Young adult literature did not exist when I was growing up. There were children's books and books for adults, but there were no books specifically aimed at teens.
Since that dark period in our literary history, young adults (aka teenagers) have gained the power of the purse, and they want to read about themselves - their growing pains, their first forays into sexual (mis)adventure, love, friendship, and struggles with identity. These themes are the mainstays of young adult literature.
Perhaps not surprisingly, adults enjoy reading young adult literature almost as much as teenagers. YA literature, especially contemporary YA lit, is often humorous, snappy, and less demanding than many books geared to the adult market. (If adult literature were translated into music, it would be classical. And YA literature would be pop.)
For over 150 publishers looking for writers - no agent required - see: Publishers Accepting Unagented Manuscripts
_____________________
Albert Whitman & Company
Albert Whitman & Company has been publishing award-winning children’s books since 1919. They have since expanded to include YA literature. Albert Whitman’s special interest titles address subjects such as disease, bullying, and disabilities.
Submissions: Albert Whitman and Company currently has an open submissions policy. They read and review unagented manuscripts and proposals for picture books, middle-grade fiction, and young adult novels. Email submissions only. Note: They will not review any submissions that do not follow their submission guidelines.
Blaze
Blaze is a new publishing venture started by Krystal Wade. "Krystal is on a mission to introduce readers to Books with Heart. They might be fantasy, contemporary, horror, or any genre really, but they’ll all have heart and a message waiting for readers to discover. At Blaze, we’re not looking for any particular genre. We’re looking for a message woven into the words of a well-written, young adult or middle grade novel. Your message can be inspiring, moving, sad, or make people change the way they view others around them. If you choose to package that up in a fantasy, horror, or sci-fi, so be it!"
Submissions: Manuscripts must be between 55,000 and 120,000 words. Send a query letter, first three chapters of manuscript (pasted in body of email), a couple sentences about the message your book contains, short Author Bio or experience and contact information. Read their submission guidelines here.
Cedar Fort
Cedar Fort is an established house that publishes over 120 books a year. Their books are available nationally through major distribution companies including Ingram Content Group, Baker & Taylor, and ReaderLink as well as through major retail corporations like Deseret Book, Seagull Book, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Sam’s Club, and Indigo in Canada. Cedar Fort is active in selling foreign language rights, and they attend the Frankfurt Book Fair every year to present their frontlist titles internationally.
Submissions: Cedar Fort accepts all manuscript submissions through Submittable. "Your submission is reviewed not just for its content, but as a business venture to which the publisher contributes significant capital investment. Your ability to actively support the promotion of your work and brand in the market is an important consideration during the process. Please include any audience or following you have built for your name or brand and on what platforms, if applicable." Read their guidelines here.
Charlesbridge Teen
Charlesbridge Teen is a new imprint of Charlesbridge, a well known Watertown, Mass-based publisher of children's books. Fiction titles include lively, plot-driven stories with strong, engaging characters. Charlesbridge books are distributed by Penguin Random House. They are actively seeking debut authors.
Submissions may be sent via email to YAsubs@charlesbridge.com. Please send a detailed plot synopsis, a chapter outline, and three chapters of text. Read guidelines here.
Clarion
Clarion is an imprint of the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers Division. They have published a number of award-winning books and serials in all genres. HMH is one the the "Big 5" publishers.
Submissions: Your manuscript should be typed and submitted via mail. (They do not accept submissions by e-mail or fax.) Read their submission guidelines here.
Clean Teen
Clean Teen publishes books that are rated according to violence, language, romance, and drugs/alcohol. They don't believe in censorship, but they do want their readers to be informed.
Submissions: They are seeking YA (young adult) or NA (new adult) novels that are between 50,000 and 110,000 words. While they accept stand-alone books, their ideal submission would be the first two books in a series or a novel with a novella that is a prequel to the novel. Genres that they are specifically seeking include the following: horror, mystery, witches, fortune teller, psychic, magician, historical, escapism. When you submit to Clean Teen Publishing, your title may also be considered for one of their other imprints. This includes their new digital-first imprint— CTP Pulse. Read their guidelines here.
Curiosity Quills
Curiosity Quills Press is a publisher of hard-hitting dark sci-fi, speculative fiction, and paranormal works aimed at adults, young adults, and new adults. Refreshingly, they have a very detailed FAQs page that answers every question an author could have, including royalty rates, editorial process, length of time before publication. (Very few publishers offer this crucial information up front.)
