If you’ve written a STEM book for kids and need a publishing house, the purpose of this article is to help you. Continue reading to learn about 10 top STEM children’s book publishers.
1. Workman Publishing
Peter Workman started Workman Publishing in Greenwich, New York in 1968. Workman publishes everything from nonfiction books on gardening and cooking to children’s books and parenting. Their children’s STEM books range from hypothetical futurist topics, such as A World Without Fish by Mark Kurlansky, to Sean Connolly’s “The Book of…” experiments series, such as The Book of Massively Epic Engineering Disasters and The Book of Perfectly Perilous Math.
If you have an idea for a nonfiction children’s book on a STEM topic, find out here how to submit it to Workman Publishing for consideration. If you have a fiction book or have any other questions about their publishing house, contact them here.
2. Chronicle Books
Since 1969, Chronicle Books in San Francisco has been an independent publisher of all kinds of books: fiction and nonfiction, journals, games, and digital texts. Chronicle publishes STEM-themed fiction and nonfiction children’s books, such as The Brilliant Deep: Rebuilding the World’s Coral Reefs by Kate Messner and the AstroNuts series by Jon Scieszka.
The Chronicle Children’s group accepts unsolicited manuscripts by hard copy nly. To find out how to submit yours, read the guidelines on this page. You can also contact them directly using the information on this page.
3. Charlesbridge
Since opening in Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1989, Charlesbridge has published nonfiction adult books on cooking, gardening, and other lifestyle topics, as well as fiction and nonfiction teen and children’s books. Their children’s STEM-themed books range from space and futurist ideas, such as A Black Hole is NOT a Hole by Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano, to books on climate change and nature, such as A Warmer World by Caroline Arnold.
If you have an idea for a STEM-themed children’s fiction, nonfiction, or picture book, you can submit a digital copy to Charlesbridge for consideration. Read more here to find out how. If you have other questions or need more information, contact them here.
4. Holiday House
Holiday House opened in 1935 in New York City and has published children’s books in nearly every genre and on nearly every theme ever since. They have a large selection of STEM-themed books covering topic such as nature, space, technology, and even engineering, such as Bear Builds a House by Maxwell Eaton and Franny’s Fix-it Shop by Edward Miller.
If you have a STEM-themed book idea aimed at children aged 4 or older, then Holiday House will consider your manuscript idea. Read more about their submission guidelines on their FAQ page. You can also find their contact information that page if you have any other questions.
5. Arbordale Publishing
Originally named Sylvan Dell Publishing when Lee and Donna German founded the company in 2004, Arbordale Publishing in South Carolina publishes children’s fiction and nonfictions books that teach a lesson or ideas in a creative and inspiring way. Their picture books cover all sorts of topics, from animals, such as Shark Baby by Ann Downer, to space, such as Meet the Planets by John McGranaghan.
If you have a fun to read fiction manuscript teaching children about science or math, then read here to find out how to submit a 1000 word manuscript for consideration. You can also contact them directly if you have any questions or need more information.
6. Albert Whitman & Company
Albert Whitman & Company has been publishing fiction and nonfiction children’s books in Park Ridge, Illinois, since 1919. They publish printed and digital graphic novels, chapter books, picture books, and board books for children of all ages. They have published over 35 STEM-themed books, such as Catherine Stier’s Science Makes It Work series and Patricia Lakin’s The Tinkerers series.
Albert Whitman & Company accepts both unsolicited manuscripts and those represented by literary agents. If you have a manuscript you’d like to submit for consideration, be sure to read the appropriate guidelines carefully. If you have general questions or need more information before submitting, contact them using their online message form here.
7. Sleeping Bear Press
Sleeping Bear Press opened in 1998 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, as a publisher of children’s picture books, board books, and first readers. They publish fiction and nonfiction books in all genres and on all sorts of topics. Their STEM books teach children all about the impact science, technology and math has on our understanding of the world, such as Marty’s Mission by Judy Young, which tells the story about Apollo 11, and Let’s Build a Little Train by Julia Richardson.
You can submit your own STEM-themed manuscript idea following the guidelines set out here. Contact them if you want to find out more about the printing process or if you have any other questions.
8. Mighty Media Press
Since opening in Minneapolis in 2012, Mighty Media Press has sought to publish children’s book that inspire, motivate, and encourage children to be innovators and social movers. Some of their STEM-themed books are nonfiction experiment books like The Kids’ Book of Simple Machines by Kelly Doudna and how-to books like Garden to Table: A Kid’s Guide to Planting, Growing, and Preparing Food by Katherine Kengel.
Have a STEM-themed idea that you think children will enjoy and feel motivated by? Then submit your idea to Mighty Media Press following the guidelines here. If you’d like to contact someone directly, you can find out how to do so here.
9. Thames & Hudson
Established in 1949 in London by Walter and Eva Neurath, Thames & Hudson publishes nonfiction books for both adults and children. The subjects of their children’s books range from international fables and fairy to tales to STEM topics, such as the If I had a … series by Gabby Dawnay and We are Explorers by Kari Herbert.
Thames & Hudson accepts submissions from both represented and unrepresented writers. If you think they would be interested in your STEM-themed manuscript, follow the guidelines listed on this page to be considered for publication. You can always contact them directly if you have any other questions.
10. Quarto
Started in 1976 in London by designer Bob Morley, writer Michael Johnson, and Cambridge professor Laurence Orbach, Quarto has become a household name in the global publishing circuit. Quarto publishes physical and digital copies of books on nearly every topic for both adults and children. Their STEM children’s books cover mostly nature and space, such as the Dinosaur Atlas by Tom Jackson and Explore… series by Carly Madden.
Quarto are always looking to expand their catalog, especially in their children’s area, so if you have a STEM-themed manuscript you’d like them to consider, see their submission guidelines page. If you have any other questions, contact them using any of the methods found here.