Kids Can Press
25 Dockside Drive
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M5A 0B5
Kids Can Press publishes picture books
and fiction and nonfiction manuscripts for young readers. It’s been around
since 1973 and is the home of beloved, best-selling series such as Franklin
the Turtle, Scaredy Squirrel and CitizenKid.
Kids Can has recently updated their guidelines:
They are “committed
to developing and promoting literary and artistic talent in all its diversity by
amplifying underrepresented voices from across Canada, and by inviting kids into books that capture different experiences and
open their minds to new ideas and perspectives.”
Kids Can Press is currently accepting the
following:
- Non-rhyming
picture books for ages 3–5 / 3–7 / 4–8
- Nonfiction
for ages 5–8 / 7–10 / 8–12 / 10–14
- Fiction
for ages 6–9 / 7–10 / 8–12 / 10–14
- Graphic
novels (fiction and nonfiction) for ages 5-8 / 6-9 / 7-10 / 8-12
Authors are encouraged to check out their current catalogs to get a sense of the kinds of
books they publish. Kids Can likes funny, genuine, thoughtful, heartfelt and
clever (in any combination!) approaches to all sorts of stories and subjects –
fiction and nonfiction – with particular interest in the areas of social-emotional
development and mental health, historically underrepresented groups, global
citizenship and awareness, and the environment.
Right now Kids Can is especially seeking early graphic novels. For examples, see Willa and Wade (fiction for
ages 5–7) by Judith Henderson, illustrated by Sara Sahangpour here
and Burt
the Beetle (nonfiction for
ages 6–9) by Ashley Spires here.
“We're looking for graphic novels for all ages,”
says Senior Editor Patricia Ocampo, “but the ones for 5-8 or 6-9 would enjoy a
nice leap to the top of the submissions pile.”
They welcome submissions both from writers and
from author/illustrators.
Other children’s publishers in Canada are also
interested in developing early graphic novels!
***
Note: If you’re interested in writing
for young people, register for one of the “Intensive” or “Extreme” creative writing courses starting soon. Details here.
And don’t miss “How
to Get Published” with Bridgette
Kam, a literary agent who specializes in kid lit and upmarket fiction and nonfiction
for adults. Details here.
***
For all submissions, include a cover letter that
tells us what you’re submitting, for what age range, and a bit about yourself,
including expertise in the subject area (as applicable) and any writing
experience.
Email a typewritten, double-spaced copy of your
submission saved as a PDF or Word document to: submissions@kidscan.com
- For picture books, please
send the entire manuscript
- For nonfiction, please
send an outline + 2–3 sample chapters/sections
- For fiction, please send a
synopsis + 3 sample chapters
- For graphic novels
(whether fiction or nonfiction), please send a synopsis and/or outline + 3
sample chapters
Other things to know
They
accept only Canadian-authored submissions at this time.
Submitting
your work to other publishers, too? No problem! Just note that in your cover
letter.
They do
not accept manuscripts written by children. You must be 18 years old to submit.
Due to
the very high volume of submissions, they respond only to proposals that they determine
are a good fit for their publishing program.
·
They
aim to review submissions within three to six months of receipt. If you haven’t
received a reply within six months, it’s (usually) safe to assume that they’re
no longer considering your manuscript. Note: right now, as of March 2025, Kids
Can is behind in getting to submissions, so it’s actually taking longer than
six months. To address this, they may switch to being open to submissions for
only a couple months a year, like Orca and Groundwood.
Full submission guidelines here. Illustrator
guidelines here.
See all my upcoming weekly writing classes,
one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here. ~Brian
Navigation tips: Always check out the Labels underneath a post; they’ll lead you to various distinct collections of postings. See information about other publishers looking for manuscripts here (and scroll down). If you’re looking specifically for publishers of children’s and young adult books or short pieces, see here (and scroll down).
