All the publishers on this list focus primarily on publishing picture books. There are a lot of myths about publishing picture books, and one of them is that you have to supply your own illustrations. This is generally not the case. Most picture book publishers will match your work with an illustrator for you, some won’t even consider written work submitted with illustrations.
The publishers on this list run the gamut from being a few years old and still establishing their reputation, to being over 75 years old. Some are large companies with good distribution and others are still finding their way.
Not all are currently open to submissions, but most are.
To learn more about publishing children’s books, get a copy of The Authors Publish Guide to Children’s and Young Adult Publishing.
The Quarto Publishing Group is an international publishing house known for its illustrated books. They publish most of their work through a number of niche imprints each with their own focus. All of their US imprints are distributed by Hachette.
Immedium was founded in 2004 and is led by experienced professionals, who have written critically acclaimed books, marketed print and digital media, and sold #1 nationwide best-sellers. Aquanauts, a series of books they published, was turned into a successful TV show for children.
Chronicle Books is a reputable publishing house that publishes many wonderful books, however for the sake of this list, I am just focusing on their children’s line. They have published a number of books that have been nominated for the Caldecott, the most prestigious children’s book award. They publish a large number of children’s books every year and have excellent distributors.
Nobrow Press is a respected publisher of graphic novels and Flying Eye is their children’s book imprint. Flying Eye publishes both fiction and nonfiction picture books. Nobrow Press and Flying Eye are both different from what we normally review because they are looking for either an author/illustrator or an already formed author-illustrator pair with a book to pitch. They do seem to make exceptions, but for the most part they are not interested in matching illustrators with authors.
Ripple Grove Press is a newer family-run children’s book publisher based out of Portland. They focus on publishing original, beautifully illustrated children’s books. Their website is clear and transparent. It lists their distributor and their literary agent for other publishers interested in translating their work.
Pelican Publishing Company is a publisher based out of New Orleans. They have been around for the a long time and they published William Faulkner’s first trade paperback book. They have a back list of over 2,500 titles. They publish between 40 to 70 new titles yearly. They focus on publishing art/architecture books, cooking/cookbooks, motivational, popular history (especially Louisiana/regional), children’s books (illustrated and otherwise), and social commentary. They also add that “We will consider almost any well-written work by an author who understands promotion.”
ThunderStone Books’ motto is global education for young minds. They focus on publishing children’s books with an educational aspect. The attention is particularly on books exploring a new language/culture in a fictional setting. Their area of primary focus is Mandarin Chinese (language, culture, setting and/or mythology). But they are open to other languages and other subjects, including science and math. They also consider fiction without a strong education focus, but that is not their forte.
Mighty Media Press publishes children’s books, mostly picture books, but also those aimed at middle grade readers. Their books have beautiful illustrations.
Mighty Media Presses website is not like most book publishers. It does not focus on promoting a catalog or trying to recruit new authors, in fact it took me a little bit to figure out that they were a book publisher at all, although their logo looked rather familiar to me from the start.
Penny Candy Books is a publishing company focused on children’s picture books that was founded in 2015 by two poets who met in graduate school. It is a newer company but they seem off to a good start with interviews in various established publications and by publishing eight books, most to positive reviews by places like Kirkus. Their plan from here on out is to publish 5 to 8 books a year.
Sleeping Bear Press is a well regarded publisher of board books, picture books, middle grade readers’ books, and young adult fiction. They offer advances to some authors. They have good regional distribution in the Midwest and ok distribution in North America. Their books have won a wide variety of awards, all of them are listed here.
Gibbs Smith is an established publisher with good distribution and a focus on cook books, interior design and architecture books, and board books for children. They have published a number of bestsellers, including a board book version of Pride & Prejudice. Gibbs Smith is primarily a nonfiction publisher which is just now entering the fiction market for adults and middle readers.
Boyds Mills Press is owned by Highlights for Children. They are an award-winning publisher of children’s books.
The best way to get a sense of what they publish is by reviewing their catalog. If you are considering submitting a picture book review the picture books. If you are considering submitting a book of poetry, review their poetry selection. Their catalog is organized by category. I would also encourage you to check a book or two of theirs out from your local library.
MB Publishing is a small press based out of Bethesda, Maryland. They focus on publishing children’s books and Judiaca (things pertaining to Jewish life and customs) also largely aimed at children. MB Publishing was founded over 5 years ago by Margie Blumberg as more or less a self-publishing operation. She still continues to publish her own work through MB Publishing. There is an old interview about the details of that here.
Flashlight is an award winning publisher of illustrated children’s books. They publish books aimed at 4 to 8 year olds. They only publish 2 to 4 books every year, so they are very selective. The books they publish are beautifully illustrated. They also have good distribution internationally and nationally. The theme of the book must be universal, and the book should focus on family and/or social situations.
Nosy Crow is a UK-based publisher of children’s books and apps aimed at children. They accept international submissions from all over, but everyone outside of the UK must submit via email (which is their preferred method of submission). They have wide distribution within the UK. The books they published are aimed at children up to the age of 14, although the bulk of what they publish is for children under the age of 12. The young adult books that they do publish are not issue-based, and should not involve drugs, sex, or violence. Most of the apps they publish are aimed at kids between the ages of 2 to 7.
