Eerdmans Books for Young Readers publishes board books, picture books, novels, and nonfiction. We seek manuscripts that are honest, wise, and hopeful, and we also publish stories that simply delight us with their storylines, characters, or good humor. Books that celebrate diversity, stories of historical significance, and works that relate to contemporary social issues are of special interest to us. We currently publish 18 to 20 books a year.

We strongly encourage writers and illustrators to become familiar with our publications and the general trade children’s book market before submitting any material for consideration. Please review our books in our catalog, on our website, or at your local library or bookstore to determine whether your manuscript or artwork is appropriate for us. We can send you a recent catalog upon request.

For Writers

While Eerdmans Books for Young Readers prefers agented submissions, we will accept hard copy unsolicited submissions. However, we respond only to submissions we are interested in publishing.

We do not require submissions to be exclusive, but we do ask that you inform us if you are submitting simultaneously elsewhere. And certainly, inform us if another publisher has expressed interest in your manuscript. If you have not heard from us after four months, you may assume that your submission does not fit the needs of our list.

For picture book submissions, please include your full manuscript. We prefer that submissions not include illustrations unless you are submitting as an author-illustrator.

For novel submissions, you may submit a full manuscript or a query with a synopsis and at least three chapters.

Do not submit the only copy of your manuscript, and do not include an SASE; materials will not be returned under any circumstances. Be sure to include your contact information (including address, email, and phone number) on your cover letter.

Because of the volume of manuscripts we receive, we are unable to track receipt of submissions or respond to any inquiries as to the status of your manuscript. If you would like confirmation that your materials have been received, please include a self-addressed, stamped postcard with your submission. (Please note that postcards must follow USPS guidelines for size, height, and weight.) Our mailing of this postcard is not an indication of whether or not we are interested in your manuscript; it will be returned to you before your submission is evaluated, merely as proof that your submission was received.

Send manuscript submissions to:
Acquisitions Editor
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
4035 Park East Court SE
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

We do not respond to queries or accept manuscript submissions via email or fax.

For Illustrators

Illustrators are welcome to submit artwork samples. Please submit your portfolio or samples of your work along with contact information and your website. We will keep your samples on file to be considered for future projects. Due to the large volume of submissions we receive, we are unable to respond to queries about samples.

Submit illustration samples to: illustrationsubmissions@eerdmans.com