30 and 60K words. Note: only approach if you are a Scottish
writer or your book has a Scottish setting and/or theme.
Frances Lincoln – CURRENTLY
NOT OPEN TO SUBMISSIONS
Thank you
to one of my readers for suggesting this publishing company to add to my list;
they publish picture books, young fiction (6-9 years) and novels (9-14 years)
and are looking for exceptional writing that really stands out. You
can email submissions as long as they are below 2MB in size.
This
small publisher specialises in picture books for up to age 10, but also accepts
young adult (and non fiction). Send your manuscript by post or email –
full text for picture books, first three chapters and synopsis for young
adult. Paper submissions will not be returned so just include an SAE or
email address for a reply. View the catalogue on the site to get an idea
of what they publish.
Little
Tiger Press publish picture and novelty books up to 750 words for readers up to
age 7. Submissions should be sent by post only, and they offer some
useful tips on their submissions page. They aim to reply within 3 months.
Mantra
Lingua is a very specialised publisher providing multilingual and multicultural
resources. They accept picture books for up to age 12 that can be
translated into a number of languages – this means the concept and theme needs
to be universal too. Read the submissions guidelines carefully and look
at the current titles before proceeding. Submit by email only. As
the maximum length is 1400 I should think the full text will be acceptable.
NOTE –
MAVERICK ARE CLOSED TO SUBMISSIONS NOW UNTIL 2014
Maverick
publish a range of lively and colourful picture books. They are looking
for quirky, interesting reads with strong storylines. As a guide, their
books are usually 32 pages long and no longer than 1,200 words and they prefer
text only, not illustrations. Unlike some picture book publishers they do
accept stories in rhyme. Email submissions are preferred as pdf or Word
attachments together with a covering letter or email, but you can also submit
by post.
Mogzilla are an emerging independent publishing
company with educational links, specialising in pre-teen and teenage fiction
from 45-75K long. They ask for proposals to be emailed and they will then
request the manuscript if they are interested, either by post or in pdf
form. They do not return paper manuscripts. You should also avoid
sending
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