Are you a Belgian author looking for a publishing house for your manuscript?
Let us help you in your search to find the best publisher for your book.
Below you’ll find 19 top book publishing companies in Belgium.
1. Casterman
Casterman was founded in 1780 and has a long history of evolving to meet the ever-changing demands of the literary market. Famous for their work with beloved comics Tintin and Martine, Casterman has become a publishing house known for producing beautifully vibrant and narrative-driven comics and young adult fiction. With two main offices, one in Paris and the other in Brussels, Casterman has a highly professional and dedicated staff of editors to help with your publishing needs. They publish in both French and Dutch.
If you’re interested in submitting your young adult fiction manuscript, or have a comic book project, you can submit in doc or PDF format either by email or mail. For more information on exactly which location to send your submission, check out their website. It can take anywhere between two to six months to get a response due to the high volume of submissions that they receive. If they are interested in your project, you will definitely hear back from them.
2. Clavis Publishers
Clavis Publishers has two main offices, one located in Hasselt and the other in Amsterdam. They aim to publish works intended for a young audience, preferring to work with books that lean towards educating children while keeping them entertained. They’ve worked with authors like Salla Simukka, author of “Wit Als Sneeuw,” and Elsa Devernois, author of “Ik Kan Niet Slapen.” They publish primarily in Dutch.
Clavis is always looking for new submissions, and they highly encourage you to submit your manuscript either by email or regular mail. They ask that you don’t send any original copies, as they will not be returned. Be sure to include a cover letter that provides your contact information, the main them and synopsis of your book, and the age group you think the book could best be marketed to.
3. Éditions Racine
Éditions Racine was founded in 1993 in order to cater to the French-speaking population of Belgium. The publishing company focuses mainly on non-fiction, touching on topics like architecture and heritage, art, history, photography, nature, and local tourism. Operating out of Brussels, they publish in both print and ebook forms. They do not publish novels, poems, theatrical works, or children’s books.
They are currently accepting unsolicited manuscript submissions via email or regular mail. They ask that you go through their current catalog of books to get a better idea of whether or not your book would be a good fit with them. They ask that you include a brief project letter that summarizes your book, and provide a short extract for consideration. It can take up to six months to hear back from their editing team due to the number of submissions they receive.
4. Les Impressions Nouvelles
Based in Brussels, Les Impressions Nouvelles is a publishing company founded by Benoit Peeters that prints French nonfiction. They have a large catalog of biographies, as well as an impressive collection of art history, books about culture, travel and tourism, and philosophy.
They are currently accepting manuscripts by regular mail only. They highly recommend that you check out previously published books on their website to see if your book would be a good fit. Your submissions should include a cover letter that provides your contact information so that they can get in contact with you should they be interested. It can take anywhere between one to two months to hear back if this is the case, as their editorial team does an extensive and thorough review of all manuscripts they receive.
5. Houtekiet
Houtekiet was founded in Antwerp in 1986 by Julien Weverbergh. The publishing company works primarily with authors who have written literary novels, thrillers, and high-quality nonfiction about subjects like history, economics, and even philosophy. Houtekiet has worked with authors like Etieene Vermeersch, Johan Braeckman, and even Bav Ghooge. They publish in Dutch only.
Houtekiet publishes roughly forty new titles every year. If you’re interested in having your book published by them, you can submit your manuscript via mail. They ask that you include a cover letter that gives a synopsis of your book and your contact information. According to their submissions page, it can take up to five months to get a response because of the high volume of manuscripts they receive and go through. If you would like your manuscript back after it’s been reviewed, they ask that you include a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE).
6. Les Éditions Luc Pire
Founded in 1999, Les Éditions Luc Pire has published a wide range of nonfiction books that touch on politics, history, contemporary arts, and even biographies. As an independent publishing company, they publish in both Dutch and French, and also have a working partnership with many Flemish publishers to help their authors reach a wider audience.
They are always looking for authors with new and exciting projects, and are currently accepting submissions by email. They ask that you include a summary that’s no longer than fifteen to twenty lines, a table of contents, and the first chapter (or first ten to fifteen pages) for consideration. Due to the high volume of submissions that they receive, they will only contact authors that they are interested in.
7. Standaard Uitgeverij
Standaard Uitgeverij is a part of one of the largest Flemish publishing groups in Belgium. They publish everything from children’s picture books, to young adult fiction, to mystery thrillers. Located out of Antwerp, the publishing company has worked with authors like Brené Brown, author of the bestselling title “The Courage of Imperfection.” Standaard publishes in both Dutch and Flemish.
They are currently accepting manuscript submissions via email and regular mail. They ask that you include a cover letter that contains your contact information, a brief author biography, the title of your manuscript, and the genre of you work. They would also like to see a clear synopsis that gives them a good idea about what your book is about. If you choose to send your manuscript via mail and would like to have it returned upon review, please include a SASE.
8. Éditions Luce Wilquin
Luce Wilquin is a publishing house that produces works in French for the French-speaking Belgian population. They primarily work with authors that have produced creative fiction in novel or short story form. They do not accept poetry, essays, or autobiographical manuscripts. If you’re interested in sending them your manuscript, they ask that you first review their manuscript requirements to see if you meet all the criteria. They only accept submissions via mail, and can take several months to respond due to high submissions volumes.
