Download the 2025 Spring Catalog!

Submissions

We are currently CLOSED to submissions (except through special select opportunities, such as conferences, courses, pitch events, etc). However, a 2025 submissions window has been announced. Please read the information below for further details.

Thank you for your interest in working with Gnome Road!

The new year is finally here and we know lots of agents, authors and illustrators are wondering when we will be opening for submissions again. We have decided to offer a one-day submissions window this year. The submissions window will be from 12:00 am EST to 11:59 pm EST on Monday February 3, 2025. 

You do not have to be agented to submit your work. However, we ask that you read and follow the submission guidelines below and kindly understand that we are no longer able to issue individual responses to your queries. If we are interested in discussing a submission with you, we will reach out by email within 60 days of the submission window closing. After that time, you may assume your submission has been declined. 

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, 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 the submissions window opens, please send your query and the 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. Do not send more than one manuscript. If you send more than one manuscript, there is a (good) chance we will not read any of them. Comp titles are desired, but not required. We also appreciate a short bio in order to learn more about you.

We highly recommend you browse the books on our website to see what we have published so far and what is on upcoming lists in order to avoid sending material that is too similar to those titles. For example, we will not be looking for books about farms, stuffed animals, baking/cooking, early reading/writing skills, pianos/violins, baseball, grandparent relationships, pet adoptions, alpacas, moose or caves. We also recommend sending material that fits into one of the categories on our wish list below: 

     - Sports (other than baseball) 

     - Earth sciences (other than caves) 

     - Poetry collections

     - Holiday themes 

     - Unique storytelling formats 

We greatly appreciate the support of the KidLit community and look forward to reading new material. Please help us keep the process manageable by following and respecting the guidelines. Thank you! 

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.