November 2015

I’ve written a novel

Now What?

Call me Ishmael.

THE IMPORTANCE OF A GRIPPING FIRST SENTENCE

JEN SU

From Z to A-Lister AUTHORS MAGAZINE | 1

ditor

A message from the

Mom sent me to Varsity

WITH A FIVE RAND COIN - ONLY...!

My first day at a tertiary institution was a far cry from what I had been dreaming of when I was still in high school. Really now, who crosses the hill by foot on a scorching summer day to get to varsity on their first day of registration? In this instance, I did not have much of a choice. My mother handed me a R5 coin (less than half a US dollar) on that day. I could either pay for the return taxi fare or buy a sandwich while scrambling through the queues trying to secure a place at Varsity. So I chose the food instead and walked up the dusty hill in my rubber flops, white linen mini skirt and skimpy t-shirt. I didn’t really mind. The morning breeze was great, the streets were quiet.

Earlier on that January morning, I was elated! After all, I was an inch away from my independence. Coming from a large conservative Christian family, Varsity seemed like my only escape to experience the world on my own terms, for the first time in my life! I hastily prepared my file with all the documents, said my prayers and went to look for mom to get the registration fee money. She was sweeping the yard outside and asked me to wait for a while. She returned with a coin that was engraved with the image of the Union Buildings. The South African Reserve released it to commemorate the Presidential Inauguration of Nelson Mandela. But to me, it was just a five rand coin, especially that morning. I needed far more than that to realise my dream. Sadly, it was all she had.

Both she and dad had been laid off from work a few years

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back. Tertiary fees were quite exorbitant for a struggling ‘low class’ family.

These past few weeks when students across South Africa revolted to stop tertiary fee increments through the #feesmustfall nationwide protest, I felt a lot of empathy. It took me back to the days when I stressed at the beginning of every semester about Varsity fees. Well, my “partly-loan-partly-bursary” education fund came in handy. It took my ZAR5 coin way further than a lunch sandwich, covering a sizeable fraction of the tuition fee, while the rest was a loan. I used our parent’s house as collateral. I sort of ‘bullied’ them into accepting those terms. Anyhow, I got my qualification in record time. I could not afford to fail the course, otherwise I would probably have had no home to go back to. On graduation day, not only did receive my scroll, I left Varsity with a huge loan debt and the next two years of joblessness.

Nevertheless, I remain grateful for mom’s coin, it gave the determination to win against all odds!

Shalate Davhana

Contents

COVER FEATURE

04

JEN SU

ARTICLES

PUBLISHER Lesiba Morallane ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Sardia Mustapher MANAGING EDITOR Shalate Davhana EDITOR Marion Marchand ASSISTANT EDITOR Joan Hack ADVERTISING COMMUNICATION Dineo Mahloele LAYOUT AND DESIGN Apple Pie Graphics Tel: 079 885 4494 CONTRIBUTORS Melissa Delport Noxolo Chalale Monique Snyman Justin Fox Nerine Dorman Cat Hellisen Cristy Zinn Helga Pearson Tiisetso Mashifare

10 14 17 18 22 24 27 36

HOW TO LAND AN AGENT I’VE WRITTEN A NOVEL, NOW WHAT? ONLINE BOOK CLUBS CALL ME ISHMAEL The importance of a gripping first sentence WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM YOUR FRIENDS The value of writing groups AN INTRODUCTION TO COMICS AN INTRODUCTION TO COMICS FROM INDIE TO PUBLISHED: Part 4 My self-publishing experience

REGULARS A Message from the Editor.........................................................02 Life According to Nox....................................................................13 International Focus Author JT Lawrence..........................................................................21 Justin Fox Mountains of Water and Words....................................................30 On the Couch.....................................................................................32 Recommended Reads...................................................................34 COVER PHOTOGRAPHY Anton Van Straaten - AVS Photography AUTHORS MAGAZINE: PO Box 92644, Mooikloof, Pretoria East Email: team@authorsmag.com To advertise online please email team@authorsmag.com or contact Ms Dineo Mahloele on 084 299 6812 DISCLAIMER The views and opinions expressed in this magazine are intended for informational purposes only. Authors Magazine takes no responsibility for the contents for the contents of the advertising material contained herein.

All efforts have been taken to verify the information contained herein, and views expressed are ont necessarily those of Authors Magazine. E&OE AUTHORS MAGAZINE | 3

Jen Su

by Melissa Delport

Jen Su is one of South Africa’s most unique TV and radio personalities. She is a news presenter on Business Day TV and Sky News ‘The African Business Report’, a radio presenter on CliffCentral for the Gareth Cliff Morning Show, a contributor to SABC3 Expresso, and entertainment reporter for People Magazine’s ‘Out and About with Jen Su’. Jen has also been an actress on the hugely popular drama series Isibaya (Season 1) and on Jacob’s Cross (Seasons 5 and 6).

Jen is a top Corporate Emcee and has been the Master of Ceremonies for galas and launches for major corporations such as HSBC, Mercedes-Benz, CocaCola, Qatar Airways, Telkom, Transnet, G4S, Heineken, DHL, and many more.

She is fluent in English, Mandarin Chinese and Thai, and has also emceed a number of bilingual events for the Thai Embassy and Chinese corporations in South Africa.

Jen is well-known on the social scene, as one of South Africa’s most prominent socialites and A-List celebrities.

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She is an avid traveler, hat collector, and red carpet reporter - from the Cannes Film Festival in France, to the MTV Europe Music Awards in Scotland, to New York Fashion Week, to the BET Awards in LA - Jen has been at the forefront of entertainment reporting.

Jen has been in the field of news presenting with over a decade of experience - in addition to BDTV and the financial report on Sky, Jen has been a prime time anchor for Star News Asia in Hong Kong, a senior anchor for Thai TV Channel 11 Newsline, and an anchor for Good Morning China on China TV in Taiwan.

Authors Magazine is delighted to have interviewed Jen for this month’s cover.

Your relationship with your father was very close. I can only imagine how difficult it must be for you now that he is no longer with you, to share in your success. If you could tell him anything today, what would it be?

I believe that my Dad has always followed my journey, even in death. In the book ‘Journey of Souls’ they talk about the afterlife and I believe that my Dad knows everything that has happened thus far in my life. But if I could tell him anything today, I would say that I miss him so much and I wish more than anything that he could be here with me. I wish I could take him on a tour of beautiful South Africa, and take him on safari!

Tell us about your love of hats.

I am meticulous in crafting each aspect of my appearance and one example of my signature looks are my hats – all 300+ of them. It’s not an Imelda Marcos obsession, but a thoughtthrough element of my style that has added to my distinction and character in endless ways. It all started in my days

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PART OF FOREWORD BY GARETH CLIFF When Jen Su came to our offices for an interview eight years ago I knew immediately that this petite Chinese-American dynamo was going to make a huge impact on the South African social scene. Jen arrived, not knowing anyone in South Africa, impeccably dressed, with portfolio and show-reel in hand. She was confident, talented, experienced, and prepared.

When we launched CliffCentral.com over a year ago, Jen moved over with us, and to this day is still a part of our CliffCentral family. She is a master at networking, a loyal friend, and brilliant at building her reputation in a natural, effortless way. She also loves to take photos of everything – and we can count on Jen to document everything that’s been going on.

On the surface Jen might seem to be just a hat-loving socialite, but if you’ve ever seen Jen anchor the financial news on Sky, emcee a corporate gala, or sing solo with the Soweto Gospel Choir you will be impressed by the depth of her intellect and talent.

And now, in her book, Jen gives a fresh, unique perspective and shares her secrets to success.

Enjoy and be inspired! - Gareth Cliff, President and Founder, CliffCentral.com

in Taiwan as a singer, when I found that hats had a way of covering my forehead and making my face look a bit smaller.

I stood out, I looked cute, and people noticed me. Over time, however, I realised that hats also had a powerful way of changing one’s character to fit the mood or occasion, without having to change every article of clothing.

I could wear hats to reflect my stylish side, my ‘fun in the sun’ side, and even my crazy side. Over time, hats became my calling card and my trademark. I became the ‘Mad Hatter’ from Thailand to Hong Kong to South Africa. Fans sent me hats and fascinators as gifts on my birthday. And now I’m still asked to judge ‘Best Hat’ for major equestrian events such as the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate or the J&B Met. What does it feel like moving countries six times, and having to start all over again in each new land?

It has been absolutely agonising to the point of suicide and depression.

I have no words, I have experienced the very depths of humiliation and embarrassment, and I have also experienced the gratitude of meeting

some absolutely incredible people that have crossed my path in my life journey.

did you learn and what are your most memorable performing experiences?

Do you ever get nervous on the red carpet?

