5 Publishers of Kid Lit, No Agent Required

I have a few small stories I’ve been attempting to sell through the magazine market. Let’s be real though kid lit magazines are few and far between. Once you’ve checked word counts against what you’ve written the pickings get even slimmer.

So next thought was to go through an agent but unless you’re an author/illustrator most agents don’t want to hear from you on things under Middle Grade (MG) level. There are a few exceptions but that’s a post for another day.

What’s left? Publishers of course! Travel back in time with me as I print off hard copies to mail out. Alright it’s not all that bad it’s just different formatting that had me dusting off my old business letter textbook from college.

After doing a bit of digging I found several big kid lit publishers are willing to take submissions directly from authors. Always double check and research but at the time of this posting all these markets were open for submissions. In no particular order:

Andrews McMeel Publishing– from their site, “Andrews McMeel Publishing (AMP) is a leading publisher of humor, inspiration, and middle grade children’s books, publishing as many as 150 new titles annually. AMP is also the premier calendar publisher in the country, annually publishing calendars based on many top-selling properties.”
Holiday House– from their site, “Holiday House is a publisher of children’s books only. We specialize in quality hardcovers, from picture books to young adult, both fiction and nonfiction.We publish children’s books for ages four and up. We do not publish mass-market books, including, but not limited to, pop-ups, activity books, sticker books, coloring books, or licensed books.”
Dial Books for Young Readers– from their site, “Dial Books for Young Readers is a hardcover division publishing approximately 70 titles per year for children of all ages, from preschool through young adult.”
Chronicle Books– from their site, “Chronicle Books publishes an eclectic mixture of traditional and innovative children’s books. We are looking for projects that have a unique bent—be it in subject matter, writing style, or illustrative technique—and that will lend our list a distinctive flair.
Boyds Mills Press– from their site, “the trade book division of Highlights for Children, publishes a wide range of high-quality fiction and nonfiction titles for young readers. Established in 1990, Boyds Mills Press’s picture books, chapter books, novels, and nonfiction focus on excellent storytelling, imaginative illustration, and strong characters. Our exceptionally crafted titles are designed to entertain, inform, and engage children of all ages.”