The Publisher's Town Hall · Closed-door session
What Publishers Expect from Children's Authors in 2027
Thursday 21 January, 11am Sydney · Wednesday 20 January, 7pm New York
A closed-door hour with the publisher of EK Books with time to get your questions answered
Strictly limited: 50 places · 12 VIP spots · First come, first served
400+writers registered last time
50seats in a private Zoom room
12VIP pitching spots
Last time, we had a big crowd. This time, we're keeping it small and intimate so you get your questions get answered.
What we'll cover
What (aspiring) children's authors actually need to know
A straight talk from a publisher who acquires children's books, followed by an open Q&A on children's publishing. Here's what we'll toch on:
01
The truth about platform
Do you really need a big social media following? What publishers actually weigh, and what to do if you don't have an audience (and hate the idea of building one).
02
Honest advice, wherever you're starting from
For writers who've been submitting for years without a yes, and for those just setting out. What to keep doing, what to stop, and what to try next.
03
How to stand out in the slush pile
What happens when your manuscript lands in our inbox, and what makes us stop, sit up, and feel our pulses start to race.
04
The books we said yes to, and why
Real manuscripts we acquired in 2026, many of them from first-time authors, and exactly what made each one stand out.
05
What authors need to know about AI
Where it can be appropriate, where it absolutely isn't, where the horse has already bolted, and where we need to draw the line.
One house rule for the Q&A
The main session is for questions that help everyone in the room: the industry, submissions, craft and building a career. We won't be able to answer questions about your own manuscript there.
Want to talk about your book? That's what the VIP session is for. See VIP ↓
Proof it happens
Just some of the books we said yes to in 2026 at EK Books
All of these were acquired on a traditional basis. Most came from first-time authors.
First-time author
Dante's Dazzling Dance Club
Kathryn Rossati-Barron
First-time author
The Piano That Fell From The Sky
Donna Guthrie
First-time author
The Brain Builders
Montana Brini
Academy competition winner
The Colours of Zacky
Sylvie Naux, winner of Your Marvellous Mind
Established author
Willy Had a Worry
Sheila Knaggs
Established author
The Classroom Symphony
Robert Vescio
And that's just a selection. We're acquiring more in 2027, not less.
Choose your place
Two ways to join us
This isn't a webinar for hundreds. It's a small, closed room with the people who decide what EK Books publishes, and the answers you can't find anywhere else.
Your investment Is Credited to Our Other Writing Programs
Your full registration fee can be credited toward a manuscript review or other future programs with the Children's Publishing Academy when submissions open. Come to the Town Hall, then put the same funds toward expert feedback on your own book.
Instant bonus · both tiers
The Submission-Ready Kit
Register now and get our publisher's guide straight away, so you can start preparing before the Town Hall: how to research and pitch a publisher (with an annotated query letter), how to write illustration notes that help rather than hinder, and a pre-submission checklist to run before you hit send.
Standard
$67 USD
Only 50 places · first come, first served
- A seat in the closed-door, 60-minute Town Hall: the talk, plus open Q&A on children's publishing
- The full recording and session notes, so you can catch up if you can't make it live
- Your $67 credited toward a future manuscript review when submissions open
- Instant bonus: The Submission-Ready Kit, yours the moment you register:
- How to research and pitch a publisher, with an annotated query letter
- Illustration notes that help, not hinder
- The 17-point pre-submission checklist
- A three-sentence pitch template
Only 12 spots
VIP
$257 USD
Everything in Standard, plus:
- An exclusive, closed VIP session, 30–45 minutes. Just 12 writers stay on after the Town Hall. Share your three-sentence pitch and get live feedback from an EK Books editor, plus Q&A about your own book. Nothing like this is offered anywhere else.
- A one-week head start. Submit to EK Books from Monday 1 February, seven days before submissions open to everyone else.
- Your $257 credited toward a future manuscript review when submissions open
- Instant bonus: The Submission-Ready Kit, yours the moment you register:
- How to research and pitch a publisher, with an annotated query letter
- Illustration notes that help, not hinder
- The 17-point pre-submission checklist
- A three-sentence pitch template
Places are strictly limited and allocated first come, first served.
All prices in USD. If USD isn't your currency, the conversion is applied automatically at checkout. VIP registration gives you earlier access, not preferential treatment: every manuscript is judged on its merits.
When it's on
Find your time
Thursday 21 January11:00am Sydney & Melbourne · 10:00am Brisbane · 8:00am Perth
Thursday 21 January1:00pm Auckland
Wednesday 20 January7:00pm New York & Toronto · 4:00pm Los Angeles & Vancouver
Thursday 21 January12:00am (midnight) London & Dublin
Can't make it live? Register and you'll get the recording and the notes.
Your host
Nathan Thomas
Nathan is managing editor at Exisle Publishing, the parent imprint of EK Books. He reads hundreds of children's manuscripts a year to help decide the projects EK Books takes on, and represents the list at international book fairs like Frankfurt.
Good to know
Questions writers ask us
Where is it held?
Online, on Zoom. We'll email your joining link after you register, and again on the day.
What if I can't come live?
Every registration includes the full recording and session notes.
Can I ask about my own manuscript?
Not in the main session. That Q&A is for questions that help everyone in the room. Questions about your own book belong in the VIP session, which includes Q&A specific to your manuscript.
Do I need a finished manuscript?
No. For the VIP session, all you need is your idea in three sentences.
How does the manuscript review credit work?
Your full registration fee ($67 Standard or $257 VIP) can be credited toward a Children's Publishing Academy manuscript review when submissions open. We'll email you the details.
Does VIP improve my chances of being published?
VIP gives you earlier access and direct feedback, not preferential treatment. Every manuscript EK Books receives is judged on its merits. What VIP does give you is a sharper pitch and the chance to ask about your own book.
Will more places be released?
No. We're keeping the room small on purpose, so places are allocated first come, first served.
Does coming guarantee my book will be published?
No one can promise that. But you'll know exactly what we look for, and you'll go in with your best shot.
Who you'll be talking to
A little about EK Books
Since 2013 we've published children's books on the themes other publishers tend to avoid: 'Books with Heart on Issues that Matter'. We've been nominated three times for Publisher of the Year at the Bologna Children's Book Fair, twice won the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award in Australia and New Zealand, and our books are sold across five English-language markets and in translation throughout Europe and Asia.
Thursday 21 January 2027 (AU) · Wednesday 20 January (US)
Claim your seat before the doors close
Most writers never get the chance to sit down with a publisher and simply ask. This is an hour of exactly that, in a closed room of just 50. Places go first come, first served.
Standard $67 USD · VIP $257 USD (12 spots) · Fee can be credited toward a future manuscript review or course.
Questions? Email [email protected]. We always write back.