It’s very hectic, and it changes from day to day. It almost always starts early, usually before 6am, and consists of photo shoots, on-air broadcasting for my radio show, TV, press conferences, and evening events which range from small product launches to huge corporate galas.

I started to play classical piano from the age of five and I performed in national piano competitions from the age of eight. By the time I was ten years old, I was practising piano five hours a day, on my own with no supervision.

Neither of my parents nor my brothers were musicians and they did not have to push me to practise. I just had this sense of discipline and desire for accomplishment and perfection that drove me to play those scales over and over again till my fingertips were sore and bleeding. It never felt burdensome, though at times the sound of my friends laughing and playing in the yard outside did pull me off my bench and into a friend’s house or pool. Still, day after day, I found my way back to that piano bench. It was just something I felt compelled to do, and the satisfaction of advancement, of nailing a difficult piece, or performing impeccably at a recital, or winning a national piano competition was the fuel that would drive me further.

What many people don’t realise is that you are an accomplished pianist – when

One of my favourite playing experiences was with the Philadelphia Orchestra

Yes. I’m not nervous if I’m the one walking the red carpet, but I’m nervous when I’m the one who has to interview Hollywood celebrities on the red carpet overseas at a huge event. When an A-List celeb walks down the red carpet, you have a split second to grasp their attention and get that interview, or you miss it entirely. Fortunately, with my American accent, I often grasp the attention of many a Hollywood A-Lister, who usually do a double-take and stop to listen to what I’ve asked!

What does the ‘day in the life of Jen Su’ look like?

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and trumpetist Frank Kaderabek, when I performed the Shostakovitch Piano Concerto No. 1. Another occasion was the U.S. popular morning show ‘The Today Show’. We were selected as a Chinese traditional ribbon dance troupe, which performed all over the nation.

Another thing that many people don’t know about you is that you can sing.

Please tell us about your collaboration with Loyiso, JR, and RJ Benjamin, and also your winning a TV singing contest similar to ‘Taiwan Idols’.

Thank you - yes, I’ve been fortunate to have released five albums in Asia and my collaboration with Loyiso, JR, and RJ Benjamin was a theme song called ‘Rise Up South Africa’, which was part of a national compilation of the top WorldCup inspired songs.

Who have you met in South Africa who has inspired you the most, and why?

Nelson Mandela (who I had the honour of meeting at a press conference in Thailand many years ago), Bryan Habana (his family ‘adopted’ me as their adopted South African goddaughter), Gareth Cliff (he’s been an amazing mentor and friend), and of course my ‘pinkies’ - my close girlfriends Danielle Franco, Peta Eggierth-Symes, and Jill Grogor. I have learned so much from their success. And for the book, the late Reeva Steenkamp was the person who inspired me to finally get my courage together and write From Z to A-Lister: How To Build Your Personal Brand.

What advice can you give aspiring authors on the process of writing a book?

You must be extremely patient and always think in detail. Don’t be afraid of failure!

What is one message you would like to give the youth of South Africa today?

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Follow your dreams and passions!

You are the mom of two boys – how do you manage juggling parenthood with the line of work that you are in?

It is so difficult and you are always feeling guilty. It is truly impossible!

Being a mom has had its fair share of trials. From giving birth, to nappies, to burp cloths (I’ve had spit on my suit many a time!), their first steps, to travelling abroad, and now their coming of age, I’m proud to say that I’ve been there for just about all of their birthdays and milestones. It has been extremely challenging, though, and when you’re a mom who’s also a public figure, and moving from country to country at a moment’s notice, you often feel torn because you can’t be there all the time for your kids.

that people are too busy worrying about themselves and their own looks to worry about you and what you’re wearing. Wear your LBD or suit with confidence and don’t worry if you wore the same dress or suit last week.

Change your accessories, wear a hat, put on a scarf, change your jewellery, change your belt, put on sunglasses.

Many people never like what they look like in photos. Are there some tricks that you can share?

Look at that camera as if it is your best friend. When the camera is right in front of you, look at the top rim of the camera lens when you are being photographed.

It will make your eyes look bigger and more energetic. Looking at the bottom rim or below the camera lens will make your eyes smaller and less interesting.

If someone has to attend an event / gala / launch and their clothing budget is non-existent, what tricks can they use to make themselves look like a catwalk model?

When the photographer is kneeling down and shooting upwards at you standing, it’s important to slightly tilt your chin down so that your face looks slimmer.

Go through your closet and mix and match existing pieces.

The best kind of smile is a bit of a smile, either showing or not showing teeth, not too wide (think Cheshire cat!) and not a ‘half-smile’ either. You need to practise and take a number of photos to find out which is your best side and your best kind of smile.

But let’s say you really don’t have anything and need to buy a few basic items - then buy simple (not expensive) classic pieces that can be worn again and again. For the ladies, look at a simple LBD (little black dress without sequins or embellishments), heels, and an accessory or two. The LBD can be worn over and over, while changing accessories. Try to make sure your heels are as comfortable and easy to wear as possible. And practice walking in them! They don’t have to be sky high – just be sure that your heels look and feel fabulous. Guys should invest in one really good suit in black, grey, or vertical pinstripe, changing the look with different shirts and belts.

The important thing to remember is

You are everywhere on social media.

How can writers make themselves discoverable in this medium?

Blogging, vlogging, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram - you name it, there are so many excellent ways to build a profile for yourself on social media.

As an author your first job is to write something brilliant. And your second job is to connect with the masses and the media. In a nutshell, you need to make yourself, and your writing, discoverable.

What one piece of advice has Gareth

Cliff given you that you refer back to often?

When people criticize you is when you’ve actually made it!

When you emcee for an event what kind of preparation do you need to do?

I’m meticulous about preparing and memorising my emcee script. Nine times out of ten, I will memorise an entire script outright. I am fortunate to possess a photographic memory, but memorising a five to ten page script is no easy task for anyone, particularly when you consider the fact that most scripts require the flawless pronunciation of people’s names in a language that is not my own.

There is no ‘last minute’ with me. Each job is treated with the same rigour and discipline. I’ll pace up and down my room committing the script to memory, thinking about how to make it sound natural and practicing my delivery.

At the event I may seem calm and collected, and this is achieved not simply by controlling my nerves, but by my confidence that my prep work has paid off. An accomplished emcee or presenter always looks comfortable

in his or her shoes. I will never let my confidence in myself overwhelm the need for one hundred per cent focus and preparation.

In between television links, you’ll always find me in a quiet corner going over my lines, thinking carefully about how I’m going to interpret the next lines I will need to say. I’m so deep in thought that people sometimes think I am an unusually quiet person. Actually, I’m just conserving my energy and focusing on the task at hand.

After everything you have achieved already, it seems there is nothing you cannot do, but what inspired you to write From Z to A-Lister: How To Build Your Personal Brand?

Being able to help others in their quest to build their personal brand through detailing the ‘how’ of how I did it, what were my methods, tricks of the trade, and tried and tested tips for success.

What do you hope others can take from your book after reading it?

I hope that I will be able to inspire others to build up their personal brand to the best of their ability, for their own set of personal A-List aspirations. To

anyone who is pursuing their dreams, carving a name for themselves in the social scene, starting over, building their personal brand and social network – this is for you.

I hope that through my personal tale of hardship and challenges, and by sharing my secrets to the way I built my personal brand, I can help inspire you to make it happen for yourself in your own unique way.

In each country I lived in, I was approached to write on this topic, but I was always too insecure or scared of failure to do so. It was in South Africa where I had the immense support of so many of you, that I have finally gathered the courage to make this book come to life.

Always remember that you are not alone in your quest for making yourself into the most amazing brand you can be, and I thank each and every one of you who has crossed my path and helped me in my challenging journey to making it happen.

FUN FACTS: Champagne or Wine? Champagne.

Mountains or Beach? Beach.

Music or Movies? Music.

Hat or Handbags? Hats!!!

Your favourite book: Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger - my all-time favourite classic.

Your greatest achievement to date?

Giving birth to my two beautiful boys.

Jen’s book, From Z to A-Lister: How To Build Your Personal Brand is published by Tracey McDonald Publishers and is available at all leading bookstores as well as on Amazon Kindle.

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One of the things new (and not-so-new) writers wonder about is how to get an agent. Before going into how you get an agent, I’m going to ask you to consider if you really need one.

I used to believe that the answer was always YES, but these days I have changed my opinion somewhat. It really depends on what you plan to do career-wise and the marketability of your books. Authors writing mainly for a small, local market, or writing niche fiction or nonfiction that will only be picked up by a small publisher, are unlikely to need an agent.

