Costs of publishing a book in south africa

Of course, if you just want to get your book out there, you can always format it for free and selfpublish it on amazon, where itll be available within 72 hours. The shocking number of books the average south african. If youre printing only 500 copies, then this will be a much bigger proportion because youve got to spread that cost over 500 books. Past research on transport prices and costs 1 scope and methodology of this study 2. Why are books in south africa so expensive at the moment. Now is a great time to become an author thanks to amazon, kobo ingramspark and more. Pasa is the largest publishing industry body in south africa, and is committed to creativity, literacy, the free flow of ideas and encouraging a culture of reading. The top 5 mistakes south african authors make when selfpublishing. Selfpublishing has broken down a lot of barriers for writers and dramatically lowered the costs of publishing a book, but there are still some.

Stories are incredibly powerful regardless of whether we make millions writing them, whether people read them or only five, whether we give them. List of best book publishers in johannesburg, south africa, top book publishers in johannesburg, south africa. Boutique books self publishing editing publish own. How to start a record label in south africa bizfluent. Yes, i know that your book took you five years to write. Foremost, with the advent of digital printing, a small number of books, say 50 or 100, can be printed at a viably low cost per copy, and reprinted in small.

Quickfox publishing is your professional book publishing. Stop by our site to learn how much it costs to print your book with 48 hr books. However, new writers considering selfpublishing a book for the first time have lots of questions. A few tips on getting published exclusive books blog. Once or twice a year, in arrears for sales of the previous period. Heres an extract, but you can check out the full article here mousehand is a selfpublishing company, run by simon nye as a subsidiary of readhill publishing. Publishing your book yourself makes sense for a number of reasons. In other words, publishing is a business that incurs high fixed costs. Jonathan ball publishers also act as agents for british and american publishers, marketing. Author solutions has helped more than 180,000 authors publish over 225,000 titles across the globe. We specialise in south african history, politics and current affairs. The cape coast, with the fynbos floral kingdom, is unlike any other place on earth, with plants seen nowhere else, influenced by the collision of the benguela and agulhas currents. The small, even tiny market for locally published books.

Im not aware of any south african book aggregators. Factors influencing the cost of books in south africa south african. Get instant prices for custom printed books and receive a free quote. Very often the answer is to publish both but it does depend on the production specifications of your book and the market you are trying to reach. I was asked recently by an aspiring south african author about the costs involved in converting his book to ebook friendly formats and publishing online. Agents insight into the south africas childrens book. Bumble books, childrens book imprint of publishing print matters, was nominated for the bologna prize for the best publishers of the year africa. The new company, known as random house struik pty ltd, brought together two of the countrys most prominent book publishers under the.

An excerpt from the good book appreciation society august newsletter. Author solutions operates independently and powers partridge along with several other self. Book publishing in africa is a group for bookpublishing and bookselling professionals, as well as media professionals and authors with an interest in publishing and the book trade in africa. For many people, writing the book is the greatest reward, and publishing is more of a formality. As a retailer, we dont publish books, but we naturally work with the many south african publishers who do.

Grade attainment, selfreported ability to read and behavioural variables relating to, for instance, reading habits produce vastly different measures of adult. Quickfox publishing contact us and frequently asked questions. Or if you cant find a publisher interested in publishing your book. Boutique books self publishing editing publish own book layout. Beauty told in 3 chapters, the cape, the subtropical coast, and the desert interior. This book is a contribution to the second approach. The indigenous languages publishing programme ilpp is a sectorial priority implemented by the south african book development council sabdc. South africa, the drc and kenya, all drawn together by one common thread.

The first decision affecting cost for an author to make is what ebook format w. And its this, to return to my initial question, that. Self publishing book costs how much does it cost to. If a decision is made to publish a manuscript, penguin books south africa will make you an offer based on what we believe to be the sales potential of the book in our market. Every year new books are published in most of the languages of south africa, in addition to the classics in languages such as isixhosa, sesotho and isizulu that have had a literary tradition dating from the 1800s. High marketing costs may reduce the profitability of educational publishing, but are also likely to increase the end price of books. There is a recognition that for the effective monitoring of adult literacy, direct measures of literacy are required. Anyone individuals and publishers can publish on amazon, lulu, kobo, smashwords and ibookstore but with ibookstore, individuals can only. Can i publish the ebook with one publisher and the print book with another. Storyline studio is a fun, creative and unique design and publishing studio based in the western cape but operating nationally and internationally.

