Manan Books publishes children’s literature, low cost learning magazines and books for teachers.

Before sending us a manuscript as a soft copy at submissions@mananbooks.in, do ask yourself some of these questions and look at the list of desirable attributes.

Will your manuscript be read and enjoyed by most of the children in India? Does it present a familiar setting with fresh treatment? Does it present a novel universe? Is it a page-turner?

Will most teachers be able to use it to create joyful learning? Will the teacher’s books be useful for them to ensure better learning outcomes in the classroom?

Selected manuscripts may not have all the attributes listed below but we will follow them closely as a guideline. These parameters are indicative and may be modified further for specific topics and series.

We look for:

• originality
• freshness of treatment
• potential to engage the reader
• potential to make the reader think and reflect
• a credible plotline
• Interesting and memorable characters
• creative use of language
• whether it is appropriate for a particular age-band
• Potential for illustration depending on the age-band
• Potential for translatability
• Universal appeal or local flavour
• Accuracy of information in non-fiction
• Should be free of stereotypes of gender, caste, class

 

We publish a Read to Babies series and children’s books at 4 levels -

• Read to babies: For the 0-3 age group with bold black and white illustrations and few words (8-10 frames 30-40 words)
• Level 1: For beginner readers and read aloud suitable for 3-6 age group (50-200 words)
• Level 2: For learning readers and read aloud suitable for 6-8 age group (500-1000 words)
• Level 3: For fluent readers suitable for 9-12 age group (1000-3000 words)
• Level 4: For Young Adult readers (5000-20, 000 words)

Please note that our preferred mode of publishing is adopting a Creative Commons license. You can read more about it on this link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. We will work with a traditional copyright model only in specific cases.

 

For teacher’s manuscripts, we are specifically looking for:

• material that has potential for practical use on the ground
• readability
• whether it will be useful for  teachers in under-resourced schools

 

If the manuscript is for young adults or teachers, please send a synopsis and a two-page abstract first, before emailing a soft copy.

 

Illustrators wishing to submit their illustrations for consideration, should share their portfolio on submissions@mananbooks.in. If their style is found suitable for a particular title, they will be asked to send rough pencil sketches which will give an idea of the treatment of the subject and characters. They may be asked to submit one coloured illustration also. The final files of completed illustrations should be in layers in 300 dpi minimum in tiff or psd format.