A behind-the-scenes look at the publishing process, with tips for aspiring authors and illustrators.
Submissions for our twenty-third annual New Voices Award are now open! Do you or someone you know write for young readers? Are you a writer of color or Indigenous/Native writer hoping to break into the publishing industry for the first time? Then this picture book manuscript template is for you. Read on to learn more!
Continue readingSubmissions for our twenty-third annual New Voices Award are now open! Do you or someone you know write for young readers? Are you a writer of color or Indigenous/Native writer hoping to break into the publishing industry for the first time? Then these resources are for you as you refine and finalize your manuscript. Read on for five tools from editors and writers!
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A few weeks ago we hosted our first webinar, “Shaping Up Your Manuscript: A Conversation With Our Editors,” sharing writing advice for those who are interested in submitting to our New Voices Award, our New Visions Award, or just our general submissions. You can now watch (or rewatch) it online here: Continue reading
The New Visions Award is open to all authors of color and Indigenous authors who have not previously published a middle grade or young adult novel or graphic novel. The winner receives a cash prize of $2,000 and our standard publication contract, including an advance and royalties. An Honor winner will receive a cash prize of $1,000.
In general, we are looking for middle grade and young adult novels and graphic novels with a strong voice, a commercial hook, great school market appeal, and an entrancing plot. Check out the archives of our webinar on preparing your manuscript for more specific information on what we’re looking for in the craft department.
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As the submission deadlines draw near for LEE & LOW’s New Voices and New Visions writing contests, our editors are on the lookout for the next great manuscript! Could it be yours?
In our earlier blog post, Diversity in Publishing: How Diverse is LEE & LOW’s Authors, Illustrators, and Staff, we shared a mini breakdown of our authors and illustrators as well as our staff. In the past, we’ve received a few questions asking about the percentage of authors/illustrators of color we publish as well as the percentage of people of color on our staff. And we hoped that this post would answer a few of those questions.
After posting the percentage, we received a few more questions: what is the breakdown per department? What is the breakdown by race and ethnicity? How many members of your staff are LGBTQ+ identifying, and/or disabled?
At the beginning of 2015 we conducted our Diversity Baseline Survey to measure the amount of diversity among publishing staff across the industry. The numbers told us something we already knew: publishing suffers from a major lack of diversity, not just in books but also in staff.
But we’ve also received this question: How diverse are the authors and illustrators that Lee & Low publishes? And how diverse is our Lee & Low staff?
As the largest multicultural children’s book publisher in the United States, we think this information is important to share. Below you’ll find our demographic breakdown of our authors and illustrators as well as our staff. Continue reading
Looking to expand your collection of authentic diverse children’s books? Lee & Low is excited to be participating in a free live webinar tomorrow on #OwnVoices books, hosted by School Library Journal! Continue reading
Back in 2009, we published a piece on this blog called “Ten Wills and Won’ts That Make Lee & Low a Special Place to Publish,” in which we shared some of the things we do — and don’t do — for our books and authors. Several years later, the publishing landscape has changed a bit, but our commitment to supporting our books and authors hasn’t. So, we decided to update our list and share why we think Lee & Low Books is still a pretty special place to publish. Continue reading
This week is Banned Book Week, a celebration of the freedom to read and an acknowledgement of the ongoing fight against censorship. There is much to talk about this year, including a fascinating survey by School Library Journal about librarian self-censorship and a PEN America report on challenged diverse children’s books, coupled with recent conversations sparked by author Lionel Shriver’s controversial comments about cultural appropriation and freedom of speech.
So, where are we when it comes to censorship? We asked authors, scholars, teachers, and librarians to share their thoughts with us in today’s roundtable. Participants: Continue reading
