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Submissions

We are currently CLOSED to submissions for all imprints (except through special select opportunities, such as conferences, courses, pitch events, etc). Future submissions windows will be announced on this page, through our newsletter or on social media. Illustration portfolios are always welcome. Thank you for stopping by!

Thank you for your interest in Gnome Road!

Our list is full through the Fall 2026 season. Author/illustrator agents may contact us to inquire about future needs; however, we are not searching for new material at this time. It is highly unlikely that another submissions window will open prior to the spring of 2025.

To keep response times manageable, we will only accept submissions during announced timeframes. We cannot guarantee a submissions window will be available on a routine basis or at all in any given year. You may check back here, follow our Twitter or Instagram feed, or sign up for our newsletter to keep informed of future opportunities.

Gnome Road books are for readers age 3 and older. Presently, we are only publishing picture books. Our Little Gnome imprint has been reserved for materials that would be appropriate for ages 0-3; however, there are no plans to publish under that imprint at this time. Therefore, when submissions are open, please only submit work to Gnome Road that is intended for children over the age of 3 and in picture book format.

Our audience attention levels and reading interests are particularly important factors in what we choose to publish. We want stories that are engaging, fresh, and fun, that enrich readers' narratives about self and others, and that beg to be read time and time again (without causing an eye roll from caregivers). We focus heavily on RE-READABILITY.

When we are open to submissions or specifically request material from an author or illustrator, we aim to make contact with authors or illustrators whose work we are interested in within sixty (60) days. Please keep in mind that a general (non-personalized) decline letter is not a reflection of writing quality or a story's potential.

When a submissions window is open or materials have been requested, please send a query and your full picture book manuscript under 750 words, not including sidebars or back matter, (up to 1250 words for nonfiction) pasted into the body of your email to: submissions@gnomeroadpublishing.com. Include the words "Gnome Road", a dash (-), and the title of your manuscript in the subject line. Here is an example: Gnome Road- MANUSCRIPT TITLE.

We do not open manuscript attachments unless we have specifically requested or approved them. We only accept electronic submissions. When the submissions window is open, please do not send more than one manuscript. Comp titles are desired, but not required. We also appreciate a short bio in order to learn more about you.

 

Illustrators may submit portfolio materials at any time.

FAQs

Yes! Our publishing contracts incorporate both advance and royalty payments.

Yes! We are always happy to connect with agents even if our submissions window is closed. An agent may contact us to inquire about future opportunities at any time.

No, but we greatly appreciate them. Please consider adding two to three titles published within the last five years that compare in some way to your manuscript within your query.

We understand that there are many prolific writers out there and you might have multiple manuscripts that match our wish list. However, flooding the submissions inbox with multiple submissions takes away from our ability to carefully read and respond to each submission for you and all authors/illustrators.

We appreciate help in making the process as efficient as possible by following these instructions. You may mention other works in your query and we will ask for those if interested.