Book News
We have got good news and bad news as far as books go in Johannesburg. As supporters of independent book shops we were saddened by the closure of Boekehuis, a wonderful bookstore to browse, peopled by knowledgable and helpful staff. We believe it to be a short-sighted decision. Boekehuis, in Auckland Park, has been a haven for … Read more
Donate a Dictionary
Thembi Majombozi, a Soweto teacher, was very generously funded by MNET to send a batch of her students to our very first Junior Writers Course – and we’ve kept in pretty constant touch since then. Last year, we, together with Wesley Thopmson who ran the course, decided to donate the proceeds of our self -publishing … Read more
A Year of Writing Dangerously
Welcome to the year of writing dangerously. Why dangerously? Because writing is a risky business. The more honest you are on the page – or your computer screen – the more you reveal about yourself – and the more compelling your writing becomes. We’re not suggesting that you should drag all those skeletons in your … Read more
Publishing month round-up
November, as you know, was the month of publishing – and we invited twenty people involved in it in various capacities to write a series of blogs for us that we posted over the course of the month. The differing views and approaches are wonderful – and all are worth reading . Never before has … Read more
Do judge a book by its cover
Henrietta Rose-Innes on the art of publishing – the book cover. The Heartstoppingly Gorgeous Front Cover: it’s one of the most compelling daydreams for an unpublished author. I know writers who’ve lovingly designed book jackets in their minds – complete with blurbs, endorsements and their own name gold-embossed – long before the book is written … Read more
Enriching Contrasts…..Opportunities
New York psychologist, Christopher Bayer on the joys of living in a neighbourhood that boasts two wonderful bookstores. I live in a wonderful section of Manhattan in the heart of New York City’s Upper East Side known as Carnegie Hill, affectionately named after Andrew Carnegie, one of America’s leading 19th Century industrialists (steel) and philanthropists. The … Read more
A promotional tool for writers – blog tours
Following his own advice David Chislett turns his blog into a destination for other writers to promote their work. Readers will be able to read guest posts from an assortment of local and international authors who will be talking about themselves, their books and their writing. “Blog tours are a big promotional tool for authors internationally,” … Read more
The Publishing Merry-go-round
On a hot summer day in 2006 my Dutch publisher Nijgh & Van Ditmar proudly presented my book Club Risiko in a trendy place on the Amsterdam canals. It was a great occasion, with lots of beer and lots of friends. There were several speeches, and when it was my turn, I said something that … Read more
From blog to book
Q and A with Marianne Talbot who published Keeping Mum: Caring for Someone With Dementia in April 2011. It was serialised in the Daily Mail (circulation circa 2 million, readership c. 4 million), Marianne was offered spots on national radio (BBC’s Midweek and Woman’s Hour) and did a ‘round robin’ of many local radio and TV … Read more
Winner of the November writing challenge and publishing workshop on 7 December
We had a fabulous response to our November writing exercise. The challenge was to write a 250-word story about an abused woman pushed, finally, to react against her tormentor. We were particularly interested in a detailed and precise description of the physical action. This, in fact, proved the most difficult part of the challenge to … Read more
