Charlesbridge Art Submission Guidelines

Charlesbridge publishes high-quality books for children, with a goal of creating lifelong readers and learners. We believe that books for children should offer accurate information, promote a positive worldview, and embrace a child’s innate sense of wonder and fun. To this end, we continually strive to seek new voices, new visions, and new directions in children’s literature.

Charlesbridge publishes board books, picture books, early readers, and middle-grade fiction and nonfiction for ages 0-14. Our nonfiction focuses on nature, math/science, social studies, the arts, and diversity/multicultural topics. Our fiction includes lively, plot-driven stories with strong, engaging characters.

What to Send

• Please send samples of your work that demonstrate strong originality, excellent conceptual abilities, and technical accomplishment in your chosen media.
• Please include your name, address, and contact information on every illustration sample.
• Be sure to list any previously published works in your cover letter or include a résumé.
• Please do not send any original art, as we cannot be responsible for samples lost in the mail.
• Artists who would like their samples returned to them should include a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) of appropriate size with sufficient postage (not a check or cash).
• If you would like us to confirm receipt of your materials, please enclose a self-addressed, stamped postcard with your submission. Samples submitted without a SASE will be recycled.
• Due to the large volume of submissions we receive, we are unable to respond to telephone queries about samples.

Where to Send It

Please send samples of your work to the:

Art Director
Charlesbridge
9 Galen Street
Watertown, MA 02472

You may also send an email with a link to your website. Address the email to design@charlesbridge.com, and include “Portfolio” as the first word in your subject line. It is OK to send a lo-res PDF or JPEG file.