We are committed to working with dynamic authors and illustrators to create the very best books for children and to amplifying underrepresented voices in children’s books.
Want to write or illustrate a children’s book, but not sure where to start? Your local library will have many incredible books to inspire you and instructional books to help you get started, and both the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators as well as the Canadian Children’s Book Centre have many links and resources to help you turn your idea into a manuscript.
We are currently only accepting manuscript and art submissions by creators from underrepresented communities. If you identify as Black, Indigenous or as a person of color, LGBTSQI2S+, having a disability or have ever had refugee status, we want to hear from you! Please keep an eye on our social media accounts to know if and when we open up our submissions more broadly.
MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSIONS
Are you interested in sending us your written work? Please take a look at our website and social media accounts to see the kind of books we publish and review our guidelines below.
- We love to hear from Canadian writers, but we’re happy to hear from writers all over the world.
- Please include a cover letter with your submission. We’d like to know a bit about you, any writing experience you may have, your project and what ages you think your project might be right for.
- We accept manuscripts in lots of different file formats, so send us whatever is easiest for you. Please note that we are unable to accept submissions by regular mail at this time. Keep in mind the following:
- For your picture book submission, send us the entire manuscript. Please note that we rarely take on original board books or rhyming picture books.
- For middle-grade and young adult fiction, we’d like to see the complete manuscript.
- For your nonfiction project, we’d like to see a complete outline and some sample chapters.
- We prefer that you don’t send your picture book manuscripts with an illustrator already chosen; if we publish your story, we’ll work with you to find some amazing illustrators who can help bring your story to life in the best possible way.
- We only publish for children, from picture books to young adult novels (no textbooks or activity books); please don’t send us your books for adults.
- We only accept submissions written in English at this time.
- Please only send one project at a time. If you have multiple manuscripts, pick out the one you think is the best!
Please email your submission to submissions@tundrabooks.com, and our editorial team will review it as soon as we can. Due to the high volume of submissions we receive, if you don’t hear from us within six months, please assume that we have decided not to move forward with your project.
ART SUBMISSIONS
We strongly prefer digital submissions and links—due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are not currently accepting physical postcards, but we will let you know through our social media accounts when we’re open again. Email us at art@tundrabooks.com. Do not mail us original artwork or your only copy of a manuscript or dummy; it will not be returned.
We receive a high volume of submissions, and unfortunately we’re unable to respond to all of them. If we like what we see, we’ll add you to our database of artists; when we find a project we think you’ll be perfect for, we’ll be in touch! Due to the high volume of submissions we receive, if you send us a finished project and don’t hear from us within six months, please assume that we have decided not to move forward with your project.
FREELANCE OPPORTUNITIES
We are eager to connect with freelancers across Canada who are Black, Indigenous, people of color, and members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community or another underrepresented group and who are keen to participate in shaping and sharing new and established voices. If you are interested in copy editing, text and audio proofreading, indexing, cold reading, and authenticity reading opportunities, please email hrcanada@penguinrandomhouse.com or visit our website for more information.