MBOMBELA – The HELP-U-Publish.sa writers’ online platform and Groep7 are assisting 11 writers not only to edit and develop their manuscripts but to also build their author profiles, establish a fan base and a following. “We have to make their names synonymous with literature.
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This means helping them to submit their work to literary magazines, even the ones that don’t pay writers. We also push them to enter literary contests, be it for poetry, short stories or novels. Even if they don’t win, getting a mention is enough for their name to linger in the literary space. It builds an author’s profile, which is as good as a CV in the literary world,” Magagula said.
He said the biggest mistake made by aspiring authors is to think that their books will sell like hot cakes once published. The real work, he said, comes after the book has been published. “Established authors struggle to sell over the 300-book mark,” he said.
“The reading culture in the country just isn’t where it is supposed to be. If you are not a celebrity, or your book isn’t about sex and about making a quick buck, it will gather dust on bookstore shelves, if you would have managed to get it there. “Marketing your book should start long before it is published, so that you develop a following of eager readers waiting to devour your book.
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This is one of the tips we offer writers,” he said. Reiterating Magagula’s words, Groep7’s Illette Strydom said it was for that reason that they bought into the idea of working closely with HELP-U-PUBLISH.sa. Magagula explained that he later realised that aspiring writers lacked the information on what to do with their manuscripts after they had completed the writing phase.
“Writers starting out are duped into believing that they will become bestsellers as soon as they publish by predatory presses whose only intention is to fleece them of their hard-earned cash. Often, their books are not edited, and the authors had not been helped to build their author profiles or fan base. As a result, the authors fork out thousands of rand for books that are poorly written, which do not sell outside the scope of family and friends. The authors remain relatively unknown, while the predatory publishers move on to other desperate, gullible writers,” he said.
