Anansi Press seeks fiction, nonfiction and poetry for adults; Groundwood seeks novels and nonfiction for young people

River Meets the Sea by Rachael Moorthy
published by Hous of Anansi

House of Anansi Press (for adults)

and Goundwood Books (for children)

Lower Level
128 Sterling Road
Toronto, Ontario

https://houseofanansi.com/

House of Anansi Press was founded in 1967 by writers Dennis Lee and David Godfrey to publish work by Canadian writers. The House got its start publishing authors such as Matt Cohen, Michael Ondaatje, Northrop Frye, Austin Clarke, Harold Sonny Ladoo, Daphne Marlatt, Roch Carrier, and Margaret Atwood (who also worked for the press as an editor).

Now under the ownership of Scott Griffin, House of Anansi Press aims to continue breaking new ground with award-winning and bestselling books that reflect the changing nature of the country and the world.

Anansi publishes about 45 books a year, including fiction, poetry, drama, French-Canadian writers in translation, lifestyle, and authors from around the world.  Anansi also publishes children’s literature under its Groundwood imprint.

Anansi is open for direct submissions from authors {as opposed to agented authors} only in August and February. In fiction, they’re seeking commercial and literary novels and short story collections.

In nonfiction, they’re looking for creative nonfiction, personal memoirs, essay collections, “book-length deep dives,” and lie-style oriented projects.

In poetry, they’re pursuing “experimentations with lyric traditions.”

Like everyone else, they especially welcome “work by writers from historically underrepresented communities, including—but not limited to—those who are Black, Indigenous, people of colour, disabled, neurodivergent, and LGBTQIA+.”

Anansi is also particularly interested in authors debuting later in life or without an MFA.

Submit through Anansi’s online portal here.

Full guidelines here.

Groundwood Books is an independent Canadian children's publisher based in Toronto and is part of House of Anansi Press. “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.”

Goundwood is also looking for nonfiction for children of all ages, from informational picture books to issues-driven works for middle grade and young adult readers.

Groundwood is also looking for Canadian illustrators.

Query Groundwood at: submissions@groundwoodbooks.com

For fiction, include several sample chapters and a brief synopsis.

For nonfiction, submit a proposal that includes a compelling introduction and argument for the book, followed by a chapter outline that conveys the proposed content of the work, plus one or two sample chapters. Also include a bio and/or previous publishing credits that demonstrate credentials relevant to your work or give you authority on the proposed subject.

Full submission guidelines here.

Author Lana Button will be one of
the guest speakers for the 
"Writing Kid Lit" course this fall

If you're interested in writing for children or for young adults, join us for a weekly class this fall (see here) or to see all upcoming kid lit classes and workshops, see here {and scroll down}.

If you’re interested in meeting an agent and in getting published, don’t miss our upcoming How to Get Published  workshop. Details here.

Check out upcoming writing retreats here {and scroll down – because there's usually more than one).

See all of Brian’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here.

Navigation tips: Always check out the Labels underneath a post; they’ll lead you to various distinct collections of postings. For more children’s and young adult publishers, see here {and scroll down}. For book publishers in general, see here {and scroll down}.