Submissions: They are seeking sci-fi, fantasy, romance, horror, historical fiction, magical realism, and more. (Consult their Acquisitions Editors page for more detail.) Read their submission guidelines here.
Desert Breeze
Desert Breeze Publishing is a publisher of non-erotic romance fiction in a variety of sub-genres, as well as mainstream women's fiction either with or without romantic elements. They also publish both Christian romance and Christian women's fiction, and a variety of young adult and new adult fiction. In those books categorized as romance, romance should be the prevailing theme of your manuscript, not romantic elements.
Submissions: They are seeking manuscripts from novella length (between 25,000 and 35,000 words approximately) to super novel length (exceeding 100,000 words), with a preference for novels between 55,000 and 80,000 words. They accept queries on book series, and will consider a series concept when at least one book is completed, a second novel is at least partially complete, and the series has been thoroughly formulated. They are seeking to expand Sci Fi Rom/Futuristic Romance/Speculative Fiction Romance genres. Read their submission requirements here.
Dial Books
Dial Books for Young Readers is a hardcover division publishing approximately 70 titles per year for children of all ages, from preschool through young adult. It is currently a division of Penguin Young Readers Group.
Submissions: Dial accepts a maximum of 10 pages.When submitting a portion of a longer work, please provide an accompanying cover letter that briefly describes your manuscript's plot, genre (i.e. YA novel), the intended age group, and your publishing credits, if any. Regular mail only. Read guidelines here.
Entangled Press
Entangled Press' young adult imprint, Entangled Teen publishes "swoon-worthy" romance in the following subgenres: contemporary, suspense, sci-fi, historical, paranormal and fantasy. (They require at least a romantic subplot.) Entangled’s titles are distributed by Macmillan, one of the largest book distributors in the world. Their royalties are generous. Digital-first releases receive up to 35% of cover price, while print royalties begin at 7.5% of cover price. When releasing simultaneously in print via brick and mortar bookstores, ebook royalties are 20% of cover price.
Submissions: Manuscripts should feature 16-19 year old protagonists. Length: 70k to 120k words in length for all genres, except contemporary romance, which they prefer remain under 90k. Read guidelines here.
Flux
Flux is an imprint of North Star Editions, a Minnesota-based house specializing in trade fiction. Flux specializes in "alternative voices." The editors believe that young adult novels are a "point of view," not a reading level.
Submissions: In addition to a query, and three chapters, Flux requires 3-5 comparative books published within the last 5 years with an explanation of how your book both ties into a trend in the Young Adult genre and offers something unique. Read their submission guidelines here.
Holiday House
Holiday House specializes in hardcovers, from picture books to young adult, both fiction and nonfiction for ages four and up.
Submissions: Holiday House only responds if they are interested in publishing your manuscript. Please send the entire manuscript. All submissions should be directed to the Editorial Department, Holiday House, 425 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10017. They do not accept submissions by email or fax. Read their guidelines here.
Hot Key Books
Hot Key Books (UK) publishes original and thought-provoking novels for teens and young adults. If you would like to submit your work for consideration please send your full manuscript along with a full synopsis to enquiries@bonnierzaffre.co.uk. They prefer Word and PDF files if possible and please note that we can only accept electronic submissions. "We read everything we’re sent but due to the high volume of submissions we receive we are only able to get back to writers we are interested in pursuing. Good luck!"
Read their guidelines here.
Ink Road
Ink Road is a new young adult imprint of Black & White Publishing, an established Scottish publisher with over 300 books in print across a variety of genres. Their books are distributed through GBS. Publishers Group UK (PGUK) provides sales representation. Seeking: Contemporary YA. Read submission guidelines here.
Jo Fletcher Books
Jo Fletcher Books (UK), part of the Quercus family, publishes science fiction, fantasy and horror, including all subgenres. "JFB authors are writing critically acclaimed, award-winning and unputdownable novels right across the fantastical spectrum, encompassing everything from crime to literary fiction. If you love chunky, engrossing epic fantasy or fast-paced dystopian thrillers, alternate history or paranormal romance, far-future SF or mythic fantasy, spine-chilling horror or heroic fantasy, you’ll them all here: just step through the portal into the wonderful worlds of Jo Fletcher Books."
Submissions: Jo Fletcher considers YA, but only if it can be classed as YA/Adult crossover. Previously self-published books are accepted, as long as the author is willing to let all rights revert to JF on signing a contract. See their guidelines here.
