News

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.

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.  

Libraries have been with us since man first began writing. But has the digital revolution made them a thing of the past? After all, so much is available online. Have libraries become too ‘old school’ requiring far more effort than just plugging into a search engine?

There is something magical about paper, but it is something we take for granted. Present in so many forms, from rigid cardboard to toilet paper, it is an integral part of our lives. But what do we know about it? How is paper made? And what makes it so special, especially for those of us who love books. 

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 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. 

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. 

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 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. 

A love of word games inspired the romance we know as Wordle. Josh Wardle, Wordle’s creator, accidently delivered a commercial success and The New York Times has dug deep to join the ranks of Scrabble and Bananagrams.

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 fantasy/sci-fi novels, comic books, kids' picture books, and non-fiction children's books! Submissions are open from 1 May - 30 September 2021.

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.