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.
The list is in no particular order. Most, but not all, of these publications are open for submission at this time.
Ember
A literary journal that publishes creative nonfiction, fiction, and poetry aimed at children and teens. They publish writing by adults as well as children. Learn more here.
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. They accept submissions from all authors older than 16. Learn more here.
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.
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 feel for what they publish.
Boys’ Life
The magazine published by the Boy Scouts is only interested in unsolicited nonfiction submissions but they do pay very well (generally $1/word). The intended readers are boys 6-17. Their guidelines are detailed and you can download them here.
Highlights’ publications
Highlights’ publications include Highlights Magazine, Hello, and High Five. All publications are interested in stories, poems, crafts, and recipes, they just have different audiences in mind, in terms of age. The magazines audience range starts at 1 and goes to 12. See their guidelines here.
U.S. Kids Magazines
The publisher behind Jack and Jill (6-12) and Humpty Dumpty (2-6) are open to work that appeals to contemporary kids from a wide range of backgrounds and reading levels. You can see their submission guidelines here. They are a paying market.
AQUiLA
AQUiLA is a UK based magazine that focuses on publishing work aimed at 8-13 year olds, and they are seeking features and short stories. They are a paying market, but they largely work with the same contributors, consistently. Please make sure your work is a good fit for them before submitting. Read their full submission guidelines here or visit their main website here.
After Dinner Conversation
This wonderful electronic publication focuses largely on work for adults but they do include work aimed at involving children in philosophical discussions. This is an example of the sort of children’s story they are interested in. To learn more go here, and make sure to read their guidelines closely. They are a paying market.
Fun For Kidz
They publish work based on themes. Their themes are listed here, along with the rest of their submission guidelines.
Smarty Pants Magazine for Kids
They publish short stories aimed at children, electronically. They are a paying market and are interested in stories under 800 words in length. Read their full guidelines here.
Voyage
This literary journal only publishes work for young adults. They regularly run contests, with fees attached, but are also always open for fee free submissions. Learn more here.
Blue Marble Review
The only literary journal on this list that only publishes work by individuals between the ages of 13-22, Blue Marble Review focuses on publishing writing, including creative non-fiction, poetry, and short stories, by and for teens and new adults. They pay all contributors. Read more here.
Emily Harstone is the author of many popular books, including The Authors Publish Guide to Manuscript Submissions, The 2019 Guide to Manuscript Publishers, Submit, Publish, Repeat, and The Authors Publish Guide to Children’s and Young Adult Publishing.
She occasionally teaches a course on manuscript publishing, as well as a course on publishing in literary journals.
You can follow her on Facebook here.
