Updated January 2019 – Dial Books for Young Readers is no longer open to direct submissions and has no plans to reopen for direct submissions.
Dial Books For Young Readers publishes hardcover books aimed at children of all ages, including young adults. They are an imprint of Penguin that accepts unsolicited submissions. The catch? They do not respond to unsolicited submissions unless they are interested in the book. That means don’t expect a rejection from Dial, personal or otherwise. If you have not heard from them in four months, they have rejected your work.
Dial publishes around 70 new books a year. Many of the books they publish are picture books. It has published a huge number of New York Times bestsellers. It was one of the first places to publish quality board books in the US. Dial has published a lot of character driven middle reader and young adult books by authors like Marilyn Nelson, Catherine Fisher, and Holly Goldberg Sloan.
The books they have published have gone on to win most of the major awards for children’s books, including the Caldecott Medal and the Newbery Medal.
All unsolicited submissions must be made via the post. Do not include a self addressed and stamped envelope as you will not hear from them unless they are interested in your manuscript.
If you are submitting a picture book, submit the entire manuscript. If you are submitting a longer work only submit the first 10 pages. They are not interested in original artwork, audio cds, or marketing plans. Please do not query them if you do not hear from them.
You can learn more about Dial on their Penguin web page here. But their submission guidelines are actually a one page PDF that you can download here.
