Tag: lessons

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Children’s Books Squared

May 20, 2021-As we continue our theme for children’s book writing this month, we need to talk about an important element of kid’s books; we’re not talking about margins, bleeds, or gutters, although those things are essential and will make or break your picture book, we’re talking about orientation!

Did you know there are hard and fast rules for the type of book that you’re writing when it comes to orientation? You should know what the standards are, especially if you’re self-published. You MUST choose your orientation immediately because this will affect everything going forward. The last thing you want to do is piss off your illustrator and make a change at the end when everything has been formatted and oriented for a specific way. Choose the orientation early based on these guidelines:

  1. Vertical– Character-based books are best showcased this way. A vertical orientation with a big illustration of the main character is an excellent way to draw readers to your book! It also looks great on the shelf in the bookstores. Think Panda the Very Bad Cat available here: Panda the Very Bad Cat Collection! – Pandamonium Publishing House
  2. Horizontal-Books that illustrate a journey are best orientated this way. Stories about a journey through time or an adventure of adoption from the eyes of a puppy! Think Oswald’s surprise by Jake Evanoff available here: Oswald’s Surprise by Jake Evanoff – Pandamonium Publishing House
  3. Square– Instructional books are what’s best for square orientations. Subjects can include potty training, bedtime routines, and how-to. Think Berenstain Bears or Clifford the Big Red Dog books.

There’s a lot to know about writing books in general, but even more to know about writing books for kids!  If you’d like a price quote on how we can help your self-published book get off the ground, we’re happy to help! Send us an email to pandapublishing8@gmail.com for a personalized, free quote.

 

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Guest Blogger, Annie Kittiphanh

May 15, 2020– It’s my pleasure to introduce our guest blogger, Annie Kittiphanh. She is the author of Dealer, a new thriller coming out on July 1st from Pandamonium Publishing House! Let’s hear a bit about Annie in her own words:

My name is Anne-Marie Kittiphanh, I’m 34 years old; I went through a lot of familial adversity & nearly lost my life from a hereditary disease, I had a huge comprehension issue growing up – I had a difficult time expressing myself verbally & literally, I wasn’t even able to write a correct “E” in my name it was the lower case, upside down & backwards(if being illiterate was an understatement & being only 3 years old).

As a toddler I was pulled out of normal lessons of classes to learn how to understand certain words in the English language when I was first taken for special lessons; in my mind, I thought I was in trouble for something I did, later on, I began to understand what I was doing & just went with it – I went from hating school to overly immensely enjoying my literary lessons.

As a preteen I wanted to do something in the medical field, helping people who were not well; giving back kind of thing, like being one of the front line people – someone who gets called to help in unpredictable situations, whether I get praised or not I know that I was doing something for someone.

As a teenager I had high hopes of becoming something or someone in the world, it wasn’t until I got faced with 2 different challenges of a lifetime one involving an older brother who was in a car accident & Lupus S.L.E. that nearly took my life straight from under me; I wasn’t exactly able to write anything down throughout my life, because of fear of what my family would think of me – as my brother’s ordeal got better, my condition slowly became worse.

By the time I was 16 my older brother was better & I ended up fighting for my life, the one thing that helped me get through my darkest year; is the music of my favourite boyband(The Backstreet Boys “BSB”), when I was finally able to get better at 17 I was able to meet the youngest member of the band which helped give me a full recovery; by this point, I was only able to do some writing, mostly diary entries one every day to help with my thoughts – which helped a little bit while dealing with bullying & peer pressure.

The year I turned 20, I did research on what I had Lupus S.L.E & my favourite boyband(BSB); I found out that there was something in common, an older sibling of one of the members had passed from Lupus Cancer – I was able to meet that band member through their foundation(DLF) when I met that band member he gave the biggest sound advice of my life.

When I explained to the band member what I had, he said “You’re strong, you can help others with your story”; after that everything else became history, I began to research fan fiction. I have done lots of visuals, several novels(some lost or deleted); from aspiring Nurse to Author.

I hope you’ll join me in welcoming this remarkable writing to our House! We can’t wait for you to meet her.

Dealer cover