Calling all writers: Get your books on shelves

For many aspiring writers, getting a book onto store shelves can feel out of reach, but the upcoming Windhoek Authors Cafe aims to change that.

Presented by Nelao Books, the workshop takes place on 11 April at the Creative Industry Institute Africa, 3 Hugel Street, from 09h00 to 13h00.

Featuring speakers Samuel Mayinoti, an author and ghost writer from Africa Blossom Publishers; Delia Magg-Thesenvitz, publisher and authorpreneur from Nelao Books; and bibliophile Katrina Kriess, the workshop aims to teach writers how to sell their books, covering topics such as costing and pricing, the pros and cons of self, hybrid and traditional publishing, as well as the potential of e-books and print on demand.

Kriess will reflect on the customer perspective, Mayinoti will talk about the publishing environment in Namibia and topics that sell, while Magg-Thesenvitz will focus on the latest trends and opportunities, and an authorpreneurial approach to publishing.

United States-based Namibian author Delina Kambaekua will also attend the event. Kambaekua is in the country and is dedicated to working with and mentoring Namibian creatives. She is the author of ‘Love at First Crime’ and ‘Homage to Motion Pictures and its Institutors’. She was an honoured guest at last year’s eighth African Writers Conference in Lesotho, and is a member of NewFilmmakers of Los Angeles, as well as the creative director of the newly established Kambaekua Creative Media.

Magg-Thesenvitz says she decided to stage the event after her publishing house, Nelao Books, recently republished a historic book, with her contributing by providing context for modern audiences.

“I found it important that these stories don’t fade away. My goal was to preserve them, and I had the entrepreneurial drive to figure out how,” she says. During the process, she learnt a lot and got to know fellow authors. “I realised that we can achieve much more if we share our experiences and start making use of the new opportunities.”

Magg-Thesenvitz notes that new technologies, formats, approaches and business models now make it possible for anyone to publish a book, and make it available worldwide, and that the workshop provides a platform for writers and storytellers.

“Being able to publish a book is not just a personal endeavour. It’s also to do with power, with having a voice and being able to reclaim the narrative.”

The workshop will focus on the business side and how to create a product that has a good chance of finding customers.

“Since funding is scarce, books, like any other product, need to be economically feasible. They need to satisfy a need and be perceived as good value for money, so that people want to buy it,” she says.

Speakers will help writers to put themselves in the shoes of customers, and to think “in solutions rather than problems”.

“Another focus will be on networking, learning from each other, and encouraging peer-to-peer support. The event can also be beneficial for photographers and other artists who want to publish a coffee table book, for example, as well as service providers like editors, printers, illustrators, and translators who want to connect with potential clients.”

Magg-Thesenvitz believes that while writing a book is creative work, selling a book is strategic, and literature has a meaningful role to play in Namibia’s economy. “A good story does not yet make a good product. Design, format, price, availability, and marketing equally matter. The creative industry plays a role in the gross domestic product but that’s not the only value we should look at. The stories we tell ourselves form part of our identity, of how we see ourselves and how others see us.”

She quotes Tanzanian publisher Walter Bgoya, who says: “Indigenous publishing reflects a people’s history and experience, belief systems, and their concomitant expressions through language, writing, and art. In turn, a people’s interaction with other cultures is informed by their published work. Publishing preserves, enhances, and develops a society’s culture and its interaction with others.”

For Namibian writers, the Windhoek Authors Cafe aims to offer a pathway for turning stories into market-ready books. Register at Webtickets or Model for N$220.

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