Annick
Press
665 Gerrard Street East
Toronto, ON
M4M 1Y2
Annick Press is currently accepting
submissions of picture books, early chapter books, middle grade fiction, YA
fiction, graphic novels, and nonfiction for kids of all ages.
They’re also looking for illustrators and
encourage illustrators to submit their portfolios for consideration.
Annick aims to empower readers, open minds, and
create a lifelong love of reading. Annick books feature contemporary themes
(even if the setting is historical) and center kids’ perspectives and
experiences.
Like everyone else, Annick is committed to
publishing diverse authors and illustrators. They give preferential treatment
to LGBTQ2SIA+ creators, Black creators, Indigenous creators, creators of color,
creators living with disabilities, and anyone living at the intersections of
these identities.
Picture Books
“The picture books that excite us most combine
original ideas with strong storytelling. We look for submissions where children
are the main drivers of the story and/or explore ideas in ways that have
inherent appeal for kids. We love stories told from unique perspectives that
tap into deeper issues and emotions, conveying poignant messages without being
didactic.
“We welcome nonfiction ideas for picture books
too; these can be a great way to introduce very young readers to engaging
topics that are relevant to their experiences. Nonfiction does not have to be
strictly educational: we look for ideas that have appeal and will capture young
readers’ imaginations.
“Generally, we prefer to receive the manuscript
alone, without accompanying illustrations. We do want to know however, if your
idea includes a visual narrative to accompany the text, which will help us
assess it. We also welcome general suggestions for the art that you’d like us
to be aware of when reviewing your manuscript. Our picture books tend to be 32
pages and no longer than 1,000 words.”
Please submit your full manuscript and cover
letter as .docx or .pdf attachments to submissions@annickpress.com
Early Reader Chapter Books
Annick is excited to have recently started
publishing more chapter books for early readers, ages 6–9.
“We’re looking for submissions on topics that will
resonate with readers of this age group, either with series potential or
intended as standalone stories. We’re looking for emotionally resonant,
thought-provoking stories with accessible, authentic, and age-appropriate
language and vocabulary. We love stories that explore the interpersonal
dynamics relevant to readers this age, that ask questions and encourage
self-reflection.
“The typical length of our early chapter books
ranges from about 7,000–10,000 words. Submissions can be either a complete
manuscript or sample chapter(s) with a story outline. If you are pitching a
series, please consider including subsequent story ideas in your submission.”
Please submit your full manuscript and cover
letter as .docx or .pdf attachments to
Middle Grade Fiction
Annick’s middle reader novels aim to engage kids
with exciting stories that inspire deep thought and reflection.
“We’re looking for original stories with motivated
characters, high stakes, and gripping action, even if it’s delivered in subtle
form. Humor, even if used occasionally, is an asset. The typical length of our
middle reader novels is 20,000–40,000 words.”
Please submit your first chapter, synopsis and
cover letter as .docx or .pdf attachments to submissions@annickpress.com.
Young Adult Fiction
Annick’s YA fiction features distinctive
contemporary voices that wrestle with the big issues that matter to teens.
“We’re looking for powerful, dramatic,
thought-provoking stories across most sub-genres, though the best way to
determine if your manuscript might be a fit for us is to check out a few of our
recent teen titles. Our YA novels tend to range from 50,000–70,000 words.”
Please submit your first chapter, synopsis and
cover letter as .docx or .pdf attachments to
Comics
Annick publishes a small, select list of comics
(aka graphic novels) for young readers.
“We define comics as any story told with panels.
They can be early readers, middle grade, or YA. They can be fiction or
nonfiction, series or stand-alone. You do not need to have experience in comics
making to submit to Annick. We are committed to helping new voices find a place
in the publishing world—many of our most successful comics are by creators who
had never made a story more than a few pages long before publishing with us.
“Most of our books are made by creators who are
both the writer and the illustrator, but we are open to submissions of just
text manuscripts, comic artist portfolios for consideration to be paired with
an author, or author-illustrator teams who already work together.”
Please send your submission to submissions@annickpress.com
Make sure your name is included in the name of each file you send.
Artist/illustrator or team:
- Story
outline. This should succinctly tell the entire story: beginning, middle,
and end. (1–2 pages in .pdf or .docx)
- Cover
letter. Describe what you hope to accomplish creating this book, why it’s
a good fit for Annick, and a little about you. (1-page .pdf or .docx)
- Thumbnails.
(20 sequential pages, .pdf, do not exceed 20 MB)
- Art
samples. These could be fully rendered panels of current project proposal
or previous work. It could be paneled or not, but it should be
representative of the book you want us to publish. (5–10 pages, .pdf, do
not exceed 20 MB)
Writer only:
- Story
outline. This should succinctly tell the entire story: beginning, middle,
and end. (1–2 pages in .pdf or .docx)
- Cover
letter. Describe what you hope to accomplish creating this book, why it’s
a good fit for Annick, and a little about you. (1-page .pdf or .docx)
- Sample
pages. In the format you would intend to deliver work to artists. (10
pages, .pdf or .docx)
Artist only:
- Cover
letter. Describe what kinds of books you are interested in working on and
a little about you. (1-page .pdf or .docx)
- Art
samples. These can be any combination of sketches, thumbnails, and final
art, but at least half of the samples should be fully rendered paneled
pages, and should reflect whatever styles you are interested in working
in. (10–20 pages, .pdf, do not exceed 20 MB)
Nonfiction
Annick’s nonfiction titles aim to hook readers
with fascinating subject matter, appealing to their natural sense of wonder.
These books give kids a solid foundation of facts while encouraging critical
thinking and allowing them to draw their own conclusions.
“We’re looking for manuscripts (picture book,
middle grade or YA) that combine an original idea with engaging storytelling, a
distinctive voice and dedication to accuracy. Show us your passion for the
material and the little-known details that will captivate kids and encourage
further exploration.
“We encourage submissions on wide-ranging topics,
including science and technology, historical events, and contemporary social
issues as they relate to the reader’s world and beyond.
“Our nonfiction titles aim to be highly visual,
with photographs and/or illustrations to complement the text. We recommend a
maximum word count of 1,000 words for nonfiction picture book manuscripts and
10,000–15,000 words for middle grade and YA.
For picture book nonfiction submissions, email
your full manuscript and cover letter as .docx or .pdf attachments to
For middle grade and YA nonfiction submissions,
please submit a sample chapter, detailed outline, and cover letter as .docx or
.pdf attachments to
Illustrators
“We’re keen to see portfolios that demonstrate
stylistic range, expressive characters, and visual storytelling. Don’t forget
to include illustrations of kids!”
Please send sample images or a link to your
portfolio, along with a few words about yourself, to art@annickpress.com
Mentorship program
Annick Press has an annual mentorship program is
for new or emerging writers (with not more than one published book) and who are
“LGBTQ2SIA+ writers, Black writers, Indigenous writers, writers of color,
writers living with disabilities, and anyone living at the intersections of these
identities.”
Selected mentees will receive a $1,000 bursary for
a four-month mentorship period. Mentees will be paired with an Annick editor,
who will tailor the program to the mentee’s goals and interests.
Deadline for 2025: Sept 29 at midnight. See full
details of the mentorship program and application form here.
Note: Postings go up on the Quick Brown Fox Substack before they appear here on the blog – for example, this posting appeared on the Quick Brown Fox Substack, six days earlier than it appeared here on the blog – and you can get new Substack posting delivered straight to your Inbox as I publish them. Subscribe to Quick Brown Fox on Substack here: https://brian999.substack.com/
See all my 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}.
