The business of writing

The Creative Circle of South Africa (CCSA) hosted their first inaugural dinner in celebration of World Book and Copyright Day.

Founder of CCSA, Sharon Ryan, explained that the CCSA event aimed to honour and celebrate proudly South African authors for their courage and commitment to telling true South African stories and contributing to the literary landscape of the country.

The event kicked off with various speakers who spoke of the challenges and opportunities authors in South Africa faced.

According to Ryan, despite the growth of the writing industry, authors were faced with many challenges. “There is little in the way of education and mentoring for new authors, especially on the legalities of publishing, tax implications, distribution, sales and marketing of their works,” she said. Ryan explained that because authors were entrepreneurs it was vital that they were empowered and educated about the business of being an author.

Speaking at the event, Bill Gibson, chairperson of Knowledge Brokers International, encouraged authors to find different ways to repurpose their work by thinking of themselves as a business and not just writers or authors.

Another speaker, Dave Henderson, founder of My eBook, urged authors to move away from the traditional path of publishing and consider digital publishing. Henderson said, “The typical South African author still fantasizes about being taken up by a publisher and appearing in Exclusive Books – that is not going to happen. Following this traditional dream is not just very hard but isn’t in the interest of many authors.” According to Henderson, digital publishing offered the author increased exposure and credibility with just a few clicks, at a fraction of the cost.

Clare-Rose Julius, a distributor at Porcupine Press, added that it was also common for South African authors to sell well online internationally, yet not be recognised in their own country as a successful author. Julius attributed this to the high prices of books and added that although books were a lot cheaper online, it also meant that authors sold more and, as a result, earned more. She encouraged authors to consider book shops as a last option when selling their books.

Details: www.myebook.co.za; bill-gibson.com