Alles boeke!Argief
Tuis /
Home
Briewe /
Letters
Kennisgewings /
Notices
Skakels /
Links
Boeke /
Books
Onderhoude /
Interviews
Fiksie /
Fiction
Poësie /
Poetry
Taaldebat /
Language debate
Opiniestukke /
Essays
Rubrieke /
Columns
Kos & Wyn /
Food & Wine
Film /
Film
Teater /
Theatre
Musiek /
Music
Resensies /
Reviews
Nuus /
News
Spesiale projekte /
Special projects
Slypskole /
Workshops
Opvoedkunde /
Education
Artikels /
Features
Geestelike literatuur /
Religious literature
Visueel /
Visual
Reis /
Travel
Expatliteratuur /
Expat literature
Gayliteratuur /
Gay literature
Xhosa
Zulu
Nederlands /
Dutch
Hygliteratuur /
Erotic literature
Bieg /
Confess
Sport
In Memoriam
Wie is ons? /
More on LitNet
Adverteer op LitNet /
Advertise on LitNet
LitNet is ’n onafhanklike joernaal op die Internet, en word as gesamentlike onderneming deur Ligitprops 3042 BK en Media24 bedryf.

Writers are doing it for themselves

Community Publishing Project press release

In the past five years, fourteen books have been published as a result of grants and mentoring from the Community Publishing Project, a joint venture of the Centre for the Book, NB Publishers, Nasou Via Afrika and now the MAPPP SETA.

Colleen Higgs, manager of the Community Publishing Project says, “The grants and advice we offer mean that writers who are unlikely to get their works published by mainstream publishers have this avenue open to them.” The Centre published A rough guide to small-scale and self-publishing in 2005, which gives useful advice to writers who would like to publish their own work. From mid-2006 it will also be available in four other languages.

The three most recent books are Mafube, a collection of poems in Sotho, and two chapbooks published by Aerial Publishing in Grahamstown: Exposures by John Forbis and As each new year opens by Paulette Coetzee.

The Community Publishing Project, started in 2001 as a way of making it possible for books to be published that otherwise would not have seen the light of day, is changing the literary landscape in South Africa in small but important ways. Writers who have valuable manuscripts which are, however, not commercially viable, now have the possibility of receiving a grant to self-publish their work. The project challenges the idea that self-publishing is second best. As Monde Ngonyama says, “The bread I bake at home is no less important than the bread I buy from the shelf … Given the apathy of publishing literary works in African languages in particular, anyone undermining the self-publishing route would be denying a slice of bread to the hoping hungry weeping child.” Many of the recipients of Community Publishing Project grants have enjoyed the process of publishing as much as the writing, and found it at least as demanding and fulfilling.

For more information about the Project or to apply for a grant, contact Colleen Higgs at (021) 423-2669 or colleen.higgs@nlsa.ac.za. The next selection deadline is 15th March 2006. For this round of applications “we are particularly looking for popular fiction, romances, crime fiction, and thrillers in all languages,” says Higgs.

Go to www.centreforthebook.org.za for information about the books which have been published with CPP grants.




LitNet: 09 February 2006

to the top / boontoe

Send us your comments. Write to webvoet@litnet.co.za and join our interactive opinion page! The letters page can be found here

© Kopiereg in die ontwerp en inhoud van hierdie webruimte behoort aan LitNet, uitgesluit die kopiereg in bydraes wat berus by die outeurs wat sodanige bydraes verskaf. LitNet streef na die plasing van oorspronklike materiaal en na die oop en onbeperkte uitruil van idees en menings. Die menings van bydraers tot hierdie werftuiste is dus hul eie en weerspieël nie noodwendig die mening van die redaksie en bestuur van LitNet nie. LitNet kan ongelukkig ook nie waarborg dat hierdie diens ononderbroke of foutloos sal wees nie en gebruikers wat steun op inligting wat hier verskaf word, doen dit op hul eie risiko. Media24, M-Web, Ligitprops 3042 BK en die bestuur en redaksie van LitNet aanvaar derhalwe geen aanspreeklikheid vir enige regstreekse of onregstreekse verlies of skade wat uit sodanige bydraes of die verskaffing van hierdie diens spruit nie. LitNet is ’n onafhanklike joernaal op die Internet, en word as gesamentlike onderneming deur Ligitprops 3042 BK en Media24 bedryf.