So You Want to Be a Published Author . . .

Scholastic Australia publishes books for children under three publishing imprints - Scholastic Press, Omnibus Books and Scholastic Australia.

All three imprints publish children's picture books and fiction mainly for primary-school-aged children. There is also some nonfiction published by all three imprints.To get a more specific idea of the flavour of each list, you will need to visit your local bookstore.

Once you have decided that you are going to submit your manuscript, take the following steps:

1. Send a copy of the manuscript to the appropriate address below, accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope for return of the material. Do not send original material. We cannot take responsibility for material lost in the mail.
   
   
2. Send a complete manuscript, not a synopsis or sample chapters. It should be typed with double spacing. The better the appearance of the material the easier it is for us to work with.
   
   
3. For a picture book, send only the text. If we offer you a contract we will be responsible for finding an illustrator.
   
   
4. Please send your manuscript to one publisher at a time.
   
   
5. Allow about 12 weeks for a response from us. If we think your material has potential, it will be read by several people before we get back to you. Also, because we receive several thousand manuscripts each year, some time is needed for your material to move from one reader to the next.
   
   
6. Because of the volume of manuscripts received, we cannot provide guidance on how to write for children nor critiques on the material you have submitted.
   
   
7. If your manuscript is accepted for publication, we will contact you and offer a contract. At that time we will fully explain the editorial and publishing process and your involvement in it.
   
   
8. Please DO NOT SEND REGISTERED POST OR EXPRESS POST. Registered Post causes lengthy delays since these articles need to be collected personally at the post office. At times our work load and resources simply do not allow for this. Nor does Express Post speed up the process – it simply costs you unnecessarily. Therefore, please mail in your manuscripts via standard post, as all submissions are treated with an equal amount of attention.
   
   
9. There is absolutely no advantage in sending your submission with a cover letter from an Assessment Agency. We highly recommend that applicants avoid this expensive process completely, as the letters make no difference whatsoever in our final decision on whether work will be published or not.
   

Don't be too surprised or disappointed if your first attempts are not successful. Children's book publishing is a highly competitive field, and writing children's books is not quite as easy as some might imagine. But we are always ready to find the next Harry Potter or Paddington Bear, so if you believe you can write it, we're ready to hear from you!

Andrew Berkhut
General Manager - Publishing
Scholastic Australia

So You Want to Be a Picture Book Illustrator . . .

Children's picture books make extensive use of quality illustrations. Whilst the financial rewards for picture book illustrators are not always as great as the rewards in advertising and other forms of commercial art, the personal satisfaction is often much greater. And occasionally a picture book becomes an international bestseller and the illustrator is very well rewarded.

We are keen to look at portfolios of Australian artists who believe they have the interest and ability to illustrate children's picture books. If you would like to show us samples of your work, the best way is to send your portfolio direct to the publisher. For more details on what to include in your portfolio, feel free to contact one of our offices.

Scholastic Press and Scholastic Australia
Email: manuscriptenquiries@scholastic.com.au

PLEASE NOTE:
Scholastic unsolicited submissions are closed for 2008.
Omnibus Books accepts unsolicited submissions at all times.

Please send your submissions to:

The Senior Editor
Omnibus Books
335 Unley Rd
Malvern SA 5061
Australia