All of the publishers on this list publish children’s books. Some just publish picture books, some publish only middle-grade fiction, and some publish a wide variety of genres aimed at adults as well. Some are looking for educational work, others are open to anything. A number of these publishers are large and established. Others are small and just starting out. Most are open to submissions or have an announced open reading period scheduled in the future. Some do not have an announced reopening period but state that they plan to reopen.

For this article, we have included a brief review of every publisher, focusing on the essentials. However, if you click on the heading with their name you will be able to read the full review of the company, for most of the presses. The publishers are listed in no particular order.

At the end of this article, under a separate sub heading, we’ve included publishers who are open to direct submissions from writers from historically underrepresented communities. Some of these publishers are seeking authors from very specific backgrounds, others do not. We link to the publishers’ websites directly in this section.

Please note that there are a lot of presses and imprints exclusively focused on YA, but they are not included in this list.

Also if you want to learn more about how Children’s publishing works, this article is a good starting place.

If you want professional feedback on a children’s book manuscript, then there are just a few spots left in our upcoming session of Writing for Young Readers with John Claude Bemis. Learn more here.

Bala Kids
Bala Publications is an imprint of Shambhala Publications, an independent publishing company based in Boulder, Colorado. They are distributed by Penguin Random House Publisher Services. Bala Kids is dedicated to encouraging the values of wisdom and compassion for children with books on Buddhism, meditation, yoga, mindfulness, and more.

Annick Press
One of the top children’s book publishers in Canada, Annick Press got a strong start early on by publishing Robert Munsch, back when they were based out of co-founder Anne Millyard’s basement (you can learn more about that here). Annick is currently accepting submissions of picture books, middle grade fiction, YA fiction, and nonfiction for kids of all ages.

Young Dragons 
Young Dragons is a traditional independent publisher focused on publishing books for children. They publish picture books as well as middle grade fiction.

Hashtag Press 
Hashtag Press was established in the UK in 2016 by Abiola Bella and Helen Lewis. They focus on publishing “commercial fiction books for young people that are plot driven with relatable, inspiring characters and great friendships”. They are currently only considering unagented work in the Young Adult (YA) genre, although they publish a wide range of books for younger readers. You can get a feel for what they publish here. They very much prioritize stories about characters from underrepresented backgrounds and by authors from underrepresented backgrounds, and they are not interested in publishing a book that isn’t diverse. We share their definition of reverse in our review. Their next reading period starts July 1st 2025 and goes to July 2st. It is for YA and Children’s books.

Baobab Press
Baobab Press is a small press that publishes a wide variety of material. Full disclaimer, even before we get into the review proper, they charge for submissions in some genres currently, this includes adult fiction and poetry manuscripts. As part of our guiding principles we don’t cover presses that charge overall, but as they are open to free unagented submissions in a variety of other genres including creative nonfiction manuscripts, children’s books, and comics (including cartoons and graphic narratives), they do qualify to be listed with us.

Cardinal Rule Press
Cardinal Rule Press is a respected children’s picture book publisher. They are only open to submissions during certain times of year. The work they publish hopes to empower children by telling meaningful stories aimed at 4-11 year olds. They publish realistic fiction which they describe as “a genre made up of stories that could happen in our world and society.” They are not open to submissions at the time of this update. 

Shadow Mountain
Shadow Mountain is an imprint of Deseret Book. Both publishers are Mormon, but Deseret Book focuses more on producing faith-based content. Shadow Mountain publishes primarily fiction and they have published a number of New York Times bestselling books. Because the company is Mormon run, books have to be approved by in-house censors in order to be published. They are very firm about publishing “clean books only”. However the authors need not be Mormon. They used to always be open to submissions but now have four reading periods a year.

Creston Books
Creston Books is small press focused on publishing picture books and select novels. They were founded in 2013 by Marissa Moss, the author of the Amelia’s Notebook series. Creston Books was established to fill a gap in the picture book market and to focus on diverse books. They have published many award winning and banned books over the years. Authors that have debuted with them have found real ongoing industry success.