However, if you’re writing fiction with international appeal and you want to be published by one of the Big Five publishers (Penguin Random House, Macmillan, Harper Collins, Hachette and Simon & Schuster) then yes, you most assuredly want an agent on your side. There are many reasons for this, but the most practical and obvious is that—except in a few unusual cases—the editors at these publishers will not consider unagented manuscripts. Even if you want to approach smaller publishers who still have an open slush pile (places like Tor), an agent will get you read faster and will be able to submit your manuscript to more than one publisher at a time. They will fight for you to have a better contract and a better advance. Since the advance is likely to be the only money you will ever see from your novel (most books do not earn out their advance), you want someone in your corner.

Agent HOW TO LAND AN

by Cat Hellisen

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Agents in the book industry are aware of all the pitfalls and woolly language used in publishing contracts so they’ll know what to look out for so that you don’t end up signing all your rights away for a pittance. If you go it alone, do at least get a lawyer with experience in entertainment contracts to go over your paperwork before you sign it.

Once you’ve decided that you most definitely need and want an agent to help you take your writing career forward, treat querying as seriously as you would any business transaction.

Know your market and genre—agents want to know you’ve thought about where your maximum sales will come from, and it also helps you to narrow down your focus so you’re approaching the right agents and not wasting your time or theirs.

Look at the books you like that fit into a similar niche as yours and make note of who represents those authors.

Many writers thank their agents in the acknowledgements, but google can also help. Go to http://www.agentquery. com/ and use the search function to find the names of more agents representing your genre.

Building the list of names is the easy bit. Each and every agent will have their own list of requirements for submission, their own open and closed periods, and their own emphatic likes and DO NOT WANTS. You need to pay attention to this and keep records, and it can get very tiring. This is why I would query agents in small batches of two or three a day, usually looking for ones with similar criteria. Please make sure you follow all their guidelines. This is not the time to be cute or to prove how weird and different you are. Many USA agents have similar submission criteria, usually looking for a 250-word story hook (similar to the back cover blurb of a published book), and a sample of the first five pages included in the email body. Only send attachments of the agents specifically request attachments, as unsolicited attachments could bounce you straight to spam.

Before I begin querying agents, I write up my 250-word hook and have my readers help me tweak to make it as “hooky” as possible. Remember that agents see hundreds of these a day, and your story needs to stand out. Avoid clichés and over-used openings. I also

write up a one-page and a five-page synopsis, and use these as my bases to tweak to each individual agent’s requirements. You can query as many agents as you like, and any agent asking for an exclusive period to read should be viewed with a sceptical eye. If you must query an agent who insists on an exclusive, be sure to set a date for the exclusive to end. One month is more than fair. The response rate on queries can be fairly disheartening with many opting for a If you haven’t heard back from us in three months, consider yourself rejected tactic. Some agents will respond to ask for a partial or full manuscript if they like your query, and again, be sure to give them exactly what they ask for.

If you are persistent and your manuscript is up to industry standard and with mass-market appeal (it may take a few rounds of manuscripts before you get there—very few people strike it lucky with their first book) you will one day get that email. THE EMAIL. The one that says, “Let’s talk, what’s your phone number?” If it feels a bit like a really odd date, that’s essentially what it is. The agent wants to get a feel for

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you as a person, whether you’re open to revision suggestions (you better be, if you want to go this route) and some general queries about what else you’re working on.

Obviously, you’re going to be excited if the agent makes an offer of representation, but always, always do your research. You do not want to be scammed, and there are people out there preying on writers and their dreams. You can do background checks on http://absolutewrite.com/ forums/forumdisplay.php?22-BewaresRecommendations-amp-BackgroundCheck and http://pred-ed.com/. There are a few red flags to look out for: if the agent has no sales, unless they are a new agent at an established agency; if they are asking for non-standard

commission percentages (15% is the norm); and if they are reluctant to let you speak to their other clients.

If the full or partial manuscript is with other agents, it is only polite to them (and beneficial to you) to email them and inform them that another agent has made an offer, and ask if they are still interested in the manuscript.

Some agents will ignore you, some will congratulate you, and some might ask if they can also set up a phone call (see?

It’s just like dating, only weirder). You don’t have to rush an answer back to the original agent. Obviously I am not suggesting you string them along, but a week after the phone call to think about a response is completely acceptable.

Speaking to other agents who make an

offer of representation will also help you choose the right agent for you.

While this is a business partnership, you need to feel that your agent is someone who gets your work and who you can work with. Ask questions: how often do they communicate, what are their revision policies, do they see themselves agenting long term?

When you’re happy, you can say your yes and crack open your Bollinger. And while it may take several manuscripts, a good many years, and hundreds of rejections before you get there, remember that dogged persistence is the route for most of us. Don’t worry about those handful of writers who got an agent a week after querying their first book—they’re the really weird ones.

“In many ways, it was much, much harder to get the first book contract. The hardest thing probably overall has been learning not to trust people, publicists and so forth, implicitly” Neil Gaiman English Author 12 | AUTHORS MAGAZINE

LIFENox according to

My Sunday Stories Accident The birds were singing, the sun was showing off the concrete beauty of the Johannesburg skyline, and I had woken up before my alarm went off. It was going to be a great day!

Even the taxi allowed me to flourish in my happiness. It had clean white paint and comfortable seats.

We were going downhill about to yield to the left at the robot, when the car in front of us stopped and our brakes couldn’t keep us from crashing into it.

Even though there were dents and (dramatic) screams, no one was injured, so it was still a great day.

But that got me thinking about all the times we seem to be well kept until we crash.

We seem to be doing okay on the outside, we have it all together, people might even envy us, but we aren’t taking care of our engines, our brakes, our inner selves.

Our perfectly glossed lips can’t utter the things we’ve done when we thought no one was looking, that no one would know. We drive beautiful cars while cruising in laziness and mediocrity. We have the perfect timepiece without peace at that time.

We want people to think we are okay. We want to seem well kept… but don’t be fooled, we will crash.

At some point, the things we don’t fix now will either embarrass us or hurt those around us later.

And what hurts more, is that the same people we are trying so hard to look good for, the ones we attracted with our clean white paint, will find another taxi tomorrow. They’ll comment on its comfortable seats and it might even have an amazing sound system.

So read your Bible, pray every day and cultivate inner beauty, because Revlon and Rolex can’t.

by Noxolo Chalale

Wet

I smiled as I handed my hairdresser the money, and was on my way out when I saw Zwonaka.

I had known her for a while and decided that she was a great human after the few interactions I had with her.

She was getting her nails done and I figured some friendly small talk only made sense. I pulled up a chair, made a comment about her really cool beanie and thought it polite to wait for her.

I waited. Thought about what I was going to eat for supper.

And waited. Planned my outfit for tomorrow but wasn’t too sure which shoes would look best. And waited.

Many many minutes later, we were walking in the direction of my connecting taxi when she said “no, our taxis are there.” I wasn’t too sure. But seeing as we kind of (not really) lived around the same area, I followed. It was late and I was sure it was going to rain.

While we waited for the taxi to get full I sat there thinking I should get out and go to the taxi I knew would drop me 2 minutes away from home. But that might’ve offended Zwo. The last guy came in, closed the door and the taxi went roughly in the same direction. “Roughly” meant getting off at the robot after the turn and walking for 20 minutes.

It was pouring! My new hair was soaked! And Zwo was not to blame.

I had known it was getting late and I was sure it was going to rain.

Just like most of us know what we should do. We know where we should go, but we silence that voice and do what so and so said instead, because we know they’re trying to help and we don’t want to offend them.

Families are broken because so and so tried to help. Careers have been derailed because that mentor said that. Hearts are unable to find peace because so and so said it was for the best.

Stop being so… unoffending.

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I’ve written a novel,

Now What

by Nerine Dorman

You’ve written a novel and, not only have your mom’s sister and your next-doorneighbour’s cousin – who proofreads at an ad agency – read it, but you’ve gone through the agonising process of editing it. Several times. If you look at the document one more time you may find yourself overwhelmed by the urge to stab yourself through the eyes with a ball point pen. A red one. Your Epic Tome of Greatness is ready. Now what?

You’ll be happy to know that you’ve got a number of different options available to you thanks to recent developments in the publishing industry and technology.

The days where you relied solely on the whims of one of the large publishers or struggled with the resources available to a mere mortal to DIY are over.

When it comes to traditional publishing, there are still many folks out there who believe that only a big publisher will give them the validation they require to feel as if they’ve “made it” (however you imagine you measure literary success). However, the experienced reader or book reviewer will also be quick to point out that having a big publisher doesn’t necessarily mean that every book brought out is high quality. The advantages, however, of a big publisher are that you send them your manuscript, and they’ll do

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everything else: provide an editor, have a cover designed and deal with distribution. The downside is that your book might not get the biggest piece of the pie when it comes to the marketing budget. You also don’t get a huge slice of the royalties either. Also, read your contract carefully. Some big publishers include a right of first refusal clause.

