Top Book Publishing Companies In SA
In South Africa, the world of literature has mostly carried the “doing it for the love” sentiment. Hence, back then, some published authors primarily found comfort in merely having their manuscripts published.
Although the book publishing sector is still plaqued with evergreen and stifling hurdles, the new batch of authors are creatively and cleverly molding a more viable brand of publishing in South Africa.
Gaining access to a publishing company has become somewhat smoother for most authors, hence there is ample of fresh and redefined content to work with. But also, these publishing companies are led by teams who generally have a tight grip on the empowering trends that are seeping through into the industry.
Whilst some authors still consider pursuing the self publish route, others are highly reliant on having their work and finances handled by the publisher. Different strokes for different folks?
Here’s the list of leading South African publishing companies. Some have been at the helm of having produced South Africa’s bestsellers.
BlackBird Books:
BlackBird Books is mostly recognized as publishers for Sylvester Chauke’s Stand Against Bland, Kuli Roberts’ Siren and The Eternal Audience by Remy Ngamije. The company was founded by Thabiso Mahlape and she continues to spearhead the company to greater heights.
Jacana Media:
Jacana Media spans over an impressive eighteen years in the publishing industry – making it one of SA’s oldest and reputable publishing company. Varied brands of writing can be found in this hub, including fiction, non fiction, travel, natural history and many others.
Pan Macmillan South Africa:
Pan Macmillan South African division remains a lighthouse for many authors in SA. Several iconic authors such as Angela Makholwa and Mandy Weiner have had their manuscripts churned out from this melting pot of literature excellence.
Penguin Books:
Penguin Books also forms part of many respected and credible publishing outlets within the industry. However there are set requirements that authors should abide by, hence not all genres are not accommodated in this company such poetry, television scripts and many others.
Black Letter Media:
Black Letter Media has been in existence for over twenty years. The wholesome company thrives under the leadership of all round storyteller, Duduzile Zamantungwa Mabaso. According to the company’s website, they describe their brand of creative output as follows:
”We work with commissioning editors, writer teams and producers to produce compelling, relevant work.’‘
