Most children’s book authors and young adult authors struggle with creating a history of previous publications – a useful task when trying to find an agent or publisher for their work. The following list of publishers are all looking for work aimed at teens and children.
So, not only do you create a history of publication, you do so in the area you specialize in. Many famous writers got their start in journals like Cicada and Cricket.
The list is in no particular order. Most, but not all, of these publications are open for submission at this time.
1. Sparkle
A Christian Magazine aimed at girls in 1-3rd grade. They pay varying amounts depending on genre. You can read their submission guidelines here.
2. Ember
A literary journal that publishes creative non fiction, fiction, and poetry aimed at children and teens. They publish writing by adults as well as children. Learn more here.
3. One Teen Story
A literary journal that publishes one short story for teens a month. They have published a variety of bestselling authors and they have a good base of subscribers. They pay 500 dollars. Read our full review of them here.
4. The Caterpillar
This relatively new but greatly respected literary journal for kids between the ages of 8 and 11 accepts submissions of poetry and fiction. Learn more here.
5. BALLOONS Literary Journal
An online journal that publishes poetry, fiction and art that is primarily aimed at young readers aged around 10-16. Read our full review here.
6-10. Cricket Media’s Literary Journals
Their flagship publication billed as “The New Yorker for Kids” publishes poetry and fiction aimed at 9-14 year olds. Read our full review here. However, they also have three other magazines called Babybug (for children 6 months to 3 years), Ladybug (3-6 years), Spider (6-9 years), and Cicada (for ages 14 and up). You can see their submission guidelines here.
11-16.Cricket Media’s Non Fiction Magazine
Cricket media publishes a wide variety of non fiction magazines for children as well. This includes Click (science and discovery for ages 3-7), Ask (science and discovery for ages 7-10), Muse (science and discovery for ages 10 and up), Cobblestone (American history for ages 9-14), Dig (Into world history and archaeology for ages 9-14), and Faces (World cultures and geography for ages 9-14). You can see their submission guidelines here. Although it is important to note that some require querying first and not all are open to unsolicited submissions.
17. Guardian Angel Kids
A paying market that publishes articles, poems, activities, and short stories. Their extensive guidelines are online here. Their magazine is free so it is easy to get a good feeling for what they publish.
18. Tunnel
An e-zine whose primary audience is teen readers. They accept submissions from anyone of any age as long as the intended audience of the writing is young adults. Learn more at their website here.
19. Yarn
This literary journal’s name YARN is an acronym that stands for The Young Adult Review Network. They are a respected literary journal that nominates for the Pushcart Prize. They are open to genre work and they publish poetry, fiction, and essays. To learn more visit their website here.
