What am I looking for on submission?

I’m looking for artful books that make an impact. I work primarily on illustrated projects, both fiction and nonfiction, including board books, picture books, and graphic novels. I’m interested in books featuring under-published topics and voices, difficult ideas told deftly, and themes like intersectionality, religious literacy, how infrastructure works, and social emotional learning. I love books that inspire feelings of insight, wonder, connectedness, and curiosity. I’m also looking for illustration that looks unlike anything else in the marketplace, and books that push the boundaries of bookmaking.

Have a submission you’d like to share?

Please submit it following the Chronicle Books submissions guidelines: https://www.chroniclebooks.com/pages/submissions. Please don’t share via email unless you are an agent, or have a free pass to my inbox via a conference.

My best advice for new writers is this:

1. Keep writing new manuscripts. This is an industry that rewards persistence and patience, and that is also more likely to reward people whose goals are career-long rather than manuscript-specific.

2. Keep submitting. Most of the writers who have done the best over time have huge collections of rejection letters. Do not be discouraged!

3. Join the SCBWI, which will offer you not only a large and valuable community of fellow writers, but also conferences at which you can learn more about the industry and at which you will have the opportunity to get feedback from industry professionals.

This blog may also prove useful:

https://medium.com/chronicle-books/so-you-ve-written-a-children-s-book-6951ec095e30

The Essential Starter Kit

For anyone interested in writing, illustrating, or editing books for children, here’s the essential starter kit I recommend:

  • Art & Fear: https://bookshop.org/p/books/art-fear-observations-on-the-perils-and-rewards-of-artmaking-ted-orland/8616109?ean=9780961454739

  • Writing with Pictures: https://www.underdown.org/writing-with-pictures.htm

  • Picture This: https://bookshop.org/p/books/picture-this-how-pictures-work-art-books-graphic-design-books-how-to-books-visual-arts-books-design-theory-books-molly-bang/7367619?ean=9781452151991

  • If you’re interested in working in children’s publishing, Dear Genius: https://bookshop.org/p/books/dear-genius-the-letters-of-ursula-nordstrom-leonard-s-marcus/8060611?ean=9780064462358