Last Updated - Nov 2017

It's a warm and cosy Wednesday evening. Parents are at home with their children, winding down after long day at the office. Not being a parent and arguably not even an adult, I find myself wondering through the shelves at Skoobs Bookstore in MonteCasino, Johannesburg. The thing I love most about Skoobs is that African authors are displayed loudly and proudly. Not just the serious stuff but the fiction authors also have a home on the shelves, something not common in many of the mainstream stores. I digress, the reason for my evening stroll through the BookStore-Within-A-Casino? BOOKSDIRECT.

Imagine for a moment, an initiative to give hundreds of South African youths employment. Keeping the imagination active, imagine a solution to the problem of getting books into far reaching towns scattered throughout the South African landscape, aimed at eradicating illiteracy. Now imagine if these two objectives were also able to empower the under-appreciated African author? (Are you having literary orgasms yet?)

This is a letter I have received from South African author – Francois* - and is published with his consent. It details his experience as a first-time author dealing with the publishing company Partridge Africa. I will leave the letter as unedited as possible and add only comments and clarity where I think they might be needed. (Dave.)

For those looking to educate themselves, click here for further reading on the dubious practices of Author solutions and other vanity presses.