Submission Guidelines

Jazak Allahu khayran for your interest in submitting your manuscript to DreamForward Books. At this time, we are not accepting manuscript submissions. Please check back to see when we are open for submissions. May Allaah accept your efforts and work!

DreamForward Books publishes children’s books in English and in French that adhere to the Quran and Authentic Sunnah. We want the Quran, the Authentic Sunnah, the Sahaba and Sahabiyyat, and the scholars – past and present – to be a key part of the story, but not in a textbook, lecturing fashion. The stories need to be accurate, interesting, engaging and fun, so children will want to read them repeatedly. If you think your story fits these criteria, read on!

What we are most interested in:

  • Early Readers for children 6-8 years old
  • Chapter Books for children 8-10 years old
  • Middle Grade Novels (11 – 13 years old)
  • Biographies of the Scholars for children 6 - 13 years old
  • Novels for Teens
  • Detective stories for all ages
  • French: Biographies of the Scholars, Chapter Books, Early Readers, and Middle Grade Novels.

We will also consider publishing the following type of stories:

  • Picture books
  • Activity Books
  • Colouring Books 

Before submitting your manuscript, please read the following carefully.

We are looking for stories that deftly interweave the Quran and Authentic Sunnah into the plot/storyline but do so in a way that is not overly didactic (i.e., the story can be intended to teach children about the deen but the story should not be dry). We want stories that show characters in situations that children usually encounter and must learn to navigate, but the deen should be central to the character's life and the guiding factor that helps the character solve the problem they face in the story. The characters should love and adhere to the Quran and Sunnah (to the best of their ability) and strive to implement it; however, the stories should be engaging and written at the language, emotional and intellectual level of the intended audience. The dialogue should be authentic and tight, and the characters should be round. We accept fiction and non-fiction; however, non-fiction stories must not contain any ideas/ideologies that contradict the Quran and Authentic Sunnah. And of course, non-fiction stories must also be accurate (historically, scientifically, etc.).

We do not publish the following type of books:

  • Pop-up books
  • Sticker books
  • Historical Fiction

 We do not accept manuscripts that contain or are centred around:

  • Fantasy
  • Magic
  • Music
  • Inappropriate or Islaamically unacceptable relationships

DFB’s Manuscript Submission Process

  • We only accept manuscript submissions by email. All manuscripts should be submitted to dreamforwardbooks (at) protonmail (dot) com.
  • Your manuscript should have a query letter attached in the email as a PDF.
  • The manuscript text should be attached as a Microsoft Word document. Please do NOT send links to Dropbox, Google or other cloud service accounts that require downloads. The links will not be opened. Please do not submit your manuscript as a PDF.
  • In the body of your email, please tell us – in 300 to 400 words – about yourself. Do you have any other books published? Tell us about them. If your manuscript is non-fiction, what qualifies you to write on your chosen subject? Share your credentials with us (i.e., what degrees do you hold that make you qualified in the subject you wrote about, what training do you have that qualifies you to write about the subject you chose?).
  • Please submit only one (1) manuscript per email. Remember to include a query letter and your 300 -400 word bio. with each submission.
  • If ayat are included in your manuscript, please make sure they are accurate (i.e., the surah and ayah number are correct and if typed in Arabic, please make sure the Arabic is correct and has tashkeel). Please also make sure that the English meaning of any Quranic text in your manuscript is taken from a credible source (e.g., Muhsin & Khan, Sahih International). If ahadith are included in your manuscript, please make sure they are authentic. Please also make sure that if you have discussed the tafsir of any ayah in the Quran you check a credible tafsir (e.g., Tafsir as-Sa’di, Tafsir ibn-Kathir). All manuscripts DFB accepts for publication will be checked for accuracy by a student of knowledge.
  • Please do not submit art. If your book will require illustrations, please do not submit or include illustration ideas or suggestions. When and if necessary, DFB will ask you to submit ideas/suggestions or an Art Brief for the illustrator. Please keep in mind that if your manuscript is accepted for publication, we may not ask you for ideas or suggestions about the artwork as that may restrict the illustrators’ creativity.

Author/Illustrators

We do accept submissions from author/illustrators. If you are an author/illustrator mashaa Allaah, please follow the manuscript submission guidelines above and attach two (2) sketches (JPEGs – at least one JPEG should be in colour if possible).

When will you hear back from us about your submission?

DFB’s response time, after we receive your submission, is 4-6 months in shaa Allaah. If 6 months have not passed since you submitted your manuscript, please do not send emails asking for an update or decision about your manuscript. We're a small dedicated team, and we respond as quickly as we can to inquiries but unfortunately, we are unable to answer such emails.

Jazak Allaahu khayran and we look forward to reading your story. Send us your best!