This means that they get to see your next manuscript before you show it to any other publishers. It might also take them a long time to decide whether they want to accept or reject said manuscript. I’m sure you can see where this is leading…

That being said, if you’re set on a big publisher, bear in mind that things work slightly different here in SA than they do overseas. Many of the big publishers overseas only deal with literary agents.

Here in SA, most publishers accept unsolicited submissions directly from authors. What this means is that if you want to be published locally, do your homework. See what your chosen publisher’s submissions guidelines are and follow them. Don’t just submit your manuscript willy-nilly in the hope that any publisher will want to publish your memoirs or the riveting account of how you circumnavigated the Klein Karoo on a tricycle. Does this publisher indeed publish what you’re

peddling? Have they published other, similar books? Does your book offer the market something new, something different?

If you’re aiming for the overseas market, you can find literary agents on www.publishersmarketplace or www.writersdigest.com. Take time to familiarise yourself with the agent’s existing clients. Is this person a match for you? Then, follow their guidelines.

The same goes for any large publishers that happen to be available for unsolicited queries or are running an open-door period for submissions.

Different companies will have different query or submission guidelines. Follow them. And before you even get started, learn how to write a tight query letter and synopsis. Mastering these skills will help your query or submission stand out from the crowd. (Some agents get hundreds of queries a day. Ferrealzies.)

Always do a background check for *any* publisher or agent with whom you consider working. There are some people in this industry who are complete sharks, and a background check before you’ve entrusted your baby to a stranger will save you years of heartache later. Be sure to check out websites such as Preditors and Editors (www.pred-ed.com) or run a

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search over at www.absolutewrite. com/forums. Victoria Strauss’s Writer Beware is another valuable stopover (www.victoriastrauss.com/writerbeware).

Big publishers these days are highly selective about which authors they’ll take on due to the high production costs involved. Genres that will do well with bigger publishers will be those that will have the broadest appeal. Think celebrity biographies, politics, thrillers … If you’ve written your memoir, and your only claim to fame is that you grew up in Riviersonderend during the 1970s, chances are not very high that you’ll be picked up… you know what I mean?

Small press publishing has really taken off with the advent of ebooks, which people read either on apps on their phones or tablets, or on dedicated devices like the Kindle or Kobo. Many authors find nowadays that the bulk of their sales are the digital copies of their books purchased off sites like Amazon or Kobo. People’s reading habits are shifting from dead-tree books to digital

and, while I always believe there will be a place for physical books, ebooks are where the action’s at. Many small presses often have a digital first policy, with an additional print-on-demand set-up. This means that books are printed by the vendor (like Amazon’s CreateSpace or Lightning Source) as and when an order is placed. This is a cost-effective solution for small presses who might not have the warehouse space the bigger traditional publishers have at their disposal. Granted, the unit costs of print-on-demand books are often higher than those brought out en masse by bigger publishers, but you should never have to worry about your book going out of print as you would with a bigger publisher, who may have to make space in a warehouse.

PR post publication date. Turnaround with a reputable small press may possibly also be faster than with a large publisher, and some occasionally offer a better royalty share, though it’s rare for authors to receive an advance from a small press as they might from certain traditional publishers.

Also, not all small presses are equal to the bigger publishers when it comes to the quality of editing or cover art that they provide. Their staff might possess oodles of enthusiasm, but they might

Small presses usually offer the exact same services that a traditional publisher would. You follow the submission guidelines and an editor may love your work, and motivate for a contract to be offered. You’ll go through several rounds of editing, and the publisher will provide cover art and, if you’re lucky, some sort of

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not always possess that BA degree to back up their mad editing skills. If you’ve run a background check and the company comes up clean, also dig a little to see how long the company’s been going. The turnover rate in small presses is high, as many realise early on in the game that publishing is not about a literary sausage factory. Even ebooks cost money to make, and there are hidden costs (like paying editors, cover artists and designers). If a press has been around for a few years and they don’t have any dirty laundry fluttering about, then chances are good that they’re stable and might provide a good platform for you to get started.

Genres that are well served by small presses include romance, horror, SF, and fantasy.

Small presses are sometimes also willing to take chances on new authors or novels that are slightly left of centre, and may also be quite flexible in any suggestions you have for cover art, though you may still not always get something you specifically want.

Self-publishing used to have a huge stigma attached to it and, to be perfectly honest, there is a lot of dross out there that’s been self-published. However, if you’re willing to poke about in the stew of self-published authors, it’s quite possible to find some truly delightful gems. Just be prepared to poke around.

Self-published authors who get it right will invest money in hiring a good editor (or they’ll truly and honestly have *mean* self-editing skills). The selfpublished author who gets it right will also shell out clams so that their cover is as good if not better than that of his or her traditionally published fellow.

They’ll go to great pains to ensure that their book is professionally laid out and/ or formatted. The buck stops with the

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author, who has to take on the role of publisher, and either learn design skills or delegate to skilled professionals.

One glance at www. kindlecoverdisasters.tumblr.com will tell you all you need to know about why you don’t want your book cover to look awful. Also, readers may be forgiving of a few dropped words or instances of homophone abuse (some peeling trumpets, anyone?) but if your syntax is awful and your grammar stinks because you were in a flaming rush to be a published author, you’re only hurting yourself. The best advertisement for your novel is word of mouth, and if more than one reader points out certain issues, then you’ve got a problem.

A gold piece of advice to any author is: don’t be in a rush to get published.

Really.

Lastly, I’m going to touch on vanity presses, because I’ve lost count of how many stories I’ve heard from people who’ve been burnt and came crying.

“If I’d known…” or “If I’d listened to you...” are common litanies. The rule of thumb is MONEY ALWAYS FLOWS TO THE AUTHOR. If a “publisher” starts charging you, the author, for assorted “editing” or “marketing” services, RUN. Run as fast as your little legs can carry you and don’t look back. Rather ask around and spend your clams on reputable freelance editors, designers and formatters, and retain full control over your book when you self-publish.

Vanity presses, alarmingly these days also under the aegis of traditional publishers (and with the sanitised term of “cooperative publishing” to make it sound soft and cuddly), exist only to part unsuspecting authors of their money.

The digital age is well and truly upon us, and social media has become the first port of call when searching for anything from plumbing services to wedding cakes. It’s hardly surprising, then, that people have turned to social media to discover their next favourite read.

Online book clubs have sprouted up all over the likes of Facebook, Twitter and other online platforms.

Social media has changed the way people select what to read: it’s word of mouth on a global scale. These groups create a sense of community, providing a safe place where readers can connect with like-minded people and discuss

ONLINE Book Clubs

by Melissa Delport

Digital territory is also a land without borders. Most online book clubs are international, with readers from all over the world coming together and sharing their likes, dislikes, and bookish musings.

While you may lack the personal connection of a traditional book club, you also do not have the frustrating wait that comes with the old-school meetup. When you finish that final chapter, itching to talk about it, your bookfriends are always available, twentyfour hours a day, to talk you through it. To nurse you through your book hangover, or agree enthusiastically that you should have thrown the paperback across the room at “THAT” ending.

every literary topic imaginable.

In January this year, Mark Zuckerberg opened his own online book club, A Year of Books, in which he endeavoured to read one book a fortnight and invited the public to join him. Now, only ten months later, this group has over 490,000 members. Other clubs range from as little as 20 members to anything in between.

The popularity of these clubs can be attributed to a number of things. First, there are no space constraints. Online clubs can accommodate thousands of readers. Sadly, your living room can’t.

Another benefit of online book clubs is that they bridge the gap between reader and author. Many online clubs have such power that authors flock to them like flies to honey, unable to resist the lure of so many potential readers occupying one space. As a result, often you get the answers you seek “straight from the horse’s mouth”. You get to interact with your literary idols, with the people who breathed life into the book you have so enjoyed. This author involvement sets the bar high. How many traditional book clubs can boast they have bestselling authors in their membership?

Now, I am not suggesting that you leave your book club of twenty-seven years for the glitz and glamour of an online group, but there are certainly advantages to doing both. Your traditional book club will give you a literal shoulder to cry on when life’s knocks hit you for six, and the food is always a welcome relief from a night of cooking. The intimate setting and camaraderie of a traditional club cannot be replicated on the worldwide-web, no matter how many emoticons Google may come up with.

Your online book club, however, will be far more interactive, and they don’t mind if you show up in your pyjamas.

In my opinion, the only thing missing, is the wine.

If you’re as much of a book lover as I am, I would recommend both clubs. One can never have too many book friends, or too many book recommendations, right?

