Groundwood Books seeks middle grade and young adult fiction

No Vacancy by Tziporah Cohen
published by Groundwood 

Groundwood Books

128 Sterling Road
Lower Level
Toronto, Ontario

https://houseofanansi.com/

Groundwood Books is an independent Canadian children's publisher and is part of House of Anansi Press. (See more about Anansi here.) Groundwood aims to publish award-winning literary picture books, fiction, poetry, nonfiction and graphic novels from Canada and around the world. 

Groundwood is not accepting Picture Book submissions at this time but is always looking for new authors of novel-length middle grade and young adult fiction.

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

Query with several sample chapters and a brief synopsis of the entire manuscript to: submissions@groundwoodbooks.com

Nonfiction: Groundwood publishes nonfiction for all ages, from informational picture books to issues- driven works for middle-grade and young adult readers. 

A Boy Is Not a Bird by Edeet Ravel
published by Groundwood

For middle-grade and YA nonfiction, Groundwood does not require a completed manuscript. Please submit a proposal that includes a compelling introduction to and argument for the book, followed by a chapter outline that conveys the proposed content of the work, plus one or two sample chapters that convey the proposed tone and approach. 

Please also include a bio and/or previous publishing credits that demonstrate credentials relevant to your book or give you authority on the proposed subject.

Query Groundwood at:   submissions@groundwoodbooks.com

Full submission guidelines here.

Illustrators: Groundwood is looking for Canadian illustrators. Their emphasis is on stories of memorable characters 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. Accomplished drawing and execution in the final chosen medium and a skill for storytelling are important, as is accurate and thorough subject and period research. 

Send a link to your portfolio site, blog or Instagram account to:  submissions@groundwoodbooks.com

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

Literary agent Marie Lamba

If you’re interested in meeting an agent and in getting published, don’t miss our online How to Get Published workshop Sunday, February 20, with Marie Lamba of the Jennife De Chiara Literary Agency (see here).

Beyond that, Brian’s schedule continues to take shape....

Workshops:

Online: Raising the Stakes ~ How to increase your story’s tension, Sunday, February 27. See here.

Writing Retreats:

Jackson's Point on Lake Simcoe: Writing Retreat at The Briars Resort and Spa.  Get away to this modern lakeside resort built around a historic country estate.  Friday, March 4 – Monday, March 7. Details  here. Still space in this retreat.

Algonquin Park: Writing Retreat at Arowhon Pines Resort, June 3 – June 6. Join us for a weekend of creativity and fine dining in the midst of the Algonquin wilderness. Details  here. This retreat is full. 

Muskoka Writing Retreat at Sherwood Inn, Friday, Oct 14 – Monday Oct 17, 2022. Details here. Mark your calendars and reserve early before it fills up! 

Weekly classes starting in April:

In-person: Welcome to Creative Writing, an introductory, low-pressure course to get the creative juices flowing Thursday evenings, April 14 – June 21. Details here.

Details of online spring classes coming soon.

For more details or to register for any workshop, retreat or weekly class, email brianhenry@sympatico.ca

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