Finding the right publisher for your children’s book can be difficult, but the good news is that there are hundreds of publishers that are specifically looking for children’s books to publish.
While that may sound overwhelming, each publisher has their own guidelines of what type of book they want to publish which makes it easier to sift through them until you find one that is perfect for your book.
The first step is to identify what type of children’s book you have written—fiction, non-fiction, picture book, chapter book, etc., and then identify the specific genre—fantasy, science fiction, history, etc. Lastly, know your audience—age range, gender, country, etc.
Once you’ve determined the categories your book fits in and who the ideal audience is, then you can begin to search for the perfect publisher for your book.
That being said, here are some of the top children’s book publishers of 2024 and what type of submissions they’re looking for.
Holiday House
Founded in 1935 with the express purpose of only publishing children’s books, Holiday House has published a number of award-winning books along with the well-known “I Like to Read” series which are picture books with short easy-to-read sentences aimed at helping kids improve their reading skills.
As far as genres go, Holiday House accepts just about everything under the sun including both fiction and nonfiction. Educational books, especially those that promote fluency in math, are welcomed as well.
When it comes to age range, Holiday House publishes books for kids and teens of all ages and happily accepts picture and chapter books.
Chronicle Books
While Chronicle Books is not solely a children’s book publisher, the company publishes a wide range of children’s books from ages 0 to 12 along with books geared toward teens.
The publishing house prefers books that are unique and are open to both fiction and nonfiction as well as picture books, activity kits, decks, and other unusual formats.
Chronicle Books receives over 1,000 children’s book submissions every month, making the acceptance process very competitive. As such, it’s important to present your book as one that breaks from the norm whether that be in writing, art style, or format.
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing is a large international publishing house that publishes a wide range of children’s books. They accept books for children of any age and in just about any format and genre.
The catch is that the publishing house does not accept unsolicited manuscripts which means that you will need a literary agent to share your submission.
Simon & Schuster divides their children’s publishing house into 10 different imprints—each with their own target audience and submission requirements. Once you find an imprint that is perfect for your book, you can work with a literary agent to submit your book for consideration.
Mighty Media
Mighty Media is looking for outstanding books, whether that be from a new or established author, that “…ignite a child’s curiosity, imagination, social awareness, and sense of adventure.”
With that in mind, as long as the book is outstanding, Mighty Media is open to just about any genre and format.
Being a small-sized publishing house, Mighty Media only publishes around six books a year. At the same time, they receive thousands of manuscripts on an annual basis making the acceptance rate very competitive.
August House
If you have a children’s book that gains inspiration from a folktale, then August House is worth considering.
The publishing house accepts both picture books and chapter books that capture stories from folktales and local traditions.
They also have a “LittleFolk” children’s picture book line in which they are looking for stories that accurately reflect traditional folktales.
Flying Eye Books
An international publisher based in the UK, Flying Eye Books is particularly looking for picture books that are geared toward children from the ages of three to five.
The publishing house is also interested in graphic novels for a wide range of age groups, nonfiction books, rhyming books, and literary texts.
Flying Eye Books publishes titles with an emphasis on illustration making them an ideal publisher for children’s stories that rely heavily on pictures.
Macmillan Children’s Books
Some of the most well-known children’s stories like The Jungle Book and The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland were published by Macmillan Children’s Books.
Founded in 1843 and rising to be the UK’s fourth largest publisher, Macmillan Children’s Books publishes a wide variety of books for children of all ages.
The only downside is that the publishing house only accepts submissions from literary agents.
Final Thoughts
While many of the mainstream publishing houses do not accept unsolicited submissions, there are still many mid to smaller-size publishers that do.
Just remember that a traditional publisher will never ask you to pay them, so if you come across a publisher that is asking for payment to publish your book, then it is best to avoid them.
If you are interested in gaining more insight about the publishing industry and book data, consider reading our articles on The Big Five Publishers, Innovations That Shaped the Book Publishing Industry, What Is Book Metadata, and Obtaining Book Data via ISBN Number.