How many books the average south african author sells. But it also means that you have to take responsibility for the success of your book, and while this can seem daunting to new authors, again in our small market, individuals have relatively easy access to. The market for general trade books is small, and unlike in developed markets, where general books are sold in much larger volumes. One of south africas better known online publishers is crink. Essentially, it lets writers and readers meet each other directly, without a middle man to take up to 90% of the profits. The market for general trade books is small, and unlike in developed markets, where general books are sold in much larger volumes, local sales of 5,000 copies make a title a bestseller. In this book, miriam depicts three contrasting worlds. Geko publishing, south africa, johannesburg, gauteng. In august 2008 random house south africa and struik publishers announced their merger to create a significant new player in the african book publishing industry. You have spent many hours working on your book and to neglect having it structurally edited, and not having the production and printing done by professionals, can prove to be a big disappointment for many selfpublished authors i love books can help you fulfil the dream of seeing your story. South africa has an established book publishing industry centred on educational content.

Home of geko publishing publishers of hintsas ghost, bless me father, sardo dance, in time, bko mag and. The publishing of books and other publications in south africa 2019 report has been added to s offering publishing of books and other publications. The cape town book fair chatted to mousehands simon nye on selfpublishing as part of independent publishing in south africa. As mentioned, in south africa, most publishers will accept a manuscript directly from writers check their websites to see publishers terms and conditions. Make sure you know your competitors and what music genres are in high demand. Through this programme the sabdc aims to stimulate growth and development in the book sector, increase indigenous languages publishing and to support the ongoing production of south african authored. If you already know how to handle every other aspect of pre. Selfpublishing is an established trend that has completely changed the world of book publishing. Quickfox publishing is a leading custom publishing company in south africa. In this section we look at the main players and the main trends in publishing in south africa and the world, explore key concepts like intellectual property, digital rights management, we consider the role of the publisher and examine the educational and economic background to publishing in sa, and explore critical.

Academic books make up the remaining 10% of the south african book market, with around a third of academic books being imported. Printing 1,000 copies of a book costs around r60 each, raise that print run to 100,000 and the cost drops to r15. For a quick faq on getting published in south africa, read this guide from the publishers association of south africa. Publish a book with penguin penguin books south africa. How to get published publishers association of south africa.

South africas industry for the publishing of books and other publications, 2019. You start with a very big one, and noting that one does not go into book publishing to get rich. There are various companies in south africa that provide selfpublishing options both online and as a printed book. The short answer it costs no upfront money at all to selfpublish a book through amazon, either as an ebook through their adp service or paperback through their createspace service. Crink is a digital publishing space, where authors can publish, sell, market and distribute their work in an online customised environment. Have you ever wondered what sa publishing looks like from the inside. If the offer is accepted, a publishing contract containing details of royalty payments and the rights and obligations of both parties will be drawn up. We offer a professional onestop book publishing service, as well as standalone editorial, graphic design, typesetting, production, printing, ebook and distribution services for authors and companies who seek professional input, highquality production, and a team who is willing to go the extra mile. Posts about book marketing written by selfpublishsouthafrica. South africas industry for the publishing of books and. There are profiles of 29 companies, including major publishers such as pearson south africa which is the largest player in the local educational publishing segment, and media24, whose book. The publishing of books and other publications in south africa 2019 report has been added to s offering publishing of. Opening with a joke making the rounds in sas publishing circles, how do you make a small fortune in book publishing.

In south africa s small market, where even bestsellers do not equate to huge numbers of books sold, self publishing makes financial sense. At, jeremy boraine, publishing director of jonathan ball publishers, tried to answer the question why are books in south africa so expensive at the moment. This book is uniquely african in its context and explores themes of identity, both selfimposed and individuated, and that which is placed on us externally. Foremost, with the advent of digital printing, a small number of books, say 50 or 100, can be printed at a viably low cost per copy, and reprinted in small quantities as needed. South africa is a wildly diverse nation with an equally diverse natural world.

Therefore, total cost of printing 100 copies is r5 500. Cost drivers unique to the publishing industry include cost of content i. We took a closer look at the numbers, read em and weep. In this case the author has to deliver a manuscript. No, in many cases the ebook royalty is higher than the print book royalty to compensate for the absence of printing costs. Book publishers in johannesburg, south africa list of. Of extreme importance for any writer who selfpublishes their book is the quality of the end product.

Jeremy boraine, publishing director of jonathan ball publishers responds. The top 5 mistakes south african authors make when selfpublishing a book. Factors influencing the cost of books in south africa. In south africa there has been a surge in publicly funded adult literacy education in recent years.

A few tips on getting published one of the most common questions were asked at exclusive books is. How to get published pasa publishers association of south africa. Welcome to partridge africa, a new supported selfpublishing imprint from author solutions llc. However, all production costs incurred up to that point will be for your account. Prepare a record label application form, licensing and production. Starting a record label in south africa requires a good understanding of the music industry. Depending on the software used and the time you are willing to spend in the process, the answer can be, very little. Or perhaps youre wondering how much does it cost to selfpublish a book. Why youre paying so much for books in south africa the daily vox.