Most children’s and young adult book 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.

The list is in no particular order. Most, but not all, of these publications are open for submission at this time.

BALLOONS Literary Journal
An online journal that publishes poetry, fiction and art that is primarily aimed at young readers aged around 10-16. Learn more here.

Little Thoughts Press
A print journal that publishes work by and for children, they accept work from authors of all ages but particularly encourage authors under 12 to submit. (They’re reading for Issue 3 until 1st June 2022, and the theme is ‘Hit the Road’.) Learn more here.

Scout Life
The magazine published by the Boy Scouts of America 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 (for ages 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. Their open calls for 2022 are all full, but they plan to open up their 2023 calls soon.

Smarty Pants Magazine for Kids
They publish short stories aimed at children, electronically. What sets them apart is that the work they publish is presented as a short recording. They are 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.

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.

Nat Geo Kids
They accept pitches for their magazine. To learn more about the pitching process, go here. To learn more about Nat Geo Kids, go here. They are a paying market.

The School Magazine 
Australia’s The School Magazine is a self-funded business unit within the NSW Department of Education; you can read more about them here. They publish short stories, articles, plays, poems and activities that have literary and academic merit primarily aimed at children between 8 and 12. They publish four magazines, Countdown, Blast Off, Orbit and Touchdown, all of which are open to submissions. They have very specific guidelines you can read here. They are a paying market.

Cast of Wonders
This online magazine and podcast focuses on publishing speculative fiction aimed at young adults. They are a paying market. You can read their submission guidelines here – they will open submissions for writers ages 19 and under in June 2022, see their schedule here.