Free 30-min chat with Marlee
Free 30-min chat with Marlee
We help psychologists, therapists, researchers, and mission-driven professionals create beautiful children's books, even if you've never written one before. You keep 100% of your rights, your royalties, and your creative vision.
10 books published · 10 in progress · 100% author-owned
Our authors come from every corner of the helping professions. What they share is a conviction that their expertise shouldn't stay locked in a journal, a session room, or a conference. It belongs in homes, schools, and hands.
Psychologists, psychiatrists, therapists, social workers, occupational therapists, and other clinicians who want to put evidence-based concepts into children's hands in a form families will actually use.
Working in research? A children's book is a powerful knowledge mobilization tool.
Learn about our knowledge mobilization services →A children's book is a lasting way to expand your reach, communicate your mission, and put something tangible into the communities you serve.
Make complex topics accessible to the children and families who need them most. We work with schools, researchers, and professionals across health and education.
If your idea comes from a place of wanting to help kids by sharing your expertise, we want to hear from you. We're even working on a book with a mortgage broker helping kids learn financial literacy.
Any field. Any topic. Any age.Marlee works with authors who bring at least two of the three. Passion is always required. In practice, most mission-driven professionals walk in with all three.
You care deeply about the children and families your book will reach. This isn't a side project. It's something you feel compelled to put into the world. This one is non-negotiable.
You know your subject. That knowledge might come from a doctoral program, from twenty years in the field, or from lived experience that no degree could teach you. All three count equally here.
You've seen what happens when children and families don't have access to the right tools and language. That on-the-ground perspective is what turns a good idea into a book that actually lands.
Most of the people I work with come in thinking they're not quite qualified to write a book. I'm not looking for writers. There's already a place for them in publishing. I'm filling a different gap. If you show up with passion and either expertise or lived experience, you're not just qualified. You're exactly the author I'm looking to work with.
Marlee Kostiner, FounderOur flat-fee, author-first publishing model means no gatekeeping, no royalty splits, and no giving up control of your vision. Just a partnership built around your book.
It doesn't need to be fully formed. A theme you keep coming back to in sessions, a gap you see in what's available for kids. That's enough to start.
From manuscript and illustration direction to layout, printing, and distribution, Garden Wolf handles the production so you can stay focused on the content.
You own 100% of your rights and royalties. The book lives in schools, libraries, clinics, and homes, and keeps working long after it leaves your hands.
Publishing packages from $3,995 USD / $5,500 CAD · Flat fee, no royalty splits
Every book in our catalogue is authored by an expert who had something profound to say and had the courage to say it. That expertise takes many forms: academic training, years in the field, or a personal life experience that changed how you see the world.
Click any book below to learn more and buy
We don't take a penny from the sales of these books. Every dollar goes straight to the author. We will always support and promote our authors, even after our work together is done.
Working with Marlee has been an effortless and rewarding experience from start to finish. She brought my vision to life with creativity and care, offering thoughtful guidance and support every step of the way. Her expertise, feedback, and encouragement have not only elevated my work but also inspired me to continue writing books that support and empower children and parents.
What started out as a seemingly out-of-reach dream came to reality, largely thanks to Marlee. When I made the decision to publish my first book, I had no idea how much effort, patience and organization it took, but Marlee guided me every step of the way. Her ideas, resources and experience made her the ideal partner in this process and I truly cannot express my gratitude enough!
Collaborating on such a meaningful project with talented and passionate people has been amazing. Marlee, I can't wait for "You Know I'm Here" to be out there too so others can see the magic Jon's enabled us to create together!
Working with Garden Wolf Publishing was an absolute pleasure. Marlee is the consummate professional and an incredible collaborator. She guided us through every step of the process with skill and heart. Anyone thinking of publishing a book would be lucky to have them on their team. It's been an honour to have Garden Wolf as our partner and publisher.
Marlee has always loved storytelling and tends to hyper-focus on details, which made journalism a natural fit. She worked as an editor for over a decade and though she loved it, she nearly forgot why she became a journalist in the first place. To write.
Her penchant for writing started early. She self-published her first book in the 3rd grade, called Crooks and Robbers, written on construction paper and tied together with ribbons. (Yes, she still has it, thanks to a sentimental mom.)
She wrote NaMOOste in 2017, but it gathered dust in her Notes app until the pandemic hit. With a toddler and a newborn at home, she re-evaluated everything and took a leap of faith, leaving her 9-to-5 to build something that combined her craft with what matters most to her.
Today Garden Wolf works with psychologists, psychiatrists, therapists, researchers, educators, nonprofits, and schools. Anyone with knowledge that belongs in children's hands. Garden Wolf also takes on select pro-bono projects for schools and nonprofits supporting marginalized youth.
We don't need a finished manuscript. We need to understand your idea, your audience, and what you're trying to put into the world. A 15-minute conversation is usually enough.
Submit your ideaA free 30-minute conversation where we look at what you're working with and figure out whether and how a book makes sense for you.
Book a free discovery call
A complete guide for therapists, psychologists, educators, and clinicians who are thinking about publishing a children's book and want to understand what they're actually getting into, before signing anything.
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