Submission Guidelines
Tilbury House publishes a wide range of children’s books, including board books, beginning readers, picture books, and middle grade titles. We publish both fiction and nonfiction. We are committed to the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we welcome stories from diverse authors. Please browse our website and catalog for examples of the books we publish.
Due to the volume of manuscripts we receive, we are unable to respond to every submission. We do, however, make every effort to consider each submission. If we are interested in your manuscript, we will respond within six months of receiving it. When receiving a submission, we assume no obligation not to publish a book based on a similar concept. Please understand that we are unable to respond to follow-up emails or phone calls.
Please do not submit by US mail or courier. We only consider electronic submissions. You can submit your manuscript as a Word document attached to an email sent to the following address: submissions@sleepingbearpress.com. The subject line of your email should include “Tilbury House Submission,” the title of your work, fiction/nonfiction, and the subject (science, nature, humor, etc.). The body of your email should be your cover letter and include: your full name, your postal address, any previous publishing experience, word count, and a brief summary of your manuscript (please do not send cover letters as an additional attachment). To make a favorable impression, call our attention to any published books that are similar to your proposal and tell us how your book will be different.
Important note regarding illustrations: It is NOT necessary to provide illustrations with a picture book story. We will review the text on its own merits. If you have illustrated your story, we’ll consider your art separately. (Note that we may be interested in the story but not the artwork, or vice versa.)