What Does a Literary Agent Do? A Children's Guide to Publishing (Part Three)

What Does a Literary Agent Do? A Children's Guide to Publishing (Part Three)

Ted Harris
Read all about literary and foreign rights agents, what they do, their influence on publishing, how they encourage literacy, and how they enable change. You don't want to miss out learning about this absolutely critical role within the publishing industry.
What Does a Publisher Do? A Children's Guide to Publishing (Part Two)

What Does a Publisher Do? A Children's Guide to Publishing (Part Two)

Ted Harris
In our last blog we spoke about the relevance of libraries. While we delved into why libraries are still relevant today, we didn't answer the question of "Where do libraries get their books?" So, how does a book enter the public domain (in other words, get into our hands)? Getting an idea from an author’s imagination into the hands of the reader requires careful curating and a host of people are involved, but one of the most vital roles is that of the Publisher.  
Why We Support Local Businesses: Keeping South African Books Lekker

Why We Support Local Businesses: Keeping South African Books Lekker

Ted Harris
There's not much more to it, other than this thought, "How can we expect our readership to buy local books, if we don't choose local first?" We choose to lead the way. 
Kingsmead Book Fair's Young Writers’ Competition 2023

Kingsmead Book Fair's Young Writers’ Competition 2023

Brad Harris
Kingsmead College, a leading girls’ school in Johannesburg, is proud to announce that entries are open for the second KBF Young Writers’ Competition.  Celebrating the talents of young writers across our country, the competition is open to children aged 6 – 18. 
The Science Behind Bedtime Stories for Kids

The Science Behind Bedtime Stories for Kids

Ted Harris
Once upon a time... Those four words hold so much promise for young ears. A time for them to leave behind reality and allow their imaginations to take them to fantastic places, in the safe company of a parent or parents. How many of us remember, with fondness, these words?
Why Do Kids Love Dinosaurs? (Plus Our Fave Five Dinos)

Why Do Kids Love Dinosaurs? (Plus Our Favourite Dinos)

Ted Harris
Big and scary! That's probably the first thing that kids think of when dinosaurs are mentioned. This begs the question, why are kids so fascinated by dinosaurs? There have been some learned opinions given as to why children find dinosaurs so intriguing*, and we dug into the evidence to come up with the most likely four reasons that kids love them. 
What is didactic writing for children

What is Didactic Writing and When to Avoid It?

Ted Harris
Our focus at Imagnary House is on the kinds of stories that children and young adults enjoy. More so than older audiences, children are very quick to pick up when they are being preached to. That's why we would like books to put the story front and centre, to facilitate the development of imagination. 
Kingsmead Book Fair's Young Writers’ Competition 2022

Kingsmead Book Fair's Young Writers’ Competition 2022

Brad Harris

Kingsmead Book Fair launches Young Writers’ Competition - open to all school children in South Africa. Kingsmead College, a leading girls’ school in Johannesburg, is proud to launch the inaugural KBF Young Writers’ Competition.  Celebrating the talents of young writers across our country, the competition is open to school children aged 6 – 18. 

The Comic Conundrum: Are Comic Books Good for Kids?

The Comic Conundrum: Are Comic Books Good for Kids?

Ted Harris
Comic books, in the form we know them, are relatively new, first making their appearance in the 1930’s, having developed from comic strips in newspapers. In current times, comic books are becoming more accepted as a form of literature as well as a teaching tool, despite nagging naysayers. 
kids covid symptoms story book

Coronavirus: A Free Children's Book

Gordon Ritchie
At Imagnary House, we love to support the wonderful efforts of other publishers, authors and illustrators within the publishing industry, especially when those efforts are targeted at relieving the stress of explaining a worldwide pandemic to our children. In this vein, we are happy to guide our readers to the freely available digital version of Coronavirus: A Children's Book.  
Shortlisted: Bologna Prize for Best Children’s Publishers of the Year 2020

Shortlisted: Bologna Prize for Best Children’s Publishers of the Year 2020

Gordon Ritchie

We’ve been shortlisted for the Bologna Prize for Best Children’s Publishers of the Year! The award is of a very respected class in the industry because there are only six publishing houses per year that are awarded with the title (one from each designated geographic area). The Bologna Prize for the Best Children’s Publishers of the Year highlights publishers who are at the forefront of creativity and innovation. 

Our 2019 Call for Submissions

Our 2019 Call for Submissions

Imagnary House
We are a boutique publishing house for kids' books and young-adult literature in South Africa, and we're calling for manuscript submissions. Send us your novels, picture books, and more!