UPDATED MARCH 2021: They are closed to new submissions and did not publish any new books in 2020. It seems in all likelyhood they are defunct.
UPDATED January 2020: They are now only reading manuscript submissions from July 1st to September 30th.
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.
The website is easy to navigate and focuses on selling books. The books themselves are beautifully illustrated and appealing. The books they publish are aimed at 2-8 year olds.
They have a clear idea of what they are not interested in reading: “Lullaby stories or stories about how much I love you; or my younger brother annoys me; or there’s a new baby or puppy in the house; or there’s a monster under my bed; or I want to turn my sister into a monster; or you’re the star in my heaven. We are not interested in your summer vacation or something sweet you did with your nana.”
Reviewing their catalog should give you a good idea of what they are interested in publishing. They only publish between 3-4 books a year, so they are highly selective.
Before submitting I highly encourage you to check out their section of essays. The one on top has particularly helpful advice.
All submissions must be made via email and all manuscripts must be copied and pasted into the body of the email. Attached manuscripts will not be opened. Please review their full submission guidelines carefully. Only illustrators with a story should attach their manuscript as a PDF document.
To learn more or to submit, go to their submission guidelines here.
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: https://www.facebook.com/emilyharstone/
