Calling for submissions
Aboriginal Studies Press are on the hunt for stories that connect with young readers, capture their imaginations and celebrate the rich culture and diverse lives of Australia’s First Peoples. We are calling for submissions from Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander writers or illustrators.
Our goal is to showcase the talent and brilliance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children’s book writers and artist/illustrators and share the best of Australia's stories with current and future generations.
What are we looking for?
- Stories that connect with young readers, capturing their imaginations with rich cultural stories and illustrations, fiction and non-fiction.
- Stories written in English, Indigenous languages or both.
- Stories supported by the author/illustrator/artist's community or where appropriate permissions have been secured.
- Illustrations can use a range of media, from watercolour, acrylic and coloured pencils to collage, photography and digital.
What do we mean by children’s books?
We are looking for two different types of children’s books: board books and picture books.
- Board books: Age 0-3 Years
Board book stories are very simple with basic plots or learning concepts like the alphabet or colours or sometimes wordless with only illustrations. Each page may have a single word or a very simple sentence. The illustrations in board books are usually bright, colourful images to capture the early reader.
Board books are designed for very young children and are made of thick paperboard to take wear and tear. Board books are generally 12 pages and 300 words or less.
- Picture books: Age 3–8 Years
Children in this stage are entering the emergent reader and early reader stages. Their attention spans are a little longer.
Illustrations dominate the text or the illustrations share the role of telling the story. It is not uncommon for every single page of a picture book to be illustrated.
Picture books can be written in different styles with simple plots. Picture books are normally 32 pages long and around 500-700 words (often advised to aim for 500).