LIST OF ONLINE BOOK CLUBS: The Good Book Appreciation Society www.facebook.com/groups/ thegoodbookappreciationsociety

Read Any Good Books Lately? www.facebook.com/groups/RAGBL The Secret Book Club www.facebook.com/groups/ TheSecretBC

AUTHORS MAGAZINE | 17

Call me Ishmael: THE IMPORTANCE OF A GRIPPING FIRST SENTENCE

by Monique Snyman

A first sentence isn’t just a first sentence; it’s the rhythm of a literary tango, it’s the beat conducted to an orchestra consisting of words, it’s the first brushstroke on a blank canvas. Authors often forget that writing is more than just getting words down on paper. It’s a little piece of your soul that you’re capturing for the entertainment of others. Therefore, the introductory sentence should be given the attention it deserves.

If you want to get technical about it, though, think of your story/book in marketing terms instead. For example: your book is a product, and products need to possess certain qualities that entice buyers into handing over their hard-earned cash. This means that not only will the aesthetics of the packaging (cover and formatting), and the sales pitch (back blurb) be important, but also the contents of the product (story). It is thus safe to say that the first paragraph, or more often the first sentence, is where the decision usually hinges for buyers. After all, would you read something that holds no spark of interest or intrigue?

So, what are the best ways to get, and hold, the reader’s attention?

There are numerous proven ways to go about crafting the beginnings of a new piece. Some, especially fantasy and science fiction authors, enjoy drawing readers in slowly. They often begin by giving an overall look at the world they’ve built, before focusing on a particular point of interest. Other genre-

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focused authors tend to start with fullblown action scenes, which forces the readers’ attention from the get-go.

It depends, though, on what type of author you are, and what type of story you want to tell. There is another way, too, which is somewhat unconventional in modern times … the ‘begin-at-thebeginning’ technique. In other words, pull a Charles Dickens on yourself as he did with David Copperfield.

Most editors aren’t as keen on the latter option these days, due to it being too ‘wordy’ and usually badly written, but Charles Dickens is still one of the most

celebrated authors of all times, and his first lines are remarkably memorable.

Think about the opening sentence of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way.”

If ever an author researches first sentences, the abovementioned line will undoubtedly show up in most of the ‘Greatest First Sentences of all Times’ lists. Sadly, the general population only knows the: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” part. That doesn’t matter much, because people, generally, know where it comes from, and can draw a line of understanding when the partial quotation is used, even now. Dickens knew how to set the mood, entice the readers, and give hints of what was to come later; in just one sentence. However, it’s easy to see

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why long, complicated first sentences have fallen out of fashion.

Editors will usually advise authors as follows on this particular matter: A gripping first sentence will be quotable and memorable and timeless.

Take Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen for example: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

In many ways this line, and the unwritten connotations affixed to it, is still valid today. What’s more, it asks questions without actually asking questions: Why is it a truth universally acknowledged? Is it true that all rich men want wives? This, in turn, intrigues the reader, and BAM! Book sold!

There is no right or wrong way to write a gripping first sentence that is quotable, memorable, timeless, and asks questions without asking questions, and still hooks the reader. Many times, it’s just plain lucky if you get to that point, after having spent months writing and rewriting the scene.

Stephen King actually said, in regards to writing first sentences, that: “…it is a little like trying to catch moonbeams in a jar.”

True. So very true!

As an author, you need to realise that you’re pretty much entering a literary lottery every time you get a book published. Either the populace will love it, or they’ll hate it, or it’ll just disappear into the crowd along with countless other pieces by countless other writers. There’s no saying what will happen in the future.

But, with a fantastic first sentence, your chances will improve, and so will your sales.

My advice: Do your research. Stay true to yourself, unless your editor screams nay.

Write, rewrite, practice, and try again one last time. Never say die.

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TEN GREAT FIRST SENTENCES 1. “It was a pleasure to burn.”

– Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury, 1953 2. “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.”

– The Hobbit, J. R. R. Tolkien, 1937 3. “Lolita. Light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul.”

– Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov, 1955 4.

“I was born twice: first, as a baby girl, on a remarkably smogless Detroit day in January of 1960; and then again, as a teenage boy, in an emergency room near Petoskey, Michigan, in August of 1974.”

– Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides, 2002

5. “All children, except one, grow up.”

– Peter and Wendy, J. M. Barrie, 1911 6. “All this happened, more or less.”

– Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut, 1969 7.

“If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth.”

– The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger, 1951

8. “In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since.”

– The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1925 9. “You better not never tell nobody but God.” – The Color Purple, Alice Walker, 1982 10. “I, Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus This-that-and-the-other (for I shall not trouble you yet with all my titles) who was once, and not so long ago either, known to my friends and relatives and associates as “Claudius the Idiot,” or “That Claudius,” or “Claudius the Stammerer,” or “Clau-Clau-Claudius” or at best as “Poor Uncle Claudius,” am now about to write this strange history of my life; starting from my earliest childhood and continuing year by year until I reach the fateful point of change where, some eight years ago, at the age of fifty-one, I suddenly found myself caught in what I may call the “golden predicament” from which I have never since become disentangled.”

– I, Claudius, Robert Graves, 1934

International

Focus

AUTHOR: JT Lawrence

by Melissa Delport

Janita Lawrence is an author, playwright and bookdealer.

She lives in Parkhurst, with her husband and two young sons, in a house with a red front door. She writes every day, in a coffee shop up the road, and she bakes a mean Guinness-and-Chocolate cake.

Her recently published novel Why You Were Taken is a tightly wound and imaginative sci-fi thriller set in Johannesburg, in 2021. The book has been incredibly well-received and has been optioned by the SABC for a radio serial.

Janita attributes her success as a novelist to a love of writing instilled in her at a very young age by her mother, who is incidentally her biggest fan. Brought up on a diet of Roald Dahl, a young Janita began her writing career at the age of 7, when she wrote her first poem. By the tender age of 11, she had written her first novel, dotmatrix style, on canary yellow bond paper.

Janita went on to study Visual Communication at Triple A, majoring in art direction, and was then accepted into the internship programme at The Jupiter Drawing Room, where she went on to win various advertising awards.

In 2009 she opened her online business, Pulp Books: a personal bookdealing service.

Why You Were Taken is not Janita’s first foray into the world of fiction. Her debut novel, The Memory of Water, was published in 2011. She has written various plays for SAFM including The Shelter, Unspilling the Milk, Every Breath You Take, and serials, the most recent being the crime drama Jigsaw. Her short story collection, Sticky Fingers, will be broadcast in the last quarter of 2015.

Janita is currently working on Grey Magic, slated for publishing in 2017, about an eccentric modern-day witch, accused of murder, who must explore her past lives in order to keep her freedom - and find her way back to magic.

EXCERPT: Why You Were Taken Also, food was a problem. She couldn’t run with all her groceries so she has to shop every day. She didn’t like shopping: too many people. Her psychologist said to try online shopping. Everyone’s doing it, she had said. But that would mean giving strangers her address and the hours she would be home. Even if the shop people were harmless, the information could be intercepted.

When she finally built up supplies she would end up throwing them away.

The fridge door would look suspicious: like it had been opened by someone else. An intruder. She would try to work out exactly which food they had contaminated but could never stop at one item. Once the pineberry yoghurt had been binned, the cheddar looked suspect, after that, the pawpaw, the black bread, the SoySpread, the feta. The precious innocent-looking eggs, the vegetarian hotdogs, the green mango atchar, the leftover basmati, until it was all discarded and sealed tightly in a black plastic bag. The dumping of each individual item causes her pain, she so hates to fritter. This happens once a week.

Sometimes she needs to check the cupboards, too. Sometimes it’s not just the open things in the fridge that may have been tainted. She’ll get an idea, a name, in her head, and those things will have to go, too. Last week it was Bilchen. Pictures in her head of factorybots polluting the processed food and then sealing them in neat little parcels, ready to eat. It was as if someone was shouting at her: Bilchen! Bilchen! Like a branded panic attack. And then she had to check every box and packet in her cupboard and toss everything with the Bilchen logo. There wasn’t a lot left over.

To find out more about Janita, you can visit her website at: https://pulpbooks.wordpress.com/

AUTHORS MAGAZINE | 21

With a little help fr THE VALUE OF WRITING GROUPS

by Cristy Zinn

Almost five years ago I walked into a dingy room at Westville library and was surprised to find within a tribe of my people – they called themselves writers.

Bear in mind, these were the days before I felt justified in calling myself that. I would say, ‘I write’ but I would never be so bold as to say ‘I am a writer’, even though I was. This small group, the South African Writers’ Circle, helped me realise that I was a writer purely because I wrote.

Why a writing circle?

Writing groups – whether groups, circles, societies or associations – serve various purposes, the recurring one being encouragement. But there are other reasons too.

