When I published my first book Boredom Busters, I did extensive research into who in Canada publishes children’s books. I have compiled a List of Canadian Children’s Book Publishers here as a go-to resource for anyone wanted to pitch, query, and/or submit a manuscript to a Canadian publisher…
List of Canadian Children’s Book Publishers
Aside: You may be interested in this LIST OF CANADIAN CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARDS or tips on HOW TO PROMOTE YOUR BOOK. And these TIPS ON HOW TO PUBLISH A BOOK are a must-read!
Before your query a Canadian Children’s Book Publisher
Do your homework. Visit their website. Get to know what types of books they publish. Read their submission guidelines (and follow them!). Don’t try to phone the editor or set up a meeting with a publisher. There is a process to submitting a manuscript to a publisher.
Learn how to write a query letter. Learn how to write an elevator pitch. And write a good hook. These are really important things for selling your manuscript. And this is what you need to do…SELL. Sell your book idea and sell yourself as the person to write that book. You will need to write a market analysis showing comparable titles already in market. It’s sell, sell, sell.
List of Canadian Children’s Book Publishers
- https://www.commondeerpress.com/ – picture book, middle grade and young adult books (this is my current publisher)
- http://www.annickpress.com – fiction and nonfiction for young adults.
- http://www.clockwisepress.com/submissions.html – young adult and children’s books
- http://www.dundurn.com/ – YA, and children’s fiction and nonfiction
- http://www.cormorantbooks.com/ – diversity of the Canadian experience
- http://coteaubooks.com/ – Fiction, non-fiction, teen fiction
- http://www.dancingcatbooks.com/ – YA fiction and non-fiction, middle grade fiction and non-fiction
- http://www.ecwpress.com/ – YA and fresh nonfiction
- http://www.theexilewriters.com/ – new and emerging talent
- http://www.fitzhenry.ca – Junior fiction and non-fiction
- http://groundwoodbooks.com/ – picture books, fiction or nonfiction
- http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com – does not accept unsolicited submissions
- http://www.kidscanpress.com/ – looking for picture books and innovative non-fiction
- http://www.lorimer.ca/ – looking for stories reflecting cultural diversity
- http://www.orcabook.com – Canadian writers.
- http://www.owlkids.com/ – picture books, informational picture books, graphic novels, and engaging early chapter books.
- http://www.reddeerpress.com/– writers whose stories are topical
- http://www.scholastic.ca/aboutscholastic/manuscripts – Scholastic is unable to accept unsolicited manuscripts
- http://secondstorypress.ca/– children’s picture books (no alphabet, animal tales, rhyming or poetry books), and juvenile and teen fiction and nonfiction.
- http://www.simonandschuster.ca/kids – submit through a professional literary agent.
- http://www.thistledownpress.com – query between Oct 1 and January 1
- http://www.penguinrandomhouse.biz/manuscripts/ – does not accept unsolicited manuscripts
MY BOOKS
Don’t forget! Always proofread your manuscript, query, and cover letter for grammar and spelling mistakes.
Thanks I will have to check a few of these out 🙂
I did so much research while I was pitching my first book – and found it had to fine a go-to list for Canadian Children’s Book Publishers – hopefully this list will make one aspiring kidlit author’s life a little easier.
Wow! thank you for this. It has given me a place to begin.
thank’s for the list and insight:) much obliged.
Thank you for the list. Do you have an outline that for how to pitch to these companies so I can have somewhere to start
Is it save to share the stories with these publishers via email ( as scan documents) ?
is there any kids news papers as well , where kids stories can be published ?
I’m not sure of kids newspapers but there certainly are kids’ magazines (Owl, National Geo Kids, Chirp). And for sending stories…always check a publisher’s submissions guidelines on their site before sending anything to ensure you have the right format.
Hello. I’m told I haven’t picked an easy road: I have written a series of 5 children’s picture books, based on a true animal story and I have written in rhyme. Is there a particular Canadian publisher that you know of that accepts rhyme written stories? Thank you so much. Alison
Alison, you’d have to check each publisher’s submissions guidelines to see if they accept rhyming manuscripts. Pitching takes a lot of research like that.
Hello Caroline, my son is 12 years and he wrote few short stories for school assignment. The feedback was awesome and rewarding that encouraged him to write other stories. His writing is engaging, creative and fun. Is there any publisher that you recommend and is known to support young writers. Thank you. Walid
Thank you for this list. It has provided a starting place.
I just finished writing my first children’s picture book and have so many others floating around in my head!
Now I can try and share them with all the kids out there!
That sounds so exciting. Best of luck with your picture book!
I am an illustration artist. I basically work online at merchant sites. But I am tired of working in this sites that sucks both buyer and the seller. I want to work directly with publishers and writers. Can you please help on this matter.
Submit your portfolio to publishing houses and stay positive.
Caroline, I was fortunate enough to hear you speak on the panel in November at CANSCAIP in Toronto – I’m working on many manuscripts right now and your list of publishers above was very helpful to get me started.
Thanks very much!
Gosh I was so nervous speaking that day. I hope you took away a bit of useful information!
A wonderful to do, this post. Thank you.
*thing to do
This is a wonderful resource. I’m very happy to have stumbled across it. Thank you very much!
Sincerely,
A writer in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
Hope it helps with your publishing journey.
You spelled ‘received’ incorrectly in your first sentence on this web page.
Great catch! I appreciate the correction. It has been fixed. A writer’s life is always in progress…even with spelling 🙂
Hey I was going through your list and couldn’t help but notice you missed out Nelson Education. They have a great collection of children’s books
I don’t see Nelson Education having submission guidelines on their website. So they might just be a book distributor and not a publisher.
There is another wonderful Canadian Children’s Publisher not yet on your list called DC Canada Education Publishing. They are fairly small but have high quality resources and a great reading program. They also have educational games, gifts and music. Their website is http://www.dc-canada.ca .
(I am the author/illustrator of the “Better Behaviour” book series)
Any who provide illustrators and publishing for a fine price?