Allen & Unwin publish over 80 new books for children and teenagers each year, many of these from established authors and illustrators. However, we know how difficult it can be for new writers to get their work in front of publishers, which is why we’ve decided to extend our innovative and pioneering Friday Pitch service to emerging writers for children and young adults. From February 1st 2012, we will accept submissions of children’s fiction, novels and graphic novels for teenagers and narrative non-fiction following our Friday Pitch guidelines (see The Friday Pitch).
Please note we will not accept submissions of picture book texts, poetry or short stories.
Below are some general guidelines regarding age groups and word counts:
Children’s fiction
For beginner readers, aged 5-7, word length 5,000-10,000For confident readers, aged 7-9, word length 10,000-20,000For middle-grade readers, aged 10-13, word length 35,000-55,000We are looking for fresh, original storylines, strong engaging characters, a flair for language and an authentic voice that will appeal to children.
Novels for teenagers
For teenage readers, aged 14+, word length 40,000-100,000Novels for teenagers need to be extremely well-written and engrossing. We are looking for fresh, original voices and powerful storytelling. We also publish one or two literary graphic novels a year by Australian and New Zealand creators only. You are welcome to submit your graphic novel for teenage readers through the Friday Pitch.
Non-fiction books for children and teenagers
We publish very few non-fiction books, but are looking for those powerful true stories that resonate with children, especially those in primary school. Therefore we will only look at non-fiction submissions if they are narratives, and are imaginative, timely and authoritative in areas that, traditionally, educational publishers don’t cover.
PLEASE NOTE: 
We cannot offer feedback or advice on Friday Pitch submissions. You will only hear from us if we like what we read, and want to see more.
We will accept email submissions ONLY – henceforth hard copy submissions will be recycled. 
If we have not contacted you within a fortnight of your email submission being acknowledged, it means we have decided not to pursue your manuscript. No reasons or feedback will be provided and no discussion will be entered into.
So what should you send? It’s simple: copy and paste the title information sheet (see below) into the body of your email, and fill in the gaps. Then attach the FIRST chapter of your manuscript and a short synopsis (of no more than 300 words) as separate Word documents (please, no PDF documents).
Our title information sheet is designed to ensure your manuscript is assessed quickly by the appropriate person in-house. You can assist us with this by using the subject line of your email to tell us whether your book is children’s fiction or teenage fiction, and what genre or subject it deals with.
For example: 
To: fridaypitch@allenandunwin.com 
Subject: Children’s fiction/teenage novel/teenage graphic novel/narrative non-fiction for young readers (choose one)
For more information on the Friday Pitch, visit our website: http://www.allenandunwin.com/default.aspx?page=459