Brigitta Simpson, chairperson of the South African Writers’ Circle (SAWC), believes that writing circles offer expertise and support to new writers as well as experienced ones by putting them in touch with the world of writing in every sense possible, allowing them

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to meet with people who share the same passion.

The West Coast Writers’ in Cape Town also have a desire to see writers grow in their craft. They maintain an informal structure so that writers can interact and learn from one another.

Though I have experienced these very things in the SAWC, there are four things that have been the most useful.

Finding your people Fantasy author, Cat Hellisen, when talking about writers’ circles, says that it’s nice to be able to make long term, real life friends who are also writers because they understand you – at least a little. That was exactly how I felt.

These people got me. They didn’t think it was weird to blank out in the middle of a conversation because something had just sparked a story. They didn’t think it was stupid to become obsessive over fictional characters or worlds.

They didn’t bat an eyelid at the fact that I would rather sit at my computer

typing instead of lounging at the beach.

Not only did they get it, they highly approved.

As author Tiah Beautement (co-founder of Short Story Day Africa) says, writing groups are cheerleaders in the writing game. And let’s be honest, there are times during this dream-chasing business that we could use a few good cheerleaders.

Feedback When I first began writing, I thought I was brilliant. I soon found out that it’s easy to be brilliant in a vacuum. I needed a few objective eyes – I needed feedback. Of course when I entered my first SAWC competition for that very reason I was horrified by the feedback I received – because the judge had picked out all my flaws. Once I had recovered from the shock, I realised the critique was all true and I still had work to do. That critique and all the hardto-swallow feedback thereafter was instrumental in helping me grow.

rom your friends Another group I belong to is a much smaller, intimate one which means it’s easier for all of us to read each other’s work. Let me tell you, it’s as difficult to give feedback as it is to receive it but I learned so much in having to be critical of someone else’s work because I began to see my own flaws mirrored there.

As fantasy and horror author, Dave de Burgh points out, ‘I found the writing group I was part of to be incredibly helpful in different ways; the most important way was the non-judgmental but critical feedback I received which helped to not only force me to write better but also to understand when I wasn’t writing as well as I could be writing.’

Both these groups have taught me that there is a time within the writing process to view your writing as art, and a time to view it as work. They help me find that balance.

Networking Another surprising thing about the writing groups I’ve belonged to is the potential for networking. When I first joined the SAWC I knew no one in the

writing world but as I got involved with the business of the circle and joined other writing groups, I began to make contact with all kinds of people in the industry. One of those people was my publisher.

But it’s not only beneficial for authors wanting to be traditionally published.

Fred Felton, a frequenter at the Monday’s at Six writing group, says that he found it a great way to hear about the latest self-publishing news; the best priced, high quality printers, marketing tips and sales advice.

A writing group can be your ear to the ground, helping you navigate both the South African and international book markets, by putting you in touch with the right people. Any writer will tell you how invaluable that is.

because of the generosity I’ve received I want to be able to do the same for others. The SAWC has been a great platform from which I can do that.

Writing groups draw new writers to it, people desperate to learn how to write well and figure out the industry. I don’t know everything but I’m a little further along the road than some, so I can share my experiences and hope that it helps another writer grow. I get to help in a myriad of ways: designing book covers, critiquing a story, giving advice or just general spurring on. I love that most of all.

So no matter where you are in your writing journey a writing group might just be a place where you can grow or give. Either way, I don’t think you’ll regret it.

Paying it forward The writing community is one of the most generous communities I know.

I have never been turned away when I’ve asked for help. A lot of the people I now know I’ve never met in person and yet they are so willing to answer a silly question or critique a story. And

The South African Writers’ College website has a fantastically thorough list of writing circles and groups. You can view it at http://www.sawriterscollege.co.za/ Resources/Writing+Circles+in+ South+Africa.html

AUTHORS MAGAZINE | 23

An Introduction to

COMICS

by Helga Pearson

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So, you love movies and TV series and you’ve read all the Harry Potter books – Awesome! But you’ve never really given comics a chance or known where to begin. Aah, welcome my young novice, let me guide you into the magical world of comics and graphic novels!

Wait, I can hear you saying, aren’t comics for kids and teenage boys?

Maybe historically speaking but today, comics cover such a wide spectrum stylistically and thematically that they are literally for anyone who loves a

good story. Comics are essentially words paired with artwork to deliver a story. The best examples of this are a feast for the eyes and the brain.

Let’s look at the major players in the world of comics. Marvel and DC comics are by far the most well known and have produced an epic array of characters and story arcs over the years. You are probably familiar with many of these characters even if you have never picked up a comic because many of them have been made into

popular movies and merchandise that have become woven into the fabric of popular culture (Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Catwoman, X-men just to name a few) . Other comic book producers include Dark Horse as well as Vertigo which strictly speaking is part of DC but has still produced some of my all time favourite work. There are also big brands outside the U.S, such as the British 2000 AD who have been producing amazing work for decades.

So much to choose from! There are

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thousands of comics and thousand of characters to follow and these are just the major producers! We haven’t even spoken about independent developers and even better, home-grown local talent producing fantastic work right now.

So where to start? Comics are just like books but in a serial format and paired with gorgeous or gruesome, amazing or exciting imagery. So how do you choose a comic book series that right for you?

Much like selecting a book, start with story lines or genres that appeal to you.

Do you watch The Walking Dead? Well, did you know it was based on a comic book series? No? Well go find it and have a look! You like Star Wars? There are thousands of comics based on the Star Wars series just waiting for you to discover. You like weird fantasy? I highly recommend Vertigo’s Fables – Sublime artwork and a storyline that reads like a modern day Once Upon A Time and American Horror Story Mashup.

What about an author you like? Have you read Neil Gaiman? One of the best graphic series of all time, (I’m not biased at all) is The Sandman, written

by Neil Gaiman. Morpheus is the Lord of Dreams, cruelly imprisoned. When finally released, he unleashes a storm of chaos and stories involving him and his siblings. His sister Death in particular is a fantastically imagined character.

What about Lauren Beukes, celebrated author of Broken Monsters and Zoo City? Exciting news recently is that Lauren and artist extraordinaire Joey Hi-Fi are teaming up to create their own comic series.

If you’re into superhero movies from Marvel; Avengers, Guardians of The Galaxy, Thor - well most of those originally started out as comics, which means you have a whole backlist to

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dive into. If you’re a fan of Japanese anime’ or anime characters, there are Manga comics out there featuring some of your favourite Japanese animated characters as well as new ones you haven’t discovered yet.

If you’re new to comics and you’re not sure which format to pick up first, my suggestion would be to start with collected volumes or graphic novels.

These are made up of a number of comics that include one or more story arcs. This is by far the easiest and most cost-effective way to begin your journey down the rabbit hole into comic book Wonderland. Digital comics are also pretty sweet. No delay for delivery and if you have a tablet they come pretty close to reading the real thing. So if you want to try a few, head over to Comixology or Graphicly Comics (there is even an app for these) and download a few of the recommended titles.

Nothing beats the real experience however and even in South Africa we do have a few genuine comic book stores. Reader’s Den in Cape Town is one of the most well known. They even participate in an annual event known as Free Comic Book Day, where visitors can meet the artists themselves and get a real life introduction to comics in all their formats. There is also Cosmic Comics in Northcliff, Johannesburg as well as Outer limits in Melville and the amazing Smallville Comics in Alberton.

In Durban you can visit The Unseen Shoppe in Westville or The Batcave Games n’ Comics in Hillcrest.

If you are interested in comic books and you live in South Africa, this is the best time to be alive! With growing internet access and a community of local resellers and original creators, we have more options than we’ve ever had before. So pick something you like, go do your research online and enjoy.

SHU

UTDOWN

by Tiisetso Mashifane

The five days that was 19 to 23 October 2015 was a watershed moment in Post-Apartheid South African history. Students of higher education institutions from all over South Africa took to the streets of the country to protest after a fees increase was announced and soon a shutdown followed suit. The movement follows after 21 years of a democratic South Africa and while the student movement of 2015 echoed the Soweto Uprising of June 16 1976 – a unique phenomenon took place in terms of how the movement mobilised itself.

Contextually speaking, we find that higher education in South Africa remains economically exclusive and in doing so, education becomes a prestigious commodity. Thus rendering intelligence as something to be substantiated with financial access to keep an individual in varsity. The South African youth that we see today, are dependent on social media and it proved to be a fundamental tool in mobilising the movement. A shutdown of an entire country’s educational institutions is perfect fodder for media outcry and puts direct focus

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on the country and any actions that it might adopt in a time of crisis.

