I spotted in this month’s Writers’ News (published with Writing Magazine, March 2012) that the children’s publisher Tamarind are looking for submissions directly from writers. Tamarind are part of Random House and their ethos is to redress the imbalance in children’s publishing in terms of ethnicity. The main characters of their books are black, Asian or mixed heritage but the subject of the book should be something that all children can relate to. Have a read of their submissions guidelines to find out more; they are particularly interested in mystery, sci-fi and fantasy. You can submit by post or email and should send a covering letter/email, the first three chapters and the synopsis. They also accept picture books that again should fit their ethos, and they also ask that you do not send stories with animals as the main characters. You should also not send illustrations with your picture book. Have a look at the main website to get a feel for their style.
Lou Treleaven 
What is your honest opinion on protagonists that are not white? Do publishers automatically shy away from them? I’d like to write a book with a visible minority as a central character but I want to aim it at a mainstream audience, not a specialty press like Tamarind (no offense, Tamarind).