Connections Program

CONNECTIONS

EDITORS & BIPOC CREATORS

Charlesbridge editors are offering free, 30-minute sessions to participants who self-identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC) to discuss their manuscripts. During these sessions, the editor will offer specific constructive feedback on manuscripts, cover letters, and the submissions process, as well as guidance about the publishing industry if requested. These sessions are designed to help you refine your manuscript and prepare for submission to publishing houses or agents.

ELIGIBILITY

• Unagented authors and author/illustrators who self-identify as BIPOC and are interested in getting their manuscript reviewed by an editor are eligible.

• Participants must be 18 years old or older

• Participants must not have more than two traditionally published books (not counting anthologies and self-published works) OR must not have been published within the last five years.

Once submitted, the manuscript will enter our lottery, and if selected, you will be paired with an editor whose expertise best suits your manuscript. They will be in touch to set up a virtual 30-minute feedback session. Video, chat, and voice options are available.

ILLUSTRATORS

Charlesbridge is now accepting illustrator participants for portfolio reviews. Illustrator participants will meet with a Charlesbridge designer for a 30-minute portfolio review and feedback. Unagented illustrators and author-illustrators may participate.

• Participants must be unagented illustrators who are interested in pursuing professional opportunities in children’s media.

• Participants must be 18 years old or older

• Participants must not have more than two traditionally published books (not counting anthologies and self-published works) OR must not have been published within the last five years.

See the submission guidelines below for more details.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

• We are accepting submissions only from unagented participants who are BIPOC.

• Participants must submit manuscripts of their own making; submissions on behalf of another individual cannot be accepted.

• Participants must be 18 years old or older.

• At this time, we are not considering comics or graphic novels.

• Please—one submission per person. Do not submit multiple manuscripts or the same manuscript multiple times.

While we are happy to review all types of manuscripts, we want to provide expert review. In order to best serve you, we would love for you to familiarize yourself with the Charlesbridge list to ensure you submit a manuscript most in line with what we publish. Charlesbridge publishes fiction and nonfiction for both the trade market and school and library market. We pride ourselves on quality, diversity, and equity in our work.

In order to participate, please submit the following materials to editorofthemonth@charlesbridge.com.

EVERYONE:

• Up to one page about yourself to help us understand what you’re looking for. Feel free to include:

• A little information about yourself and how you self-identify

• What you hope to get from this experience

• Your publishing experience, if any (none is required!)

PICTURE BOOK CREATORS:

• Authors: Your manuscript (Word doc or PDF)

• Author/illustrators: A book dummy (PDF) OR your manuscript and sample illustrations (Word doc or PDF)

MIDDLE-GRADE, YOUNG-ADULT, OR LONGER NONFICTION CREATORS:

• A detailed synopsis (Word doc or PDF) of your book (no more than two pages)

• The first three chapters of your manuscript (Word doc or PDF)

ILLUSTRATORS:

• A link to your portfolio or website.

FAQs

How does this work?

We select participants via a random lottery. If you are selected, you will be paired with an editor. That editor will contact you to confirm your participation and set up a review session. This session can be a video call or voice call; chat options are available to d/Deaf and/or mute participants.

Does participating in this program mean Charlesbridge will publish my manuscript?

This is meant to serve as a helpful experience; participation does not guarantee a publishing contract.

How does the selection process work?

We will choose participants at random and in a rolling manner from the submissions we receive. Your submission will remain in the ongoing lottery unless you choose to withdraw it. There is no need to resubmit.

How many manuscripts can I submit for review?

We are accepting only one manuscript per participant.

Can I change my manuscript after being invited to participate?

Certainly—if you are invited to participate and have an updated manuscript, or wish to submit a different manuscript entirely, you may work that out with the editor when they get in touch.

Will I be able to submit my manuscript to an agent or another publisher while it is submitted to this program?

Yes! If your manuscript is accepted by a publisher or offered representation by an agent, you can withdraw it by emailing us.

Can I withdraw my manuscript from review?

Yes. If you wish to withdraw your manuscript at any point, email us at editorofthemonth@charlesbridge.com. Include your name and the title of your manuscript.

Can I continue to contact the editor after the review?

Unfortunately not. Because this is a one-time experience rather than an ongoing mentorship, participants are asked to be judicious with contact after the review. That said, we love to hear success stories!

If you would like to submit your manuscript for potential publication at Charlesbridge, please follow our submission guidelines here.

If I am an author-illustrator and have a picture book dummy for review, would I apply for portfolio review or an editor feedback session?

An editor feedback session! Portfolio reviews are for reviewing the contents and presentation of a portfolio; completed projects are better suited to an editorial review.

Why aren’t you considering comics or graphic novels?

While we love comics and graphic novels and firmly believe that they deserve a place in traditional publishing, we recognize that editing a graphic novel or comic is a specialized skill. Charlesbridge has published books with graphic novel components and looks forward to publishing more in the future; however, we currently want to support participants with our areas of long-standing expertise.

Are you accepting submissions from white authors who experience other axes of marginalization?

Charlesbridge is seeking submissions from only Black, Indigenous, and other people of color for this program.