Submission Guidelines Children's Books

We are not accepting art portfolio submissions, from illustrators, for children's books at this time.

Open Book Press publishes children's books under two imprint names:  

OBP Okami – YA novels fiction and non-fiction.

OBP Hoshi – Picture books.

The focus of OBP is upon the reluctant reader.   We want stories that will entice, encourage and bring illumination.   Stories that will make reading, a child's bliss forever. We are actively seeking stories for reluctant readers.

Once you believe that you have such a story, observe the following steps:

1. Please do not send manuscripts.   Query Only , with your name and address accompanied by a self addressed stamped envelope for return of material.  Include a self addressed stamped envelope, SASE, please for your response. We cannot take responsibility for material lost in the mail.
2. Query your letter to the appropriate imprint. Your query letter should begin with a one-sentence pitch followed by a brief one-paragraph synopsis.   All queries will be answered if guidelines are followed.
3. If we are interested in your story, we will contact you to send your manuscript for a reading.   A reading of your manuscript does not constitute acceptance for publication.
4. Please allow 12 weeks for a response from us.   If your query letter was accepted and we have read your manuscript and have accepted it for publication, we will contact you and offer a contract.   At that time you will be given a full explanation about your involvement in the editorial and publishing process.

An author and illustrator who know what it means to be accepted and published began OBP.   Do not feel bad if your story gets rejected.   Follow your bliss and send us your story.

Doug Crill
Managing Editor
Open Book Press

Any submissions not following the above guidelines risk not being answered.

Please send all query letters to:

Open Book Press
Doug Crill Editor
PO Box 1433
Studio City, CA 91614

Graphic Novels

All graphic novel submissions must include the following to be considered for possible publication by Open Book Press.

   Complete Works: All work submitted to Open Book Press must be complete.  We do not accept ideas or half finished work or partial pages.  To have any chance of publication all work must be finished and ready for publication.  When you submit your finished work the guideline of size must be adhered to.  This means if you are submitting a graphic novel the complete 450 page story must have finished panels with or without color, text applied, covers and ready for publication.   

   Size: Your graphic novel must be a minimum of three separate books, in total, at a page count of 150 pages minimum, for each book.  This means that your story must cover the span of a minimum of three books for a total minimum of 450 pages.  Page counts and number of books higher than quoted minimum welcome.

   Color: We will accept either color or black and white graphic novels.

   Style: Graphic novels have the most editorial and style range of any accepted books at Open Book Press.  All line art must be consistent whereby it helps to express the story line.  The graphic novel spans the world of the comic book and the written novel which means story type and art can cover the sublime to the more provocative.   However, we are producing mass market appeal stories.   Teenage angst, drug use, violent behavior ect. with no moral outcomes will not be accepted. We are actively seeking material created for the reluctant reader.

   Submission Format: Send a cover letter, a synopsis, a character bio sheet of the main characters.  We accept CD and DVD disks of your finished graphic novel pages in .tiff, jpeg file format.  We accept the first ten pages of each finished book.  If book is black & white send photo copies, if book is in color send color prints on regular paper of the first 10 pages of each book.  Include all your contact information, name, address, phone, e-mail, web site.   Include a self addressed stamped envelope, SASE, please for your response. All submissions that follow the above guidelines will be reviewed by the editorial staff and will receive a reply.

All submissions must include the following submission release form .  

No submitted material will be returned.

*We at Open Book Press love our publications.  That's why we are in the business.  And since it is a business, each new publication must match or exceed the current industry standards for quality and production.  If you really have the hunger to succeed, you must become aware of the current standard of graphic publication that is making money for publishers.  Open Book Press must pass the standards of our distributors so that we can get your book on the shelves and into the hands of the buying public. 

Art and business can be at odds with each other.  Open Book Press is here to  be in the middle to make you the creator happy as well as the retailer and distributor too.  To this end, we welcome the chance to review submissions, but to be seriously considered for possible publication, all of the above guidelines must be met.

Any submissions not following the above guidelines risk not being answered.

Please send all query letters to:

Open Book Press
Doug Crill Editor
PO Box 1433
Studio City, CA 91614

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