Getting your book published in south africa

All you need is an isbn international standard book number, which your publisher will get from the state library. Getting a book published, even your first book that sounds like it should be pretty doable, right. We will arrange your isbn from the national library of south africa, and will also have it generated as a barcode for the back cover of the book. The big challenge of writing a book is the book s size. Christian publishers and agents are looking for a manageable way. How many books the average south african author sells. Bookstorm currently only publishes nonfiction titles aimed at the south african market. Writing about spirituality and faith is a noble cause. You might think that the hardest part of being a writer is finishing a book. How to get your books into bookstores and libraries. Get feedback from your facebook friends as to what they like the best, the. Enter information like your books title, description, and keywords. Do you have a manuscript that you dream of seeing on.

Therefore, write your rough draft as fast as you can. The cape town book fair chatted to mousehands simon nye on selfpublishing as part of independent publishing in south africa. Terry morris, managing director of pan macmillan south africa, chatted to tamara lepinewilliams on classic fm recently about getting published in south africa. To assuage these common concerns, we spoke with several top selfpublished authors about what they spent to release one of their books.

Ask your friends, neighbors, family, and coworkersto request the book at their local bookstores. Every published author should make sure that they have both an ebook version of their book, and a print version, but, if youve written a book and you want to get it out to market as quickly as possible while. To publish your book, youll complete three sections. Long walk to freedom is the 3rd most popular south african book. Printing of 100 copies, including delivery costs to a main centre in south africa. Morris says nonfiction is easier to publish in south africa, as the authors will generally already have a profile or established platform, being a journalist or well. Only if you want to get published in the uk and us. But it can be very difficult to get your work noticed and out onto the bookshelves. What you need to do first, therefore, is get your book in rough draft form. Publish a book with penguin penguin books south africa.

If youve written a book centered on christianity or spiritual. Rating is available when the video has been rented. And so it is, but the publishing industry is inevitably pretty complex, and can generate massively different. An excerpt from the good book appreciation society august newsletter. Getting your book published for dummies by sarah parsons. Ideally, youd want to sell your books in the united states or the united kingdom, but thats just a start. The book industry is transforming, which makes it accessible to many new kids on the block, as well as many new players with promises to get your book published for you. Have you written the great south african novel and now need to publish it. Then resist the temptation to sell your book to those people yourself. There are a lot of guides to getting published, like this one, written by basil van rooyen specifically for the south african market.

A few tips on getting published exclusive books blog. At the very worst, this worry prevents you from finishing your book. How to get published as a south african author adele green. Finding and targeting the right international market for your book. Please select a country afghanistan albania algeria american samoa andorra angola anguilla antarctica antigua and barbuda argentina armenia aruba australia austria azerbaijan. A stepbystep guide to getting your book published anywhere in. Being in the industry, we get a good feel for what they. How to find the right international markets for your book. This is by no means a comprehensive list of books about africa, of which there are many, but more just a list of books to give you a taste.

A successful self published south african author who experienced problems you might be having shares her advice and tells you how to take the leap and get your novel out there if youre thinking about putting yourself out there, writing and publishing the book thats been lingering in your mind, but just hasnt seen the light of day, i. How to get your book selfpublished in south africa all. Were dedicated to giving you the very best assistance in becoming a published author. Ive seen many submissions where an author has either sent in no pitch letter, or just a. Getting your book published for dummies is an easy to use reference that will guide you through the publishing industry, introducing you to the key roles and breaking down the various stages. Getting an isbn barcode on your book in 5 easy steps sa. The top 5 mistakes south african authors make when selfpublishing a book. Contact the national library of south africa for an isbn number. Use a written proposal submitted by email check the publishers website for guidelines on submissions do i need an agent. How many copies does the average general book in south africa sell.

The publisher, but it normally reverts to you when the book goes out of. How to write a book in five easy steps by stephen l. Electronic versions of your full manuscript should be in one file and not separate chapters. Our guide to self publishing in south africa shares a list of faqs shows. Welcome to kwarts publishers, your number one choice for getting your manuscript published.

Boutique books self publishing editing publish own. Fiction sales in south africa are very tough, its very small and youre up against every other book in the world. The book is an autobiographical work written by nelson mandela and published in 1995. How to get published pasa publishers association of south africa. Get your book published in 30 relatively easy steps. Heres an extract, but you can check out the full article here mousehand is. The book is showing one of the ways we should follow, us as youth of today. The book has various echoes including senzos wife mandisa meyiwa, his family, friends and chairperson of orlando pirates irvin khoza. What bookstorm publishes we publish a very select range of books for the general reading public in south africa books that will have a market in south african bookshops. One of the major book publishers in south africa of english general books, johnathan ball publishers was formed in 1976 and publishes and distributes books about south african history, current affairs, politics and also some fiction. Our focus is currently on nonfiction books for adult readers. Steps for getting started amazon kindle direct publishing. We publish a very select range of books for the general reading public in south africa books that will have a market in south african bookshops. All you ever wanted to know about getting published in.

How to get published on this page well try to dispel a few myths and offer some helpful hints and encouragement to writers hoping to take that great leap forward to getting published. The big challenge of writing a book is the books size. If youve written a childrens book, youre probably eager to get it. Step two request your isbn number or your countrys equivalent we at sa barcodes can design your barcode for r275. Hi i have wrote a drama book in isixhosa it is called umbono wengomso. First, pin down everything you can remember about the book, plot, character names, time period in which the book may have been published, genre, etc. Top 10 most popular and mustread south african books. We strongly suggest that you read basil van rooyens book get. Worrying about grammar and spelling and word choice at the very least slows you down. How to get published publishers association of south africa. Hardcopy submissions could get lost in the post, and it is easier for. Penguin random house south africa will consider submissions in the following categories. These are all written by more talented writers than me.

The aspiring authors guide to self publishing in south africa. As a retailer, we dont publish books, but we naturally work with the many south african publishers who do. Find out more about from the companies and intellectual property commission cipc or contact cipc on 086 100 2472. In south africa, when submitting directly to a publisher, you will generally submit your book proposal through the publishers. Arielle eckstut and david henry sterry, aka the book doctors, are the authors of the essential guide to getting your book published. And as noted, the big publishing company could still reject your book on a whim. Have you ever wondered what sa publishing looks like from the inside. This has the advantage of getting your books into major bookstores like exclusive books and cna, and if you only have one book, it might be. Kwela books, another imprint of nb publishers, is a small publishing house set up in 1994 that specializes in both fiction and nonfiction african writing. Therefore, ensure your book is outstanding in order to increase your chances of getting accepted by this south african book publisher. Go see the manager and head librarian and give them a copy of your book.

The key to getting your book into bookstores as an indie author is to start locally. Youve just received a shipment of your first published book from your printer or pod publisher. For this reason, im going to share my alltime top ten tips for getting your novel published. The top 5 mistakes south african authors make when selfpublishing. Senzo meyiwa book published south africas rich and famous. How to get published in south africa the reading list. How to get your book selfpublished in south africa all 4 women. Book publishing in general has changed very significantly in the last few years.