As part of their ReadBetter campaign to amplify diverse voices and stories, HarperCollins Canada has launched an Open Inbox initiative inviting unagented BIPOC creators to submit unpublished middle-grade manuscripts.

HarperCollins Canada is looking for projects – approximately 30,000 to 75,000 words – for ages 8–12 in any genre and format. “Books for a middle-grade readership have long been a strength of our publishing program, including those by luminary authors such as Kenneth Oppel and Kit Pearson as well as upcoming publications from acclaimed creators Thomas King and Natasha Donovan, Lawrence Hill, Basil Sylvester and Kevin Sylvester, and Danielle Daniel,” says HarperCollins children’s editor Suzanne Sutherland in the press release. “With this new initiative, we will be looking both to discover new voices for our list and to remove barriers to access for emerging writers.”

The publisher will be accepting original manuscripts from August 17, 2020, to September 30, 2020 and each submission will be read by an editorial committee. Authors will receive feedback and potentially a publishing offer by December 15, 2020. More submission details can be found on HarperCollins Canada’s website. Submissions can be sent to [email protected]