Dial Books (a Penguin imprint) seeks all sorts of books for young people ~ picture books to YA ~ agent not required

Dial Books for Young Readers is a hardcover division of Penguin Young Readers Group. It started publishing children’s books in 1961, and now publishes approximately 70 titles per year for children of all ages, from preschool through young adult. 

Dial pioneered books for the young, including the first quality board books published in the U.S., Rosemary Wells’ Very First Books line. Current picture book creators published by Dial include Judy Schachner, Kadir Nelson, Adam Rubin & Daniel Salmieri, David Small, and David Soman & Jacky Davis (all New York Times Bestsellers).

In fiction for middle grade and young adult readers, Dial’s focus has always been on stylish, genuine, character-driven writing. Recent award-winning authors on Dial’s list include Ingrid Law, Richard Peck, Nancy Werlin, Marilyn Nelson, Catherine Fisher, and Holly Goldberg Sloan.

If you can get an agent, it’s usually a good idea and there are many agents representing authors of children’s books, especially middle grade and young adult. You can find many agents actively looking for authors here. But if you can’t get an agent, it’s good to know that Dial accepts unagented authors.

Submit entire picture book manuscripts, and for longer books a maximum of 10 pages. When submitting a portion of a longer work, please provide an accompanying cover letter that briefly describes your manuscript's plot, genre (i.e. easy-to-read, middle grade or YA novel), the intended age group, and your publishing credits, if any.

Full guidelines here.

Author Kira Vermond will be one of
guest speakers for the Writing Kid Lit 
weekly course

This fall, Brian Henry is offering a weekly course on Writing Kid Lit ~ Picture Books to YA, Tuesday afternoons, Sept 27 - Nov 22 (no class Oct 11), in Burlington (see here).

Brian regularly offers full-day workshops on Writing for Children and for Young Adults. The next one is Saturday, November 19, in Mississauga with Anne Shone, senior editor, Scholastic Books as his guest speaker (see here). 
Note: If you’re looking at this posting after No 19, 2016, check out current Writing for Children & for Young Adults workshops here (and scroll down). 

Brian will lead How to Get Published workshops on Saturday, Oct 15, in Burlington with literary agent Cassandra Rodgers of The Rights Factory (see here), on Saturday, Oct 22, in London with Stacey Donaghy of the Donaghy agency (see here), and on Saturday, October 29, in Caledon, at the Bolton Public Library, with Martha Web of the McDermid Agency (see here).  
Note: If you’re looking at this posting after Oct 15, 2016, see current "How to Get Published" workshops here (and scroll down).

To register or for details, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

But the best way to get your manuscript ready for publication may be with a weekly course. This fall, Brian will offer a wide range of classes:

Literary agent Cassandra Rodgers

“Welcome to Creative Writing,” Thursday afternoons Sept 29 - Dec 8, in Oakville (see here).

 “Intermediate Creative Writing,” Wednesday evenings, Sept 21 to Nov 30 (no class Oct 12), in Burlington (see here)

“Intermediate Creative Writing,” Thursday evenings, Sept 29 - Dec 8, in Georgetown (see here).

“Intensive Creative Writing,” Wednesday afternoons, Intensive Sept 14 - Dec 14 (no class Oct 12) , in Burlington.

“Intensive Creative Writing,” Tuesday mornings, Oct 18 – Dec 6, in Burlington. Details here.

See details of all six classes offered this fall here.

To reserve a spot or for more details, email brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Read reviews of Brian’s courses and workshops here.

See Brian’s complete current schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Algonquin Park, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Ingersoll, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Midland, Mississauga, Newmarket, Orillia, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, St. John, NB, Sudbury, Thessalon, Toronto, Windsor, Halton, Ingersoll, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.