Jolly Fish Press
Jolly Fish Press is an imprint of North Star Editions, Inc., based in Minnesota. They publish trade fiction and select nonfiction books in the national and international market. Right now they are seeking middle grade and young adult titles in science fiction and fantasy with an epic and visual scope; thrillers with strong, carefully crafted characters and a unique voice; and unconventional love stories.
See their submission guidelines here.
Pajama Press
Pajama Press publishes picture books—both for the very young and for school-aged readers, as well as early chapter books, novels for middle grade readers, and contemporary or historical fiction for young adults aged 12+. Pajama Press is looking for manuscripts from authors of diverse backgrounds. Stories about immigrants are of special interest.
See their submission guidelines here.
Polis Books
Polis Books is an independent publishing company actively seeking new and established authors. They are currently acquiring titles in a wide variety of genres. While Polis primarily publishes books for adults, they also publish young adult novels.
Submissions: Novel-length submissions should be a minimum of 60,000 words. They only respond if interested. See their submission guidelines here.
Quirk Books
Quirk Books is a Philadelphia-based company that publishes just 25 books per year. Their titles are distributed through Random House. They are always on the lookout for "strikingly unconventional manuscripts and book proposals. A well-written novel with an off-the-wall editorial premise? That’s Quirk. A playful cookbook or craft book with cool photography or crazy illustrations? That’s Quirk, too. We publish across a broad range of categories—always with the goal of delivering innovative books to discerning readers. Put more simply, we publish books that are smart, original, cool, and fun."
Read submission guidelines here.
Skypony Press
Sky Pony Press is the children's book imprint of Skyhorse Publishing. They publish picture books, chapter books, middle grade, and YA fiction and nonfiction. "We’re open to any genre and style, and we’re always looking for something new and different. We love original concepts, fresh voices, and writing that knocks us off our feet."
See their submission guidelines here.
Tor Teen
Tor Teen is an imprint of Tor/Forge, which is an imprint of Macmillan. Tor is one of the top sci-fi/fantasy publishers in the world, but they also publish general fiction for young adults. Since Tor Teen launched in 2003, they have published fiction by Cory Doctorow, Brandon Sanderson, Kendare Blake, David Lubar, Veronica Rossi, Susan Dennard, and Kristen Simmons, among others.
Submissions: Tor's guidelines are quite detailed. Make sure you follow them to the letter, otherwise your submission will not be read. See their submission guidelines here.
Since that dark period in our literary history, young adults (aka teenagers) have gained the power of the purse, and they want to read about themselves - their growing pains, their first forays into sexual (mis)adventure, love, friendship, and struggles with identity. These themes are the mainstays of young adult literature.
Perhaps not surprisingly, adults enjoy reading young adult literature almost as much as teenagers. YA literature, especially contemporary YA lit, is often humorous, snappy, and less demanding than many books geared to the adult market. (If adult literature were translated into music, it would be classical. And YA literature would be pop.)
For over 150 publishers looking for writers - no agent required - see: Publishers Accepting Unagented Manuscripts
_____________________
Albert Whitman & Company
Albert Whitman & Company has been publishing award-winning children’s books since 1919. They have since expanded to include YA literature. Albert Whitman’s special interest titles address subjects such as disease, bullying, and disabilities.
Submissions: Albert Whitman and Company currently has an open submissions policy. They read and review unagented manuscripts and proposals for picture books, middle-grade fiction, and young adult novels. Email submissions only. Note: They will not review any submissions that do not follow their submission guidelines.
Blaze
Blaze is a new publishing venture started by Krystal Wade. "Krystal is on a mission to introduce readers to Books with Heart. They might be fantasy, contemporary, horror, or any genre really, but they’ll all have heart and a message waiting for readers to discover. At Blaze, we’re not looking for any particular genre. We’re looking for a message woven into the words of a well-written, young adult or middle grade novel. Your message can be inspiring, moving, sad, or make people change the way they view others around them. If you choose to package that up in a fantasy, horror, or sci-fi, so be it!"
Submissions: Manuscripts must be between 55,000 and 120,000 words. Send a query letter, first three chapters of manuscript (pasted in body of email), a couple sentences about the message your book contains, short Author Bio or experience and contact information. Read their submission guidelines here.
Cedar Fort
Cedar Fort is an established house that publishes over 120 books a year. Their books are available nationally through major distribution companies including Ingram Content Group, Baker & Taylor, and ReaderLink as well as through major retail corporations like Deseret Book, Seagull Book, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Sam’s Club, and Indigo in Canada. Cedar Fort is active in selling foreign language rights, and they attend the Frankfurt Book Fair every year to present their frontlist titles internationally.
