Member Benefits

The Children’s Book Council (CBC) is the nonprofit trade organization of U.S. and Canadian children’s book publishers. 

The CBC has two distinct audiences:

1. Publishing house employees and their authors and illustrators
2. Teachers, librarians, booksellers, parents, and community leaders

Our goal is to serve your needs and interests by: 

• Making diversity in all ways our #1 priority in all our programming
• Featuring your books in our prestigious and popular national programs 
• Putting your authors and illustrators in the spotlight
• Managing significant national book awards
• Partnering with prominent organizations 
• Providing free resource materials to teachers, librarians, and booksellers 
• Conducting forums for ongoing publishing professional development

Our programs are rooted in decades of experience while continuing to grow in terms of scope, diversity, and outreach — all in support of your book creators, publishing colleagues across all departments, and teachers, librarians, and booksellers coast to coast.

Please reach out to us at cbc.info@cbcbooks.org with any questions about CBC membership (we review emails 5x per day). 
The membership cost is only useful if you have at least five (5) books in print and at least one new book due in 2026. 
Award programs for new books have a $60 per title fee, and you’ll need to mail out books to 10-20 judges. 
Of note, when you email, it is essential to include your website URL and full mailing address. 
Please do NOT attach book covers or book PDFs. Otherwise, those emails will be deleted without an answer.

A Top Ten of what membership offers.

1. Promote your new books on our website in CBC’s monthly Hot off the Press and our themed quarterly CBC Showcase.
2. Submit new and backlist titles for our monthly Heritage, Pride, and Cultural Month book lists.
3. Submit your new books to be read in a diverse array of schools and libraries to create the national CBC FAVORITES awards, our most popular annual program—with voting by children, teens, teachers, and librarians. (Fees apply.)
4. Submit your books for expertly curated Best STEM, Outstanding Science, and Notable Social Studies annual book awards. (Fees apply.)
5. Access to additional CBC awards, including the annual Social Justice, Anna Dewdney Read-Together, Mathical, and Children’s Poetry awards. 
6. Your employees can attend the CBC member-only monthly virtual panels about industry trends and topics for professional development.
7. As a new member, your house will be highlighted in our new Publisher Profile series. 
8. Benefit from CBC’s strong relationships with the ABA, ALA, PW, First Book, the Library of Congress, and others on essential topics and challenges of our industry.
9.  The CBC is heavily involved in the fight against book banning.
10. The CBC also manages the national literacy programs of Every Child a Reader.

For any questions about CBC membership, please contact us at cbc.info@cbcbooks.org (we do review emails 5x per day).

REMEMBER.

• The membership cost is only useful if you have at least five (5) books in print and at least one new book scheduled to come out in 2026. 
• Award programs for new books have a $60 per title fee, and you’ll need to mail out 10-20 copies to judges.
• When emailing, it is essential to include your website URL and full mailing address in your email.  
• Please do NOT attach book covers or book PDFs. Otherwise, those emails will be deleted without a response.

Thank you for your interest in the Children’s Book Council!

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Not sure if you’re a member? You are if your publishing house is. Check out Our Members.