SUBMISSIONS

Dear children’s book writers and illustrators,

Thank you for visiting our submissions page. Our submissions portal is currently open until September 30, 2026.

Please follow the steps below to submit to us.

—The Owlkids Editorial Team

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So, you want to be an Owlkids Books author? Welcome!

Follow these five easy steps to get your submission into the hands of one of our editors:

1. Come up with a brilliant idea in the following genre:

• Picture books
• Early fiction for ages 5–8, 6–9
• Nonfiction for all ages up to 14
• Graphic novels for ages 5–8, 6–9

2. Write the manuscript.

• For picture books, please submit a full manuscript.
• For fiction, please submit a brief synopsis, a chapter overview, and a few sample chapters. (We will contact you for the complete work if we are interested.)
• For nonfiction, please submit a proposal, outline, and sample chapter or section.
• For graphic novels, please provide a full manuscript with a page-by-page and panel-by-panel breakdown.

3. Reread, revise, repeat.

• Is it too long? Time to kill some of those darlings!
• Has it been done before? Freshen it up with a new take. Ask yourself whether your work is offering something new.

4. Write a one-page cover letter.

Make sure to include your manuscript’s topic, themes, intended audience/age range, a bit about yourself, your writing experience, and why you chose the subject. This is your “elevator pitch” so make it count!

5. Submit!

Use the online submissions form below.

6. Are you an illustrator?

Please submit your information using the form below. Include a little bit about yourself, a link to your website or online portfolio, and/or a PDF of art samples as an attachment.

But before you hit send…

If you want to give your manuscript the best chance of success, ask yourself the following questions:

• Are you Canadian? We are not currently accepting unsolicited submissions from non-Canadian authors.
• Are you an adult? Great! We cannot accept submissions from writers younger than 18.
• Are you submitting materials you expect to have returned to you? Since we are unable to return any submissions, please do not sent original art or anything you don’t want to part with.
• Have you checked out our books? Browse our recent catalogs and familiarize yourself with the types of books we publish. Is your idea a fit?
• Will your manuscript make us laugh, wonder, cry, or feel the love? Then you’re on the right track! We seek to spark kids’ imaginations through every subject and genre. Show us STEM/STEAM content that induces giggles, environmental awareness that sparks a revolutionary idea, social justice that opens minds to new perspectives, or a fresh adventure that subverts expectations.
• Is your manuscript entirely your own creation? We do not accept manuscripts that were written with the help of artificial intelligence.

It’s a date!

If your submission meets the requirements outlined above, we guarantee it will be reviewed by a member of the Owlkids Books staff. We publish into a competitive market and are looking for books specific to our list. We receive a LOT of submissions and have a small staff, so we can’t respond personally to every submission. However, we do read each and every one carefully. If you haven’t heard from us after three months, please assume we are not the right house for your manuscript.

Last words

Owlkids Books is committed to creating books that represent a diversity of voices, communities, and experiences. We believe that all children should be able to see themselves reflected in the books they read. We are happy to accept submissions from all Canadian authors, but note that we are currently prioritizing submissions from BIPOC and 2SLGBTQIA+ authors and/or authors from marginalized and historically underrepresented communities.