Peachtree Publishers is a well respected independent publisher with good distribution. They are based out of Atlanta, Georgia, and they specialize in publishing children’s picture books, young adult books, self-help titles for parents and educators, and guides to the American South.
Free Spirit Publishing is an established publisher with good distribution. They publish primarily nonfiction, mostly curriculum based, where they have a number of niche focuses.
They do publish fiction but only in the form of board books (aimed at infants to 4-year-olds) and picture books (for ages 4 to 8) that focus on social skills and getting along, early learning, character education, self-esteem, and other topics related to positive early childhood development.
Triangle Square is an imprint of Seven Stories Press that focuses on publishing young adult novels and children’s books. Seven Stories Press is an independent publisher that is well respected and has been around for more than 20 years. Their books are distributed by Random House. Triangle Square focuses on publishing high quality writing that is educational.
Maverick Children’s Books is a UK based publisher of children’s books. Their books generally have wonderful covers and illustrations, and are quirky. They publish a variety of books for children but are only regulatly open to picture book submissions .You can learn more about the team behind Maverick here.
Tilbury House publishes adult books too (only nonfiction), but they mainly focus on publishing children’s books with a social message. Most focus on the environment, cultural diversity, nature, and social justice. They have published a number of award winning books that are greatly respected. They focus on getting these books into schools. The books they publish are for children between the ages of 7 to 12.
WorthyKids/Ideals publishes fiction and nonfiction board books, novelty books, and picture books for children from birth through the age of eight. In September 2018 they were purchased by Hachette. The subjects they are interested in publishing are primarily inspiration/faith, relationships and values, general fiction, American patriotism, and holidays, particularly Easter and Christmas.
Paulist Press is an established press that has been around for 150 years. Paulist Press publishes Christian books in a wide variety of sub-genres, including children’s picture books. They have excellent distribution and sales within that market.
August House was established in 1978, originally it focused on publishing poetry but in the 80’s their focus switched to folklore and after that, to storytelling. They no longer publish poetry, instead they focus on publishing children’s books, although many of these are influenced by folklore. They currently publish children’s folktales, picture books, early-grade chapter books, and storytelling resource materials.
Kane Miller is an award winning publisher of educational children’s books. Their most famous book to date is the children’s classic Everyone Poops, the English translation of Minna Unchi, a Japanese children’s book written by Taro Gomi. They have good distribution, there books are widely available at libraries, and they generally do an excellent job.
Lee & Low Books’ motto is “About Everyone. For Everyone”. They focus on publishing multicultural children’s books and are the largest multicultural book publisher in the United States. The books they publish largely have an educational element and they offer books for readers starting at the age of 4 and going all the way up to age 18. They are an independent publisher that has published hundreds of books and been around for 25 years. In 2014 they were named “Indie Publisher of the Year“.
Arsenal Pulp Press is a Canadian small press based out of Vancouver. They have won the Jim Douglas Publisher of the Year Award (from the Association of Book Publishers of British Columbia), and they have been a finalist for Small Press Publisher of the Year (awarded by the Canadian Booksellers Association) five times.They have good distribution in Canada and on the West Coast. I’ve seen a number of their books in stores in the Pacific Northwest. They also regularly host and promote events for their authors, and that is a good sign as well.
Pajama Press is a publisher of books for children and young adults. They focus on publishing literary works. They publish books that fall into a wide range of categories including: picture books, board books for the very young, middle-grade novels, young adult novels, and nonfiction for all juvenile categories.
Arsenal Pulp Press is a Canadian small press based out of Vancouver. They have won the Jim Douglas Publisher of the Year Award (from the Association of Book Publishers of British Columbia), and they have been a finalist for Small Press Publisher of the Year (awarded by the Canadian Booksellers Association) five times.They have good distribution in Canada and on the West Coast. I’ve seen a number of their books in stores in the Pacific Northwest. They also regularly host and promote events for their authors, and that is a good sign as well.
Holiday House is an established and reputable children’s book publisher that has been around for over 75 years. They publish picture books as well as books aimed at children grades 1 to 3, grades 4 to 6, and grades 7 and up. They are based out of New York City. They have published many well known books and authors, including Kenneth Grahame. The books that they have published have won numerous respected awards and honors.
Sterling Publishing is owned by Barnes and Noble. They also have a large crafting imprint named Lark. Sterling has been publishing books for over 60 years. They publish children’s books.
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
Founded in 1911 and located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company is an independent publisher of religious books. They have a large range, including academic books and reference works in theology, biblical studies, and religious history to popular titles in spirituality, social and cultural criticism, as well as literature and children’s books.
Red Deer Press is a small press based out of Canada. They focus on publishing children’s books. They publish books for a whole range of ages starting with picture books and culminating with young adult books. Their books have good covers, are generally well reviewed, and have good distribution.
Tradewind Books is a small publisher of books for children and young adults located in British Columbia, Canada. They publish beautifully illustrated books, chapter books, books for middle grade readers, and for young adults. They publish primarily fiction but also some poetry.
Bio: Emily Harstone is the pen name of an author whose work has been published internationally by a number of respected journals. She is a professional submissions adviser. You can follow her on Facebook here.
