We believe in partnership
We Stay Personal and Professional
We are an independent small press. You won't get lost in a corporate system or automated inbox. You'll work directly with a team who listens, teaches, and believes in what you're building.
We Champion Diverse Voices
Our catalog celebrates the richness of real life. The cultures and connections that shape families. We want to encourage you to pursue your purpose in life.
Professional-Quality Production
Your book will meet the same standards as major publishers. We handle layout, ISBNs, proofs, and distribution through IngramSpark and online retailers.
Community
Access to other authors who share your values and passion for storytelling. Festival participation, press releases, and review opportunities. We'll walk with you from idea to bookshelf and beyond.
Readers connect to people before products
That means you — your presence, your authenticity, your consistency — are essential to your book's success. We expect our authors to take an active, ongoing, self-directed approach to outreach.
- Show up online regularly, not just at launch time.
- Share your creative process, your story's heart, and your learning journey.
- Engage with readers, parents, teachers, and other authors in meaningful ways.
- Treat your book as part of a living conversation, not a one-time event.
- Take initiative and stay engaged throughout the publishing process.
- See yourself as a partner, not a passenger.
- Embrace collaboration with editors, illustrators, and designers.
- Care deeply about children, families, and literacy.
We'll guide you with tools, templates, and strategy. The energy, visibility, and consistency must come from you. The most successful authors we work with build communities, not just followers, around their voice and values.
Here's how our process typically unfolds
Query and Concept
You share your idea or manuscript. We start a conversation. We do not accept unsolicited manuscripts. Contact us first with your concept via email using the subject line "book query."
Review and Acceptance
If your project aligns with our mission, we'll offer a letter of agreement outlining next steps. We are selective. We are encouraging. We are committed to quality.
Editing and Development
Our editorial team works with you to strengthen your story. Direct collaboration from first draft forward, not just a file exchange.
Illustration and Design
Our art director, Michelle Buvala, guides the visual side of your book. Illustrators are matched to your vision and your story's needs.
Formatting and Production
We handle layout, ISBNs, and proofs. Your book will meet professional standards for both print and digital distribution.
Launch and Marketing
Together we prepare press releases, social media materials, and festival features. We participate in major events including the Tucson Festival of Books and the American Library Association Conference.
Ongoing Support
We continue to promote your title and help you grow as an author and storyteller. Publishing is where your story begins, not ends.
What we don't publish
- Board books
- Books written only to teach a single lesson or moral
- Poetry collections
- Chapter books
- Work that condescends to young readers
- Simultaneous submissions without notification
- Previously self-published titles
- Unsolicited manuscripts without a query letter first
Questions we hear often
How do I submit a query?
Send a simple, human query letter via email to staff@smalltoothdog.com. Use the subject line "book query." Tell us your concept clearly. Do not send an unsolicited manuscript first. It will be deleted if a query letter has not come before it.
What themes are you currently seeking?
For 2025-2026 we are seeking picture books and preteen reading with themes of kindness and caring, building community, or personal development.
Do you accept simultaneous submissions?
Yes, but please let us know. If your manuscript is accepted elsewhere while we are reviewing it, notify us immediately.
Do you work with debut authors?
Yes. We have published first-time authors and we take the work seriously regardless of publishing history.
Do I need an agent?
No. We accept unagented submissions directly from authors.
Can illustrators submit portfolios?
Not through the general submission process. Illustrators can reach us at staff@smalltoothdog.com with a brief introduction and a link to your portfolio.
Ready to start the conversation?
Read the guidelines above carefully. Then send us a simple, human query letter. We read every one.
So, You Want to Publish a Book? →Or call us at 623.663.6600