9. Kramat
Kramat publishes books in both French and Dutch and is always on the lookout for new submissions and aspiring authors to work with. They publish books for children, young adults, and adult fiction ranging a wide genre. They do not accept poetry or short story collections. You can submit your manuscript either via email or by regular mail. Kramat requires a cover letter that contains your contact information, a brief bio about yourself, the title of the book, as well as what type of genre it is.
10. Renaissance du Livre
Renaissance du Livre is a Belgian francophone publishing house that focuses on nonfiction reads that highly culture, tourism, sports, and more. They produce around fifty new titles every year and area currently seeking new unsolicited manuscripts for publication. They ask that you submit a proposal letter first via email. Briefly go over what your book is about, as well as a short description of any relevant experience you may have as the author. If they are interested, you should receive a response between three to six months about sending your full manuscript for review.
11. Baeckens Books
Founded in 2004, Baeckens Books is a publishing company that produces high-quality and engaging books for children in Dutch. If you’re an author with a children’s story ready for submission, they are currently accepting new manuscripts. The great thing about Baeckens Books is that they even have an in-house designer that can help connect you with freelance illustrators to create beautiful pictures for your story.
They ask that you send your manuscript via mail, along with a synopsis, with a short description of its story and plot, along with a brief author biography. You should obviously include your contact information so that their editing team can get in contact with you should they be interested in publishing your work.
12. Alice Éditions – Jeunesse
Alice Éditions was founded in 1995 in Brussels, and its subdivision, Jeunesse, was established in 2001. Focused primarily on publishing French children’s books, the publishing company works closely with Belgian authors to produce and market stories with teachable morals. They are currently accepting submissions, but ask that you check out their catalog before you send your manuscript to make sure that your story will be a good fit. As an eco-friendly company, they ask that you send manuscripts via their online submissions form only.
13. WPG Publishers
Operating out of Antwerp, WPG Publishers actually works closely with the Dutch publishing house De Bezige Bij, which had its starts as a resistance magazine during the Second World War. It started in 1940 as a resistance paper called Vrij Nederland and would later become WPG Publishers.
They publish in Dutch and French, and produce a wide range of books intended for both young and adult audiences. If you’re interested in working with this publishing house, they recommend sending a query letter via email first to see if your work would be a good fit amongst their current catalog.
14. Brepols Publishers
Brespols Publisher is an international academic publisher that produces works concerned with the humanities: language, history, culture, and so on. They publish in a variety of languages including English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Dutch. Originally founded in 1796, Brepols Publisher has partnered with several academic institutions to provide accurate and educational works.
For more information on their submission requirements, we recommend checking out their webpage here. They recommend submitting a proposal via email before sending your actual manuscript. Their editorial team will determine if your book will be a good fit, along with making sure that the manuscript’s written language is compatible with their market.
15. Éditions Versant Sud
Éditions Versant Sud is an independent Belgian publishing house that produces books about music, history, travel, and even has an entire category dedicated to Belgian-created comic books. Based and operating out of Brussels, they recommend that you send a query letter via email before submitting your manuscript for consideration. Due to the small size of their staff, this process allows them to weed out any submissions that may not be a good fit and focus on works that they believe show significant promise.
16. Acco
Acco is a publishing company that produces educational and academic works in Dutch and Flemish. They work closely with teachers and professionals to make sure that their books are scientifically accurate. Acco is also able to provide you guidance when it comes to the editing process, along with helping you market your text to reach a wider audience.
You will be able to contact their editing team directly via email. Be sure to send them a clear proposal letter that goes over the topic of your book, a long with your contact information, any relevant expertise, and approximate word length.
17. Éditions Aden
Éditions Aden is a Belgian publishing company that produces works in French. Located in Brussels and founded in 2000 by Gilles Martin, Aden publishes essays that touch upon topics like social studies and political science. They also publish books about similar issues. They like to publish books that will start thoughtful conversations and debates. They only accept manuscripts sent as a hardcopy via mail, and will only respond to emails if they are brief inquiries or questions.
18. Éditions Mols
Éditions Mols is an independent publisher based out of Brussels that publishes texts in French. They work closely with foreign authors with manuscripts that discuss history, philosophy, politics, religion, spirituality and more. They ask that before you submit your manuscript for consideration that you send a query letter via regular mail first to determine if you’re a good fit. Your letter should include a synopsis and your contact information. If they are interested in your work, they will respond to you. They do not accept query letters or manuscripts via email.
19. Yoyo Books
Yoyo Books specializes in Dutch education books for young readers. Whether they’re picture books, activity books, or children’s novels, Yoyo Books has a dedicated team ready to help work closely with you through the publishing process. They even have an entire artwork department that can help get you in contact with illustrators should you need them.
If you’re interested in working with Yoyo Books, it’s recommended that you send a query letter to their head of planning and publishing via email. If interested, they will request your manuscript and provide further submission instructions.
Do you know any other book publishing companies in Belgium? Tell us about them in the comments box below!
K. Z. Kwan is a freelance writer based out of Halifax, Canada.