Pelican Children’s Books
Pelican Children’s Books has always been an imprint of Pelican Publishing. In 2019 Arcadia Publishing purchased Pelican Publishing, and now Pelican Children’s Books is an imprint of Arcadia. Pelican Children’s Books is based in New Orleans, as it always has been, they’ve published a lot of regional children’s books, although they are open to submissions regardless of author’s location.

Arsenal Pulp Press
This large Canadian press publishes a wide variety of children’s books as well as YA and other genres. Their focus is on diversity and representation.

Curious Curls
Curious Curls is a small press that published their first book in 2021. You can learn more about the press and its founder here. Curious Curls has published six books in the past three years. They started out primarily publishing fiction and poetry for adults but their most recent book is a children’s book. You can see their full back catalog here.

Ig Publishing
Ig Publishing is a New York based small press that focuses on publishing literary fiction and progressive political nonfiction. They also have an imprint focused on children’s books as well as YA called IgKids.

Dancing Lemur Press
Dancing Lemur Press is a small US press that has been actively publishing work since 2009. They are based in North Carolina and seem to regularly participate in local events. The only children’s sub-genre they publish is middle grade. They are currently closed to submissions from new authors.

Pan Macmillan Australia
Pan Macmillan Australia is open to direct submissions. They are the Australian imprint of Macmillan, one of the big five publishers. This is the only way to submit to Macmillan directly. They have excellent distribution in Australia. In terms of children’s books they are currently seeking junior and middle grade fiction, as well as young adult/crossover fiction.

The O’Brien Press
The O’Brien Press is an established and respected publisher that is based in Ireland. They favour Irish voices, but are open to international submissions. They publish nonfiction for adults, and fiction and nonfiction for children.

Holiday House
Holiday House is an established and reputable children’s book publisher. Holiday House was founded in 1935. 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.

Reycraft Books
Their mission is to create books of interest for all children. Founded by Sera Reycraft, a Korean who immigrated to the United States as a child, they mostly focus on publishing diverse books from underrepresented communities, particularly by #ownvoices authors. You can get a feel for what they publish here. They plan to reopen later in 2025.

Enchanted Lion
Enchanted Lion is a children’s book publisher based in Brooklyn that was founded in 2003. You can learn more about their team here. Their books are well designed, engaging, and have great covers. Many of the books they have published have been featured in the New York Times, and won awards. They are well distributed and my local library has a large number of their books. They are currently closed to submissions.

Gill Books
Gill Books is one of Ireland’s leading publishers of content in terms of both the Primary and Secondary schools market, but they also publish nonfiction for adults. They accept proposals for adult nonfiction and children’s books.

Owl Kids
A Canadian publisher of children’s books that is open to queries a few different times a year, from unagented authors and illustrators. Sometimes these open reading periods are limited to specific demographics, sometimes they are not. They tend to have at least one open reading period a year, but are not currently open to submissions.

New Frontier
New Frontier is an established small publisher based in Australia. They are focused on publishing children’s books, including picture books, and chapter books. Their target audience appears to be readers under 12. They were established in 2002 and are distributed by Lerner Publishing Groups, which is very active in the children’s market. Their covers are excellent, and the few books of theirs that I have read to my kids were engaging and well made. In the past they made it mandatory for submitters to buy books from them to submit but this is no longer the case.

Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
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. They are primarily a print publisher with excellent distribution. My local independent bookstore regularly carries a number of their titles.

AM Ink
AM Ink is a Western Massachusetts-based press that publishes quality biographies, children’s books, novels, and short story collections. Children’s books must be fully illustrated to be considered.

Thames & Hudson
Thames & Hudson was founded in 1949 by Walter and Eva Neurath. Their goal was to create a ‘museum without walls’ and the press is named after the rivers flowing through London and New York. They have over 2,000 titles in print. They publish high-quality books in the following categories: the arts (fine, applied, decorative, performing), architecture, design, photography, fashion, film and music, archaeology, history, popular culture, and children’s books. Their head offices are in London.

