Groundwood Books seeks novels for children of all ages

Groundwood Books is an independent Canadian children's publisher based in Toronto and is part of House of Anansi Press. “Our authors and illustrators are highly acclaimed both in Canada and internationally, and our books are loved by children around the world. We look for books that are unusual; we are not afraid of books that are difficult or potentially controversial.”

Groundwood is not accepting Picture Book submissions but is looking for new authors of novel-length fiction for children of all ages.

“Our mandate is to publish high-quality, character-driven literary fiction. We do not generally publish stories with an obvious moral or message, or genre fiction such as thrillers or fantasy.

“Prospective authors are encouraged to first visit a library or bookstore to familiarize themselves with the kinds of books we publish in order to judge their work’s compatibility.”

Query Groundwood at: submissions@groundwoodbooks.com

Include several sample chapters and a brief synopsis. Full submission guidelines here.

Groundwood is also looking for Canadian illustrators.

"Our emphasis is on stories of real children in convincing situations and milieus, both contemporary and historical, for all ages from infants to teens. 

"Art may be realistic or abstracted and stylized to any degree, but conventional cartoon and animation styles are not needed. Pure genre art (as seen in mass-market romance, horror, or science fiction) is of little interest, but technically accomplished art in these areas may be of interest for some literature that crosses over into genre themes. 

"Accomplished drawing and execution in the final chosen medium are important, as is accurate and thorough subject and period research. In many cases the creation of real, individual characters is essential.

"Nonfiction illustrators are also needed: scientific drawing in natural history and other fields, and historical reconstruction are among the areas we are interested in.

"As well, we need cover artists for a wide range of fiction from early readers to young adult."

Send a link to your portfolio site or blog to Michael Solomon at: msolomon@groundwoodbooks.com

You may also send digital samples (PDFs, JPEGs, TIFFs) as e-mail attachments. Full submission guidelines here.

YA author Tanaz Bhathena

If you’re interested in getting published, soon or somewhere down the road, don’t miss the upcoming How to Get Published workshop Saturday, June 8, in Waterloo with literary agent Meg Wheeler (see here). 

For updated listing of How to Get Published workshops see here (and scroll down).

If you’re interested in kid lit, be sure to attend the Writing for Children and for Young Adults workshop with guest speakers Erin O’Connor, senior editor, Scholastic Books, Saturday, May 5, in Toronto (see here) and Saturday, May 11, in Brampton with young adult author Tanaz Bhathena (see here).

And don’t miss these other great workshops coming soon: Writing with Style, Saturday, Feb 23, in Waterloo (see here) and Saturday, March 16, in Mississauga (see here), How to Write a Bestseller, with New York Times #1 bestselling author Kelley Armstrong, Saturday, March 2 (see here), and You Can Write Great Dialogue, Saturday, March 30, in Burlington (see here).

But the best way to grow as a writer is probably with a weekly course. In the spring, a full range of classes will be offered: 

Burlington: Welcome to Creative Writing, Thursday afternoons, April 18 – June 20 (No class May 30). Details here.

Toronto: Welcome to Creative Writing, Friday afternoons, April 26 – June 28 (No class May 31). Details here.

Oakville Central Library: Writing Personal Stories, Thursday evenings, April 18 – June 27 (No class  May 30). Details here.

Burlington: Intensive Creative Writing, Tuesday afternoons, 12:30 – 2:45; April 16 – June 25 (No class June 4). Details here.

Georgetown: Intensive Creative Writing,Wednesday evenings, 6:45 – 9:00; April 17 – June 19. Details here.

Toronto: Intensive Creative Writing, Friday mornings, 10:15 – 12:30sh, April 26 – June 28. (No class May 31). Details here.

     See details of all 6 courses here.

And later in the spring, come enjoy the most sublime writing experience of all…

Algonquin Writing Retreat, Friday, May 31 – Monday, June 3, 2019: four days in the luxurious isolation of Arowhon Pines Resort to get down to some real creative growth. Details here.

To reserve a spot in any upcoming weekly course, weekend retreat, or Saturday workshop, email Brian at: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Read reviews of Brian’s courses, retreats, and workshops here.

See Brian’s complete current schedule here, including Saturday writing workshops, weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats in Algonquin Park, Alliston, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Georgina, Guelph, Hamilton, Jackson’s Point, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Midland, Mississauga, New Tecumseth, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Sudbury, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Navigation tips: Always check out the Labels underneath a post; they’ll lead you to various distinct collections of postings. 

For a listing of twenty-one American & Canadian publishers accepting unagented manuscripts for children and young adults {and other things} see here.

For a listing of one Canadian and eight British publishers  and book publishers, accepting unagented manuscripts for children and young adults {and other things} see here.

For most recent postings of publishers of Kid Lit {and other sorts of books}, see here {and scroll down}.

For all posting of book publishers, see here {and scroll down}.