The movement was not orientated by newspaper headlines, radio or television broadcasts but rather by hashtags such as #FeesMustFall, #ProtestAndPass and #NationalShutdown were all the sources you needed to follow what the students from Cape Town to Johannesburg were doing. The information was not being filtered as a secondary source by formal media sources but rather through primary sources from alternative means of information such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat and Tumblr. Social media had a constant influx of pictures, trending topics, tweets, statuses, videos, podcasts, blogs and opinion pieces straight from the ‘horse’s mouth’.

Student leaders stepped up to the plate and took the future into their own hands and while South Africa looked to be set for anarchy when Gil Scott-Heron’s ‘This

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Revolution Will Not Be Televised’ was reconfigured into ‘This Revolution Will Be Retweeted’, the shutdown showed that leadership in South Africa had taken a new form – it has moved away from the historical perspectives of fallen French aristocrats and those of the Apartheid regime. In May 2015, Former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe made a comment on how a shift in action and procedure in terms of youth revolution in South Africa has occurred. “We have gained the freedom to attain freedom” he references pre1994 achievements but recognises that “The new system is born from the womb of the old system and it will bear the birthmarks of the past but the past is something we inherit, the future we create”. In creating a sustainable future, emancipation comes at a price – the recognition that to be ‘born free’ was no longer breaking free from the chains of an oppressive regime but rather to be born from one struggle and into

another.

History was set to repeat itself in two ways –either suppression or success and South Africa’s youth had chosen the latter. They had enough of performing misery and poverty in order to get answers and protesting was adopted as the next course of action and like an audience all that could be done is to watch the country go to anarchy or give the youth their intellectual freedom.

A 0% increase has been reached but South Africa has a huge challenge on their hands in terms of economic structure with government subsidies, institutional autonomy, student demographics and operational fees of Universities. Germany has attained free education and South Africa is looking to do the same. This is just the beginning, the stepping stone, nonetheless, children of South Africa “A luta continua, vitória é certa” (The struggle continues...victory is certain).

Reads recommended

Memoirs of a Born Free: Reflections on the Rainbow Nation

by Malaika wa Azania Malaika wa Azania provides an alternative narrative to the Born-Free notion created by the Rainbow Nation initiative of South Africa. Those who were born into the ‘new’ South Africa were imposed with title but wa Azania counters that notion. She writes a personal account of growing up in postApartheid South Africa and exhibits how challenging the transition from one chapter to the next actually is in the form of a letter to the ruling party of South Africa. Just because the South African space has opened its doors through political emancipation does not mean that economic and social emancipation has been reached. She questions the structures set in place in building the ‘South African Dream’ after the Apartheid regime, Democracy and Socio- Economic standings.

This book is essential in understanding the realities of South Africa’s current youth. It has a stark relevance in questioning why the youth are so disgruntled and are not keeping quiet about it. In University being their first tryst into adulthood, economic and social developments are not something that parents can shy them away from, they research and act on their struggles – refusing to be labelled by a ‘national dream’ and informing the country about blatant realities that must be dealt with and dealt with swiftly.

I write what I like

by Stephen Bantu Biko A South African classic from 1978, I write what I like is the writings, speeches and interviews of Black Consciousness pioneer, Stephen Bantu Biko. The book may date back to 1978 but Biko’s echoes of Black Consciousness ring evermore true in current South African society. Biko’s book speaks of moving away from exploitative colonial oppression and trying to reconfigure social values and independent principles that echo Martin Luther King’s peaceful protest movement in the context of South African thought.

This book is essential in understanding the appeal against oppression of several kinds and maps out mobilisation and revolution methods in looking at Pan Africanist movements and the role of Students in organisations such as the South African Students Organisation (SASO) for instance. This proves fundamental in demonstrating that peaceful protest is a tool that can be utilised to create a unified force from diverse divisions.

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Mountai

TRAVEL

of Water and Words Justin Fox visits the Waterberg Mountains armed with the books of Eugène Marais as his guide.

Eugène Mara

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ains

ais

A poet and a naturalist, Eugène Marais (1871–1936) was one of South Africa’s foremost intellects. He was the first person to make a close study of the behaviour of wild primates and, as a result of his ground-breaking baboon studies, is widely acknowledged as the father of ethology (the scientific study of animal behaviour).

Perhaps the happiest years of his adult life were spent in the Waterberg. He later wrote that these mountains had ‘always been associated with all the wonders of unpeopled veld, and to us who were born and grew up on the outskirts of the wilderness it represented the ideal theatre of manly adventure, of great endeavours… Even now, with invading civilization marching across the hills in seven-league boots, Waterberg still holds its charm.’

Marais’s experiences in the mountains provided material for his two most important works, The Soul of the Ape and The Soul of the White Ant, as well as a series of delightful anecdotes about the natural world that appeared in magazines and books.

As a lover of Marais’s writing, I wanted to track his life story in the Waterberg.

I hoped to visit parts of the berg that were still in the kind of wild, natural condition he would have encountered a century ago. To this end, I knew that the greater Waterberg Biosphere Reserve, and Marakele National Park in

particular, would be ideal.

I left Johannesburg one bright winter’s morning bound for Modimolle, where I met up with Peet Rossouw, a filmmaker, amateur historian and Eugène Marais expert. Back in the 1970s, Peet had made a documentary series on Marais and was happy to share his considerable knowledge with me.

We drove north to the farm Doornhoek, where Marais spent three years researching baboons. After obtaining permission from the farmer, Peet led me into the narrow kloof where Marais and fellow researcher, Alec Austin, lived for long periods in a pair of rondavels.

The gorge was home to a large baboon troop and afforded the two men the opportunity to make round-theclock studies. All that was left of the rondavels was a pile of stones, but Marais’s ghost was certainly present in that beautiful kloof.

A few kilometres down the Mookgopong road, Peet showed me the remains of Rietfontein, the farm where Marais lodged for many years with the Van Rooyen family. Here was the tree he planted, the werf where he kept the animals he studied. The house itself was derelict and vagrants had taken up residence in the empty rooms. It was a depressing place, but I could still feel something of Marais’s restless, enquiring spirit, pacing the long grass and whispering to the wind.

After dropping Peet back in Modimolle, I headed northwest to Marakele.

The national park comprises striking mountain landscapes, its grass-clad slopes dotted with yellowwood and cedar trees, five-metre high cycads and tree ferns. My accommodation was the self-catering Tlopi Camp, a cluster of safari-style tents beside a dam in the

heart of the park’s uplands. The sun set blood red, dusky bats stitched the darkness and a frog orchestra began tuning up. How beautiful are these dark mountains, I thought, and how easily Marais must have fallen for them.

Next morning, I was taken on a tour of the park by Sidney Mikosi. He’s an award-winning field guide and is regarded as Marakele’s bush fundi. He spoke passionately about the geology, fauna and flora. ‘Marais discovered a rare, endemic cycad which was posthumously named after him,’ said Sidney. ‘It’s called Encephalartos eugene-maraisii. Today it’s hot property for plant thieves and the Waterberg has been pretty much cleaned out. I know where you can find a few, but we like to keep it secret.’

That evening, I drove to Lenong View Point. The protea-lined road led up the side of a cliff with sumptuous views in every direction. Baboons were gathered on the summit and I stopped to watch their antics. Had I been Marais, I’d have taken notes, jotting down aspects of their behaviour, how they structured their society, how leaders kept order, and their rudimentary morality, which had somehow found a slightly more complex form in the shape of the primate watching them from the white Hyundai.

I looked out over their shaggy heads across the receding blue folds of the berg. From somewhere came the sound of tinkling water, for these are truly water mountains. Their crags and kloofs, heathlands and valleys, soak up the summer showers, then leak from every pore for the rest of the year, creating an Eden for plant and animal.

It’s no wonder they had held Eugène Marais in their thrall.

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Couch Thabiso Sikwane on the

The corner couch focuses on celebrities - their reading habits and the books that have shaped their lives.

with

by Dineo Mahloele

This month, I caught up with Thabiso Sikwane, one of my favourite people in the entertainment industry. Thabiso is a wife, a mother of 4, business woman, radio personality, swimming teacher, sought after MC and speaker, and a woman after God’s own heart.

I met up with the PowerTalk host to find out more about her relationship with books, her reading habits and how she is trying to encourage children to read.

medium of instruction schools so he would bring home English, seTswana and seSotho set-works. We also grew up with Encyclopedia Britannica’s and have recently been talking about what we are going to do with them now that they are gathering dust.

Share with us your favourite book(s) and why this/ these are so special to you.

I read depending on my mood so my favourites change all the time, but I generally enjoy a short read. Big, thick books intimidate me and I take forever to read them unless they are a collection of short stories. I am yet to finish Long Walk Freedom for that reason! Cynthia Jele Thank you for chatting to us about your reading has made me a huge fan with her witty, true-to-life and habits. Let’s start with a simple question - what do humorous stories. Can Themba and Nat Nakasa are gifted at taking a reader back to an era gone by with a great deal books mean to you? of colour, humour and a range of emotions through the Books are my escape, my “me-time”. Non-fiction also characters’ experiences. Zakes Mda is another favourite. serves as a teacher about life, other people, their experiences or whatever the subject matter is.