Submissions: Cedar Fort accepts all manuscript submissions through Submittable. "Your submission is reviewed not just for its content, but as a business venture to which the publisher contributes significant capital investment. Your ability to actively support the promotion of your work and brand in the market is an important consideration during the process. Please include any audience or following you have built for your name or brand and on what platforms, if applicable." Read their guidelines here.
Charlesbridge Teen
Charlesbridge Teen is a new imprint of Charlesbridge, a well known Watertown, Mass-based publisher of children's books. Fiction titles include lively, plot-driven stories with strong, engaging characters. Charlesbridge books are distributed by Penguin Random House. They are actively seeking debut authors.
Submissions may be sent via email to YAsubs@charlesbridge.com. Please send a detailed plot synopsis, a chapter outline, and three chapters of text. Read guidelines here.
Clarion
Clarion is an imprint of the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers Division. They have published a number of award-winning books and serials in all genres. HMH is one the the "Big 5" publishers.
Submissions: Your manuscript should be typed and submitted via mail. (They do not accept submissions by e-mail or fax.) Read their submission guidelines here.
Clean Teen
Clean Teen publishes books that are rated according to violence, language, romance, and drugs/alcohol. They don't believe in censorship, but they do want their readers to be informed.
Submissions: They are seeking YA (young adult) or NA (new adult) novels that are between 50,000 and 110,000 words. While they accept stand-alone books, their ideal submission would be the first two books in a series or a novel with a novella that is a prequel to the novel. Genres that they are specifically seeking include the following: horror, mystery, witches, fortune teller, psychic, magician, historical, escapism. When you submit to Clean Teen Publishing, your title may also be considered for one of their other imprints. This includes their new digital-first imprint— CTP Pulse. Read their guidelines here.
Curiosity Quills
Curiosity Quills Press is a publisher of hard-hitting dark sci-fi, speculative fiction, and paranormal works aimed at adults, young adults, and new adults. Refreshingly, they have a very detailed FAQs page that answers every question an author could have, including royalty rates, editorial process, length of time before publication. (Very few publishers offer this crucial information up front.)
Submissions: They are seeking sci-fi, fantasy, romance, horror, historical fiction, magical realism, and more. (Consult their Acquisitions Editors page for more detail.) Read their submission guidelines here.
Desert Breeze
Desert Breeze Publishing is a publisher of non-erotic romance fiction in a variety of sub-genres, as well as mainstream women's fiction either with or without romantic elements. They also publish both Christian romance and Christian women's fiction, and a variety of young adult and new adult fiction. In those books categorized as romance, romance should be the prevailing theme of your manuscript, not romantic elements.
Submissions: They are seeking manuscripts from novella length (between 25,000 and 35,000 words approximately) to super novel length (exceeding 100,000 words), with a preference for novels between 55,000 and 80,000 words. They accept queries on book series, and will consider a series concept when at least one book is completed, a second novel is at least partially complete, and the series has been thoroughly formulated. They are seeking to expand Sci Fi Rom/Futuristic Romance/Speculative Fiction Romance genres. Read their submission requirements here.
Dial Books
Dial Books for Young Readers is a hardcover division publishing approximately 70 titles per year for children of all ages, from preschool through young adult. It is currently a division of Penguin Young Readers Group.
Submissions: Dial accepts a maximum of 10 pages.When submitting a portion of a longer work, please provide an accompanying cover letter that briefly describes your manuscript's plot, genre (i.e. YA novel), the intended age group, and your publishing credits, if any. Regular mail only. Read guidelines here.
Entangled Press
Entangled Press' young adult imprint, Entangled Teen publishes "swoon-worthy" romance in the following subgenres: contemporary, suspense, sci-fi, historical, paranormal and fantasy. (They require at least a romantic subplot.) Entangled’s titles are distributed by Macmillan, one of the largest book distributors in the world. Their royalties are generous. Digital-first releases receive up to 35% of cover price, while print royalties begin at 7.5% of cover price. When releasing simultaneously in print via brick and mortar bookstores, ebook royalties are 20% of cover price.
Submissions: Manuscripts should feature 16-19 year old protagonists. Length: 70k to 120k words in length for all genres, except contemporary romance, which they prefer remain under 90k. Read guidelines here.
Flux
Flux is an imprint of North Star Editions, a Minnesota-based house specializing in trade fiction. Flux specializes in "alternative voices." The editors believe that young adult novels are a "point of view," not a reading level.
