Publishers Accepting Unsolicited Manuscripts

The world of publishing is slow. And this puts writers in a tough place. Getting an agent is just as hard as getting an editor at a publishing house to acquire your book. Some would say (it's even harder.) 

This may leave new writers wondering, what should I do? Put all my efforts into finding an agent since so many publishing houses are closed to unsolicited submissions? Or do I go ahead and submit to the ones that are still open?  Or is it a combination of both?  

Keep in mind that if you submit to a house and are rejected, that leaves one less house that an agent can submit your work to if you acquire that agent later on. 

It's a tough decision to make, especially when everything moves so slow in this industry. 
However, if  you decide to sub yourself, I've put together a list of publishers still accepting unsolicited manuscripts. (If you find an error or know of another house, please comment below.)  Before submitting to any of them, always do your own research and double check their submission guidelines as everything is always changing.

Boyds Mills   

http://www.boydsmillspress.com/

Charlesbridge

http://www.charlesbridge.com/

Chronicle

http://www.chroniclebooks.com/

Clarion

http://www.hmhco.com/customer-care/faqs

Creston Books

http://www.crestonbooks.co/submissions.html

Dial Books for Young Readers  http://www.us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/publishers/yr/dial.html

Dutton Children’s Books  http://www.us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/aboutus/pyrg-subguides.html

Eerdmans Books for Young Readers  http://www.eerdmans.com/Pages/YoungReaders/EBYR-Guidelines.aspx

Holiday House

http://www.holidayhouse.com/

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Children's Author

http://www.hmhco.com/customer-care/faqs

 Ideals Publication

http://www.idealsbooks.com/info/author_guidelines

Kane/Miller

http://www.kanemiller.com/submissions.html

Lee and Low

http://www.leeandlow.com/p/wguide.mhtml

Arthur Levine

http://www.arthuralevinebooks.com/submission.asp

Margaret McElderry

http://imprints.simonandschuster.biz/margaret-k-mcelderry-books/resources

*Website doesn’t say they accept unsolicited. But 2014 Children’s Writers and Illustrators Market says they publish 50% from unagented writers. How to contact: Margaret K. Mcelderry Books, Imprint of Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing Division, Simon & Schuster, 1230 Sixth Ave., New York, NY 10020.  (Justin Chanda, vice president, Karen Wojtyla, editorial director, Gretchen Hirsh, associate editor, Ann Bobco, excutive art director.

Peachtree Childrens Books

http://peachtreepub.blogspot.com/p/submission-guidelines.html

Philomel

http://www.us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/aboutus/pyrg-subguides.html

Price Stern Sloan

http://www.us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/aboutus/pyrg-subguides.html

Putnam

 http://www.us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/aboutus/pyrg-subguides.html

Renaissance House

http://www.renaissancehouse.net/opportunities.htm

Walker and Co.

http://www.bloomsbury.com/

*Website says Bloomsbury doesn’t accept unsolicited. However the 2014  Children’s Writers and Illustrators Market lists Walker & Co. does accept unsolicited.  Send SASE and complete picture book manuscript to 175 Fifth Ave. 7th Floor, New York, NY 10010. (Contact either Emily Easton or Mary Kate Castellani, editor)

Albert Whitman and Co.

http://www.albertwhitman.com/content.cfm/editorial-guidelines-for-writers

*Website says they weren’t accepting unsolicited until Jan. 2014.  So they should be now.

Mandy Yates is currently an elementary reading specialist and children's book writer. She has an MFA in creative writing from Spalding University and has been published multiple times in Highlights Magazine. 

She is also assisting Mira in teaching The Craft and Business of Writing Children's Books. http://www.childrensbookacademy.com/writing-childrens-picture-books.html, as well as The Chapter Book Alchemist  http://www.childrensbookacademy.com/the-chapter-book-alchemist.html .

Find some of her teacher resources over at http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Mandy-Yates.

And you can follow her on Pinterest, Twitter,and Facebook.