I grew up with volumes of Britannica Encyclopedia, cookbooks and lots of Bibles in different languages on my mom’s ‘room divider’ - and they are still there at my family home. What are your earliest memories of books?

Now that you have kids, have you developed a reading culture with your kids? What kind of books do they enjoy reading?

I am not doing as well as I should in terms of setting My late father, Sam Matladi, was a teacher and he an example because I tend to read late at night when taught English at a predominantly seSotho and seTswana they are asleep and even that is not as much as I’d like

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it to be, but I do encourage them to read. Instead of iPads for road trips, they take books and there are times where TV time is replaced by reading time. Our 21-year old loves Christian books by Joyce Meyer and Stormie Omartian. Thato, my 12year old, enjoys humorous books and our 7-year old, Wandi, loves fairytales. When they were younger I read books by Nicky Daly that you get in seTswana and seSotho.

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Being on radio and hosting a more ‘lifestyle orientated’ programme, do you think we read enough as a nation? What kind of feedback do you get about our reading habits?

2015

Authors Magazine would like to wish all NaNoWriMo 2015 participants GOOD LUCK! Writing 50 000 words in a month is no easy feat, but you can do it!

NaNoWriMo

I can’t get a true sense of our reading habits as a nation but I reckon that we can never read enough.

What are your 5 ultimate books of all time?

Two books that I read as a teenager and that taught me about what was happening in our country - Fatima Meer’s Higher Than Hope and Ellen Khuzwayo’s Call Me Woman. We read Bessie Head’s Maru in high school and it was a work of genius.

Three years ago I read Credo Mutwa’s Indaba My Children and I absolutely loved Zakes Mda’s The Whale Crier.

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Reads recommended

Title: Ka-boom!

Author: Gareth Crocker Memoir Description: Gareth has published half a dozen novels, made a horror film, run a 90 kilometre race in which he bled through his shoes, successfully failed to play right wing for Manchester United, attempted the Olympics at 38, wrestled a ghost, been the spokesperson for a company whose head office exploded, been run over by a Honda, survived two almost plane crashes and is currently filming a superhero TV show.

And yet Gareth’s story is also your story. It’s about the small moments and the big events that make up a life. About the few victories and the many defeats, the adventures and the calamities. The missteps and the madness. From his bumbling days at school, to fumbled encounters with girlfriends and disasters on the sports field and in the office … this is a story for boys and men everywhere. And for women, of course, because contained within these pages are vital clues as to what makes the male mind tick (apart from boobs, obviously). Prepare to laugh a very, very lot.

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Title: The Survivor Author: Vince Flynn Thriller, Suspense Description: The brand new thriller featuring CIA operative Mitch Rapp. Rapp is bruised and battered after his time in the Near East but, however high the odds seem to be stacked against him, he always returns ready to risk everything again. But is the pressure beginning to get too much?

Title: After You Author: Jojo Moyes Contemporary Romance Description: How do you move on after losing the person you loved? How do you build a life worth living?

Louisa Clark is no longer just an ordinary girl living an ordinary life. After the transformative six months spent with Will Traynor, she is struggling without him. When an extraordinary accident forces Lou to return home to her family, she can’t help but feel she’s right back where she started.

Her body heals, but Lou herself knows that she needs to be kick-started back to life. Which is how she ends up in a church basement with the members of the Moving On support group, who share insights, laughter, frustrations, and terrible cookies. They will also lead her to the strong, capable Sam Fielding—the paramedic, whose business is life and death, and the one man who might be able to understand her. Then a figure from Will’s past appears and hijacks all her plans, propelling her into a very different future. . . .

For Lou Clark, life after Will Traynor means learning to fall in love again, with all the risks that brings. But here Jojo Moyes gives us two families, as real as our own, whose joys and sorrows will touch you deeply, and where both changes and surprises await.

Title: Make Me Author: Lee Child Suspense thriller Description: “Why is this town called Mother’s Rest?”

That’s all Reacher wants to know. But no one will tell him. It’s a tiny place hidden in a thousand square miles of wheat fields, with a railroad stop, and sullen and watchful people, and a worried woman named Michelle Chang, who mistakes him for someone else: her missing partner in a private investigation she thinks must have started small and then turned lethal.

Reacher has no particular place to go, and all the time in the world to get there, and there’s something about Chang . . . so he teams up with her and starts to ask around.

He thinks: How bad can this thing be? But before long he’s plunged into a desperate race through LA, Chicago, Phoenix, and San Francisco, and through the hidden parts of the internet, up against thugs and assassins every step of the way—right back to where he started, in Mother’s Rest, where he must confront the worst nightmare he could imagine.

Walking away would have been easier. But as always, Reacher’s rule is: If you want me to stop, you’re going to have to make me.

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ARTICLE

FROM INDIE TO PUBLISHED: Part 4

Self-Publishing experiences My

by Melissa Delport

The power of Social Media: Why all writers, both traditionally and self-published, need an online platform.

With the digital age well and truly upon us, anyone who digs their heels in and clings to the old ways, will be left holding the bag. The far reach of social media is a valuable marketing tool, and regardless of how insecure you are and how ‘scary’ these waters may seem, I suggest you strip off and dive in.

For me, the best aspect of online media is that it enables you to interact with your readers in a meaningful way.

Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, allow your readers to feel connected to you and bridges the gap between reader and writer. These channels can also become an extension of your book content. Fiction writers, for example, can bring their fictional world to life on sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

There are a number of platforms that you can use to promote yourself online: Dedicated Author Website: Every author needs a dedicated website – a central hub for their author brand. The site should include your author bio, your social media links, and all your book information, or you can have a separate webpage for your book,

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usually set up by the publisher. You can also incorporate a blog on your website – be it informative or simply for entertainment. As an author, you should have no shortage of content and Subscribers will receive each new blog post via an automated email, direct to their inbox. I will discuss blogs and the phenomenon of blog tours in greater detail in Week 8, but in the meantime, my own website and blog can be found here: http://melissadelport.com.

Facebook: A Facebook page is a musthave for any author and is my personal preferred platform. Smart content posting can help you build a robust fan base, and can be used to rally support for your book and any future projects.

Online competitions and giveaways are also proven to engage your audience and encourage them to share your page with others.

Twitter: Initially I found Twitter the hardest media channel to navigate, and made some pretty big Twitter faux-pas as I came to grips with the do’s and don’ts. I also find Twitter a bit contentious. I have noticed that there seems to be a lot of one-sidedness, whereby people want to gain followers,

but are not inclined to “follow back,” which strikes me as pretentious. I feel that online media is first and foremost for interaction and, as such, if I meet someone on Twitter or they reach out to me, I will generally respond and/ or follow them back. In order to use Twitter effectively, you must use it properly. Make use of hashtags and handles, and unlike Facebook, you can tweet as many times a day as you would like. Each Tweet is limited to 140 characters, so you may have to curb your natural prose.

You Tube: You tube is a purely visual platform, for uploading video. The best way for an author to use You Tube is in the form of a book trailer, promoting your book. The purpose of a book trailer is to tease the content of your book and ultimately convince viewers to read it. Another way that you can promote your book online through You Tube is through video reviews, conducted by legitimate video book reviewers known as vloggers.

Pinterest: Pinterest is another visual discovery tool that people use to collect ideas for different projects through collections called boards. Authors can make use of this platform to pin relative materials about their books,

such as reviews, or tour information. Be creative – boards such as “Dream Movie Cast” or “Soundtrack Playlist” are fun and create awareness and interest.

Pinterest is growing in popularity and is definitely one of the more creative methods of marketing.

Goodreads: I like to think of Goodreads as a sort of “Facebook for readers.” The Goodreads community is comprised of authors and readers, and is the perfect place to garner reviews for your book.

Favourable reviews are the best form of advertising. Word of mouth and personal recommendation are a sure way to boost sales, and Goodreads is the perfect platform for book recommendations. Every author should sign up and register as an author on this site – which is the world’s largest site for reader and book recommendations.

These online marketing platforms are, to my mind, the most important for an author to build brand exposure and develop a fan base. There are many others – Linkedin, Google+, Tumblr and Myspace, to name but a few. It is important though, that you do not spread yourself too thin, and rather select a few that work best for you as an author and focus on those. Do not overwhelm yourself, start with one and once you are comfortable with that, move on to the next.

Tackle social media marketing the same way you tackled writing your book – one page at a time.

Next week I will be chatting about my writing process.

Until then, happy writing! *Originally published on Allaboutwritingcourses.com

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