Bunmi Ishola

Bunmi Ishola is a senior editor with Penguin Random House Christian Publishing Group. She acquires books for readers ages 0-18 across the WaterBrook, Multnomah, Convergent, and Image imprints.

The PRH Christian children’s program seeks a diversity of voices from self-identified Christian authors. We publish books that spark spiritual curiosity and expand their spiritual imaginations; help kids develop a deep and lasting love of God’s Word, inviting them to look to Scripture to light their path through life; discover the abundance, joy, and adventure to be found in living out Christian values and virtues; and invite children to ask questions, broaden their horizons, and explore what it means to grow as a Christian in today’s world. [Please note: Content does not have to be explicitly faith-based or have Scriptural content, as we can assume the author’s writing is informed by their Christian faith.]

I’m looking first and foremost for great storytelling. I am drawn to stories that show the intersection of faith with everyday life, books that help kids think critically and holistically about their faith, help families jump-start faith conversations with their kids, or show concrete examples of how God moves and works in the world and our lives. I try to keep an open mind (as you never know what I may fall in love with!) but here are some specific things I am looking for:

• Stories that show how faith and culture intersect / non-Western representation of the Christian faith / how culture can be an expression of faith (especially interested in stories from BIPOC authors and authors with disabilities)
• Stories that help kids and/or teens explore the character of God (love, justice, “the God who sees,” provider, etc.) and how we can emulate parts of God’s character in our own lives and personal choices
• Stories that help kids think critically and develop their faith
• Nonfiction anthology about heroes of faith (within Biblical, Church history, activism/leadership/changemakers) with a unique hook/connective thread
• “Clean Teen” — I personally lean more toward rom-com or contemporary than high fantasy or sci-fi stories, but I am open to light fantastical or magical realism elements
• Fairytale or classic literature retellings for the chapter book, middle grade, or YA reader [needs a unique hook and highlights themes of hope, redemption, mercy, grace, etc.]
• Intergenerational family stories
• Books that guide kids through spiritual practices (e.g. prayer, understanding scripture, devotionals) in playful and practical ways [for ages 5-9, 8-12, or teens]
• highly illustrated novels and graphic novels for all ages (ideally from an author-illustrator, but not required)
• Choose Your Own Adventure style picture book or novel
• Books that touch on social issues like homelessness, food insecurity, immigration, etc. that Christians should care about (See Not Pop-Pop by Angela De Groot or Downtown Doors by Natasha Tripplett as examples.)

I am NOT looking for:

• Unagented submissions. 
• Adult manuscripts. While there are adult editors within our group, I only focus on books for young readers.
• Books that are overly didactic and moral-focused
• Non-Christian faith stories/stories of faith with no Christian ties
• Horror/overly spooky stories (I’m a bit of a wuss, so will only enjoy things that are more spoofy than straight-on scary)
• Fiction with animal main characters  (I generally do not love anthropomorphized characters, or animals being used to get around diversity issues. If animals are going to be at the center of the story, it would need to be done very purposefully, where you couldn’t substitute the animals for humans.)
• Books with heavy racism plot lines.

Submission Guidelines

Submissions should be emailed to bishola@penguinrandomhouse.com

At this time, I only accept submissions from agents. However, non-agented authors can occasionally connect with me through conferences.

For agents, please send a short proposal along with any submissions. The proposal should include: author bio (including some details on the author’s faith background/interest in publishing with your division); previously published work with sales numbers; additional story ideas; and any platform information (social, speaking opportunities, church or non-profit affiliations, etc.) you think would be helpful for our marketing and publicity team to know about.