Submissions: In addition to a query, and three chapters, Flux requires 3-5 comparative books published within the last 5 years with an explanation of how your book both ties into a trend in the Young Adult genre and offers something unique. Read their submission guidelines here.
Holiday House
Holiday House specializes in hardcovers, from picture books to young adult, both fiction and nonfiction for ages four and up.
Submissions: Holiday House only responds if they are interested in publishing your manuscript. Please send the entire manuscript. All submissions should be directed to the Editorial Department, Holiday House, 425 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10017. They do not accept submissions by email or fax. Read their guidelines here.
Hot Key Books
Hot Key Books (UK) publishes original and thought-provoking novels for teens and young adults. If you would like to submit your work for consideration please send your full manuscript along with a full synopsis to enquiries@bonnierzaffre.co.uk. They prefer Word and PDF files if possible and please note that we can only accept electronic submissions. "We read everything we’re sent but due to the high volume of submissions we receive we are only able to get back to writers we are interested in pursuing. Good luck!"
Read their guidelines here.
Ink Road
Ink Road is a new young adult imprint of Black & White Publishing, an established Scottish publisher with over 300 books in print across a variety of genres. Their books are distributed through GBS. Publishers Group UK (PGUK) provides sales representation. Seeking: Contemporary YA. Read submission guidelines here.
Jo Fletcher Books
Jo Fletcher Books (UK), part of the Quercus family, publishes science fiction, fantasy and horror, including all subgenres. "JFB authors are writing critically acclaimed, award-winning and unputdownable novels right across the fantastical spectrum, encompassing everything from crime to literary fiction. If you love chunky, engrossing epic fantasy or fast-paced dystopian thrillers, alternate history or paranormal romance, far-future SF or mythic fantasy, spine-chilling horror or heroic fantasy, you’ll them all here: just step through the portal into the wonderful worlds of Jo Fletcher Books."
Submissions: Jo Fletcher considers YA, but only if it can be classed as YA/Adult crossover. Previously self-published books are accepted, as long as the author is willing to let all rights revert to JF on signing a contract. See their guidelines here.
Jolly Fish Press
Jolly Fish Press is an imprint of North Star Editions, Inc., based in Minnesota. They publish trade fiction and select nonfiction books in the national and international market. Right now they are seeking middle grade and young adult titles in science fiction and fantasy with an epic and visual scope; thrillers with strong, carefully crafted characters and a unique voice; and unconventional love stories.
See their submission guidelines here.
Pajama Press
Pajama Press publishes picture books—both for the very young and for school-aged readers, as well as early chapter books, novels for middle grade readers, and contemporary or historical fiction for young adults aged 12+. Pajama Press is looking for manuscripts from authors of diverse backgrounds. Stories about immigrants are of special interest.
See their submission guidelines here.
Polis Books
Polis Books is an independent publishing company actively seeking new and established authors. They are currently acquiring titles in a wide variety of genres. While Polis primarily publishes books for adults, they also publish young adult novels.
Submissions: Novel-length submissions should be a minimum of 60,000 words. They only respond if interested. See their submission guidelines here.
Quirk Books
Quirk Books is a Philadelphia-based company that publishes just 25 books per year. Their titles are distributed through Random House. They are always on the lookout for "strikingly unconventional manuscripts and book proposals. A well-written novel with an off-the-wall editorial premise? That’s Quirk. A playful cookbook or craft book with cool photography or crazy illustrations? That’s Quirk, too. We publish across a broad range of categories—always with the goal of delivering innovative books to discerning readers. Put more simply, we publish books that are smart, original, cool, and fun."
Read submission guidelines here.
Skypony Press
Sky Pony Press is the children's book imprint of Skyhorse Publishing. They publish picture books, chapter books, middle grade, and YA fiction and nonfiction. "We’re open to any genre and style, and we’re always looking for something new and different. We love original concepts, fresh voices, and writing that knocks us off our feet."
See their submission guidelines here.
Tor Teen
Tor Teen is an imprint of Tor/Forge, which is an imprint of Macmillan. Tor is one of the top sci-fi/fantasy publishers in the world, but they also publish general fiction for young adults. Since Tor Teen launched in 2003, they have published fiction by Cory Doctorow, Brandon Sanderson, Kendare Blake, David Lubar, Veronica Rossi, Susan Dennard, and Kristen Simmons, among others.
Submissions: Tor's guidelines are quite detailed. Make sure you follow them to the letter, otherwise your submission will not be read. See their submission guidelines here.
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