Levine Querido
Arthur A. Levine Books was an imprint of Scholastic Inc. that was founded in 1996 and as of 2019 they parted ways with Scholastic and since 2019 they have been Levine Querido. They publish hardcover literary fiction and nonfiction for children and teenagers (and discerning adults), as well as picture books and graphic novels. They have published many award-winning and nominated books, as well as a number of very well known and respected authors. They have caps on submissions and tend to be closed to submissions towards the end of the month. They are currently closed to submissions but plan to reopen.

Ryland Peters & Small (RPS) and CICO Books
Ryland Peters & Small (RPS) and CICO Books is an independent, illustrated publisher that publishes books focused on interior design, food and drink, craft, mindfulness and spirituality, health, humour and pop culture. They also publish children’s books. It’s easy to get a feel for what they publish here. They very much focus on illustrated non-fiction and are only open to submissions of work that falls into that category.

The Good Book Company
“We are an evangelical publishing house that stand on the fundamental truths of the Christian faith, for example, the IFES/UCCF/Intervarsity basis of faith. We are also corporate members of the Evangelical Alliance.” As such they are not interested in views outside of the Christian Evangelical movement. However, within that area they publish resources for evangelism, Bible study, training, Christian living as well as for youth and children’s work.

Flying Eye
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.

Sleeping Bear Press
Sleeping Bear Press is a well-regarded publisher of board books, picture books, middle grade readers, and young adult fiction. They offer advances to some authors. Their books have won a wide variety of awards, all of them are listed here. They also host an Own Voices, Own Stories award every year which you can learn more about here.

Gibbs Smith
Gibbs Smith is an established publisher with good distribution and a focus on cook books, interior design and architecture books, children’s picture books, and board books. They have published a number of bestsellers, including a board book version of Pride & Prejudice.

Flashlight Press
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.

Princeton Architectural Press
Princeton Architectural Press is a small press that focuses on publishing books on architecture, design, photography, landscape, and visual culture. They also publish beautiful stationary and children’s books. They are based in New York. In 2009 they were bought by McEvoy Group. They are now a sister company to Chronicle Books.

Familius
Familius is focused on publishing books for the whole family, including children.

Free Spirit Publishing
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. Also see their Black Voices in Children’s Literature contest which will open for US-based Black writers – they want children’s stories by and about Black people.

Charlesbridge
Charlesbridge publishes high quality books for children and young adults with the goal of creating lifelong readers and lifelong learners. In 2010 Charlesbridge acquired Imagine Publishing, which expanded what they were able to offer. They now have extensive audio offerings. They also publish adult nonfiction, cookbooks, and puzzle books.

Turner Books
Turner publishes books in a wide range of categories and formats—fiction and nonfiction. They publish mainly in print but have electronic options as well. They are a major independent publishing house that has a number of imprints. They publish children’s books, and YA.

Tilbury House
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.

Albert Whitman & Company
Albert Whitman & Company has been around since 1919. I grew up reading a series, the best-known series that they have published, The Boxcar Children. They have had nonpayment issues in the past, so please read the review carefully.

The Quarto Publishing Group
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.

Chronicle Books
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. They are currently closed to submissions, but plan to announce a reopening in the summer of 2025.

Paulist Press
Paulist Press is an established press that was founded in 1881. Paulist Press publishes Christian books in a wide variety of sub-genres, including children’s books. They have excellent distribution and sales within that market.

August House
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.

Arbordale Publishing
This children’s publisher focuses on science and math books that parents and children read together, meaning they offer family focused rather than school focused learning.

Jolly Fish Press
Jolly Fish Press was started in 2012. They publish commercial and literary fiction, historical, fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, humor, horror, thriller, middle-grade, and young adult. They also publish motivational nonfiction, self-help, biography, and memoir. They are generally open to submissions in February and March, June and July, and October and November, but have postponed the February and March reading periods this year. They will automatically reject unsolicited submissions made outside of these periods.

