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Shipping Questions


Sorry about that! Ethicool has signed a major distribution agreement with Publishers' Group West (PGW), the largest book distributor in the world. This means our books are available in all major retailers and bookstores - from Barnes and Noble to Target. If you're still have trouble finding a retailer, though, please contact us for help.

Best take a look at our Shipping Policy here.

During COVID-19, we elected to remove the express option, as many customers were disappointed with almost every freight provider's service. We are monitoring this closely and will resume express shipping as soon as the service level resumes.

If 72hrs have passed and you haven't received a shipment notification, please contact us HERE for priority support.

If your tracking number hasn't been updated and/or you believe your shipment has gone missing, please contact us HERE for priority support.

Your order will usually ship from the nearest Ethicool warehouse to your delivery address.

We have warehouses in:

Melbourne, Australia
Sydney, Australia
Auckland, New Zealand.

You can review our Shipping Policy here.

As of 2022, we now only ship to Australia and New Zealand. Distribution to USA and Europe is managed by our reseller, PGW, who sells our books into all major retailers, from Barnes and Noble to Target.

Yes, we accept returns within 7 days. Our full returns policy can be read here.

Orders are typically picked, packed and despatched within 24hrs, but can take up to 72hrs during peak periods.

Product Questions


Ethicool books are designed in Australia, with sustainable printing taking place in Australia, China and the USA. Papers used are either recycled or from FSC-approved sources.

Our books are illustrated by a number of different freelance illustrators, based all over the world. We are big advocates of the freelance design community.

Our books are typically A4 landscape or portrait in size, giving them the following approximate dimensions:


210 x 297 mm (8.3" x 11.7")

Our books are mostly softcover, printed on 300GSM matte card, with 200GSM matte inner pages. We do also accept special requests for hard cover printing, so please contact us if you'd to know more.

On average, we generally publish 10-20 new books each year.

You can monitor our new release status HERE.

Yes, absolutely. We do our utmost to prevent against paper wastage and the unnecessary use of inks and dyes. We also print primarily on recycled paper and exclusively use soy-based inks. As far as we are aware, we are one of the most environmentally sustainable children's book publishers, based on the strict practices we follow.

Well, kind of. There is a lot of research supporting the cause for getting kids away from screens... not encouraging them to use them even more. Today, books are one of the few tangible experiences that still have a major place in children's development (so many others have been replaced by technology!), so we're keen for this trend to last for generations to come.

In saying this, we will soon release our titles digitally as well - then we're ultimately leaving the choice of medium up to parents. Perhaps a mix of both might be the best option?

One thing's for sure, our "physical" picture books aren't going anywhere for a while, and we'll continue to do our best to produce them sustainably.

Publishing Questions


We cover everything from proofreading and editing, to illustration, production, marketing and distribution. You just provide the story!

Beyond our founding authors' work, we aspire to find at least ten new authors every year.

Gosh, no! We are not a vanity publisher. We handle any and all upfront and ongoing costs once Ethicool has agreed to publish your children’s book.

YES, indeed! Please check out our Manuscript Assessment options right here.

Because we're a values-led organisation, that prides itself on sustainability - there is NO other publisher like us.

In short, almost any way you like - but our popular blog post covers this in more detail.Please ensure you read it and follow the advice given. Please also avoid sending your manuscript as text in an email - it must be attached to the email or have its online location linked.

We currently only publish in English. LOTE manuscripts may be considered in late 2022.

No, we accept manuscripts from authors worldwide, provided they're written in English.

Typically, no. However, if you'd like to submit an illustrated book, these are still accepted.

Yes, we do. Please use the submissions@ethicoolbooks.com email address to make contact and submit your folio to our team. 

In some cases, yes. However, if your submission blatantly doesn't meet our criteria, we are unlikely to respond, given the capacity constraints of our team.

Typically around 6-9 months.

More detail on the earnings process can be found in our publishing blog post

Yes. Occasionally, we run promotions seeking submissions, but don't worry if you miss the submission dates, we accept manuscripts all year round.

Frequently Asked Questions


If you can't find what you're looking for, you can always drop us a line right here.