Submissions

Hush Puppy Books
Guidelines for Writers and Illustrators

Please note: Hush Puppy Books is a publisher of books for children and young adults. Please review our online catalog to see the types of books that we publish before you submit your work.

Submissions Policy

Hush Puppy Books welcomes unsolicited submissions by email, from published and unpublished writers and artists. But you should know that the review procedure is time consuming. Despite the fairly the large number of submissions that we receive, we will acknowledge your submission via email. Should we decide that a manuscript is not for us, we will also respond via email. We review each submission in the order that it was received and try to respond within three months.

You should also know that Hush Puppy Books operates as a collective.  We encourage authors to contract with an illustrator as a partnership, as opposed to a work for hire.  We believe this is a more equitable arrangement for all concerned.  We encourage this arrangement so that both author and illustrator take an active roll in marketing and promoting the work.

Hush Puppy Books has no marketing department.  All our authors and illustrators promote one another’s work.  We expect all our authors and illustrators to know their way around social media and have a distinct presence on the net.  If you don’t already have at least a Facebook account and Twitter account, you’ll need to make that happen before you submit your work to us.  We encourage you to have as many social media outlets as possible — consider an independent website/blog, if you don’t have one already, Pinterest, Tumblr, Instagram, ect.  The nature of publishing today, especially publishing with us, makes these thing absolutely necessary.

Types of Submission

Picture Books: We are currently only accepting submissions from writers who are already working with an illustrator. The book doesn’t have to be completed, but we will want to see examples of the illustrations.  If you are an author and/or illustrator, you do not need to send a query first. However, we request that you submit the entire manuscript along with samples of the final artwork that reflects the style and technique you intend to use.

Poetry: Please send a book-length collection of your own poems. Keep in mind that the strongest collections demonstrate a facility with multiple poetic forms.

Middle Grade Fiction: Please submit the first three chapters (do not include chapters from the middle of the book) and a plot summary. We will request the balance of the manuscript if we are interested.

Nonfiction: We expect a full book proposal. Include a detailed bibliography with your submission. We highly recommend including an expert’s review of your manuscript and a detailed explanation of the books in the marketplace that are similar to the one you propose. References to the need for this book will strengthen your proposal. If you intend for the book to be illustrated with photos or other graphic elements (charts, graphs, etc.), it is your responsibility to find or create those elements and to include with the submission a permissions budget, if applicable. Finally, keep in mind that good children’s nonfiction has a narrative quality … a story line. We are not interested in publishing an encyclopedia. Please make sure that both the subject matter and the language will appeal to children.

Illustrators: We review picture book projects and sample illustrations. To submit a picture book, please review the picture book guidelines above. To submit samples attached in a jpeg format. Keep in mind that one well-presented submission will be more attractive than several submissions or a submission in many parts.

Where to Send Your Submission

Please email your manuscript, proposal and/or illustrations as attachments along with a cover letter of relevant information. Include your own experience with writing and publishing. Label the subject line: “BOOK PROPOSAL,” “MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION,” or “ILLUSTRATION SUBMISSION.” All submissions should be sent to: editor@hushpuppybooks.com

One Reply to “Submissions”

  1. Mother Earth carries all of us on her back.
    She is undiscriminating in how she loves us.
    Blessing us with her beauty, colors, sounds textures, and shapes continuously inspiring us to be our best.

    And as we walk on her with each step on her back
    She is able to feel everything that we feel.

    When we feel pain and sadness—
    She feels it.

    Because when we feel sad—our whole body feels
    Sadness and whatever is supporting us feels sadness and
    Ultimately Mother Earth feels all of our emotions that pour down to her like water cleansing and caressing us.

    She knows how we feel in the quietness of our home with the doors closed.

    At the playground when nobody wanted to play with us.

    At the parties that we did not get invited to.

    The secrets that were not shared and the jokes that we didn’t get.

    The experiences that we had that were difficult and painful.

    She feels excitement when we are jumping up and down with a great idea or that we have something that we feel great about—or inspired by.
    Or somebody is telling us that they love us or laugh with us at our jokes.

    She can feel that—especially that.

    She can feel when we feel good about ourselves when we have acted in a kind way to others by being helpful or saying a kind word.

    She is not preoccupied with how old our feet are. Our worldly affairs such as what job we have, what we look like, if we are a person, plant, or animal.

    She just supports us in whatever way she can. She asks nothing of us in words and yet she is communicating to us all the time.

    You take care of Me and I will take care of You.

    You take care of Me and I will take care of You.

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