Ulysses Press
Ulysses Press is an independent publisher that has been around for almost a decade. They focus on publishing non-fiction books aimed at niche markets.  It is a good idea to go through their catalog before submitting to see if your work is a good fit for their press. They are looking for books on the forefront of emerging trends, books that have a unique angle on an established topic, or books that fill a demonstrated niche in the trade book market. They publish a variety of books aimed at children and teens.

Flyaway Books
Flyaway Books is a children’s book publisher focused only on children’s picture books. The focus of their books is on “diversity, inclusivity, compassion, care for each other, and care for our world”. They are an imprint of Westminster John Knox Press which is part of the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation, but many of the books that Flyaway publishes are not faith based, and the ones that they do publish that are faith based are “appropriate for progressive churches, religious schools, and readers who value faith inside and outside of a church setting”. They are closed to submissions at the time of this most recent update. 

Sky Pony Press
Sky Pony is a division of Skyhorse Publishing, please read the full review of Skyhorse first to see if you would be comfortable working with them. This division focuses on publishing picture books, chapter books, middle grade, and YA fiction and nonfiction.

Lawley Publishing
Lawley Publishing is an Arizona-based press focused on publishing books for children. Their motto is “Kids’ books with heart”, and their logo, a book with a heart in it, echoes that sentiment. They publish children’s fiction and nonfiction picture books, early reader fiction and nonfiction chapter books, as well as middle grade fiction and nonfiction. They do not publish board books, young adult fiction or nonfiction, or books for adults.

Jessica Kingsley Publishers (JKP)
They are best known for their books on the autism spectrum, social work, arts therapies, mental health, counseling, palliative care, practical theology and gender diversity. They also publish graphic novels that cover these subject areas, and books for children, on issues including depression and anger.

Graveside Press
Graveside Press is the Horror imprint of Paper Angel Press, which you can learn more about here. It’s important to read that review as well, as it covers more of how the press as a whole operates. They have an imprint focused on horror for younger readers that is currently open to submissions called GRADEside. You can see their current call for submissions here GRADEside Middle Grade & Young Adult Horror, there is no deadline listed.

Parallax Press
Parallax Press is a nonprofit publisher founded by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. They publish 15 books a year, focused on Engaged Buddhism and mindful living. They’ve published many famous Buddhists, including Thich Nhat Hanh, and the Dalai Lama. Most of what they publish is nonfiction aimed at adults, but they also publish select children’s books.

Everything With Words
Everything With Words is an independent  publisher based in the UK. They focus on publishing literary fiction for children and adults. Their books have been featured in major UK-based newspapers and online, and have won or been shortlisted for industry prizes. You can get a good feel for what they publish here. The following is what they say they are looking for: “We’re enthusiastic and committed to books that just feel a little different, a fresh way of telling a story, a striking way with words, a beguiling sense of humour and irony, and sometimes when we strike lucky, all those things at once.”  They do not consider picture books.

Laurence King
Founded in 1991 in London, Laurence King focuses on publishing books and gifts on the creative arts. They have international distribution and recognition. They are open to proposals for books or gift products for adults, students and children. They focus particularly on the following areas: art and design, architecture, fashion and beauty, film, photography, practical art including painting and drawing, music and popular culture, nature and popular science.

Publishers Only Open to Submissions from Historically Underrepresented Authors

Heartdrum
Heartdrum is an imprint of HarperCollins Children’s Books, which is edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith, and is in partnership with We Need Diverse Books. Native and First Nations writers and writer-illustrators are welcome to query her directly via a form on her website. Native and First Nations illustrators are also invited to reach out.

Tundra Books, Puffin Canada, Penguin Teen Canada
These children and teen focused Canadian imprints are open to direct submissions by underrepresented authors and illustrators only. Authors need not be Canadian.

Soaring Kite Books
Soaring Kite Books’ tagline is “uplifting diverse stories”. They are distributed by Lerner Books which has a wide reach in the children’s market. They are firmly focused on publishing stories about Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and underrepresented (Disability, LGBTQIA+, Neurodiverse, etc.) protagonists that are rooted in culture and family. Please do not submit books to them that are not aligned with their mission. You can see the books they have published so far here.