Last Updated March 2019 – They have still not announced their new guidelines for submissions after being acquired by Chicago Review Press.
Parenting Press is a publisher that has been around for 35 years. They have good distribution and they focus on publishing work in a specific, niche market that they know well.
Chicago Review Press acquired Parenting Press effective January 1st, 2017. They will continue on as an imprint, and will in all likelihood reopen to submissions at some point in 2017, but at the time of this article’s update they are closed to submissions.
The goal of Parenting Press is to publish books that teach practical skills to parents, children, and people who take care of children.
They try to publish books that are nonjudgmental and focus on providing options rather than “shoulds.” Their books tend to be on the short side. They should present information in an accessible way. They field test all books prior to publication.
They do not publish fiction, children’s books, autobiographies or biographies, religious books, parenting books based on an author’s experience with one child or family, academic or theoretical works, craft books, or poetry.
Their website is outdated, a little hard to navigate, and overwhelming, however they have a respected free weekly e-newsletter that they have been putting out for some time now.
They only accept submissions through the mail. If you do not have a completed manuscript at this time, that is fine. Like many non-fiction publishers, they consider unfinished manuscripts. Submit as much of the manuscript as you can to them. If you have a completed manuscript, submit it.
Also make sure to submit a query letter that talks about why you are qualified to write the manuscript you are submitting, and what the manuscript is about in terms of ideas. More detailed guidelines are available on their website here.
They respond to all submissions within four months. If they really like what they see they will offer a contract. If they are interested but think that your writing needs refining they will connect you with a professional writer to help you prepare to resubmit the manuscript.
To know more details about what to submit it is helpful to browse the catalog to see what they have previously published. You can access their catalog here.
