Groundwood Books opens for submissions Aug 1; House of Anansi always open

House of Anansi Press (for adults)

and Groundwood Books (for children)

128 Sterling Road
Lower Level
Toronto, Ontario

https://houseofanansi.com/

House of Anansi Press publishes about 35 books a year, including fiction, poetry, drama, French-Canadian writers in translation, lifestyle, and authors from around the world. Anansi is also particularly interested in authors looking to publish their first book later in life. More details below.

Anansi Anansi also publishes children’s literature under its Groundwood imprint….

Groundwood Books publishes literary picture books, fiction, poetry, nonfiction and graphic novels from Canada and around the world. The press is home to award-winning authors and illustrators, such as Lana Button and Eric Walters (here), Deborah Ellis, Marie-Louise Gay, Sydney Smith and Jillian Tamaki, among many others. 

Groundwood is open for submissions August 1 – September 30.

In Picture Books, Groundwood seeks beautifully written manuscripts, featuring distinctive stories and children in real-life situations. Please submit a cover letter and the full manuscript.

Groundwood is always looking for new authors of book-length middle grade and young adult fiction. Their mandate is to publish high-quality, character-driven literary fiction with a strong narrative voice. They do not generally publish stories with an obvious moral or message, or genre fiction such as horror or high fantasy.

Please submit a cover letter, several sample chapters, and a brief synopsis of the entire manuscript.

Groundwood 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.

For middle-grade and YA nonfiction, they do 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.

Groundwood is also looking for Canadian illustrators.

See Groundwoods detailed submissions guidelines here.

---

Note: Our “Writing for Children and for Young Adults” workshops always have an editor from a children’s book publisher or a literary agent as the guest speaker. See what’s coming up here. 

---

House of Anansi Press is always open for direct submissions from authors, both established authors and new authors.

In fiction, they seek literary, upmarket, and genre-bending genre novels, as well as short story collections, both by new voices and from household names. 

In nonfiction, they’re looking for creative nonfiction and book-length deep dives, alongside more lifestyle-oriented offerings. 

Currently, Anansi is not accepting personal memoirs or autobiography, and their poetry list is full until 2030, so if you’re looking to get published sooner than four years, best submit your poetry collection elsewhere.  

Like everyone else, they’re “looking to engage with work by writers from historically underrepresented communities, including—but not limited to—those who are Black, Indigenous, people of colour, disabled, neurodivergent, and LGBTQIA+.” But they also add writers “debuting latter in life” to this list – that is, they especially welcome older authors looking to publish their first book.

Full guidelines here.

See all of Brian’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and four-day 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}.