Guidelines for submitting children’s publications

Kube is interested in publishing well-written fiction and non-fiction with an Islamic perspective, for children in the following age ranges:

0-3 years: board books up to 16 pages, up to 500 words
3-5 years: 24-32 pages, up to 1000 words
5-8 years: 32-64 pages, up to 10,000 words
8-12 years: 64-120 pages, up to 20,000 words
13+/Young Adult: 100+ pages, up to 40,000 words

First things first

Writing for children can be a very enjoyable and rewarding activity, but it is not easy. If you are new to the publishing world and serious about writing, we suggest that you first do the following before submitting your manuscripts to Kube for consideration:

Read a few books on the subject of writing for children and how to get published. We recommend ‘Writing for Children and Getting Published’ or ‘Teach Yourself Writing for Children’ by Pollinger and Jones, and the most recent ‘Children’s Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook’ to get started. If you are able to do so, take a course on writing for children or join a writer’s group.

Read the top five bestselling books for your intended genre and age range in the mainstream as well as Muslim markets. A children’s writer should generally be familiar with what children are reading at school and the popular literature available in bookshops and libraries, as well as British and American children’s classics and folktales.

If you are writing non-fiction, research your subject well and make yourself familiar with what children of your intended age group are learning at school on the subject – in particular, the English National Curriculum.

Once you have written your first draft, ask several children who are not related to you to read it and give it their honest feedback before finalising your second draft. Now you are ready to send your work in to us! J

How to submit a proposal to the Children’s Editor

Please pay careful attention to these guidelines because the Editor will not read your unsolicited manuscript unless you first send in a complete submission. Send in your proposal in a Word document. It should include the following:
(Page 1) A cover letter with your full name and contact details.
(Page 2) A brief CV/resume.
(Page 3) A one-page description of the proposal, including:
A synopsis of the plot and description of the main characters;
The intended age group and audience;
A paragraph explaining what is unique or necessary about this book in comparison to similar titles that are currently available on the market or our publishing backlist (Islamic Foundation and Kube). What is distinctive or different about this book?
Word length (actual or proposed)
(Pages 4+/Attachment) If your manuscript is short, you may submit the entire manuscript; otherwise, in the case of chapter books, submit one or two sample chapters.
Please make sure that your spelling and grammar are correct! British English is preferred, although North American English is acceptable.

All manuscripts should be submitted as MS Word documents (.doc or .docx) by email attachment, as follows:
The whole manuscript must be in a single document (not separate documents for different chapters);
Set your manuscript in plain text, Calibri or Times New Roman font, 11 point, 1.5 spacing, left-margin justified with document margins of 2.5 cm on all sides. Do not send manuscripts in fancy or coloured fonts. Do not send in handwritten manuscripts by post.
Do not send in artwork for your manuscript. If you have ideas for artwork or layout, you may submit these along with your text.
If you are a professional artist and are writing and illustrating a picture book or comic book, please request our style sheet for artists before submitting your manuscript.
Manuscripts longer than 25 A4 pages should also be sent in hard copy, to the address below.

After considering a submission, the Editor will contact you to say if the Editorial team wish to see a complete manuscript for further consideration or not. This may take up to three months if we send your manuscript to be reviewed by external readers; otherwise we aim to give a response within six weeks.

We regret that we cannot return unsolicited manuscripts.

Children’s manuscripts should be sent to:

Children’s Editor
Kube Publishing
MCC, Ratby Lane
Markfield
Leicestershire LE67 9SY
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)1530 249230
Fax: +44 (0)1530 249656
Email: childrenseditor (AT) kubepublishing (DOT) com