Kannon got into publishing with lithographer Alex Roman in 1958; they named their publishing line Kanrom, a portmanteau of their names. By 1966 they had published 50 titles and were grossing $1.5 million per year. Their publishing was almost exclusively humorous in nature, with the sole exception being Once There Was a President, a children's biography of American President John F. Kennedy. Their first publication was a humorous planner, the Daily Dilly. Their biggest hit was JFK Coloring Book. This satirical adult coloring book illustrated by Mad magazine artist Mort Drucker spent 12 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and moved about a half million copies before being taken out of print in the wake of the president's assassination. Other publishing efforts included a series of books meant to be hung in the bathroom with an attached chain, starting with Poems for the John. Mad magazine artist Sergio Aragonés drew two series of cartoon booklets for them: the Sam, the Ceiling Needs Painting featured couples in the midst of sex depicted solely by the soles of their feet, while the Fanny Hillman series depicted the Jewish head of houses of prostitution.
