Self-Publishing Handbook Ebook

Self-Publishing

Handbook

Self-Publishing

Handbook

Eunice Rakhale-Molefe

Self-Publishing Handbook

Copyright © 2021


BOOK TOURISM

An Imprint Of

CEM Publishers

info@booktourismsa.com

www.booktourism.co.za

Scribe: Elia Thebe Rakhale

Editor: Victor Mecoamere

Cover Designer: Christo Wolmarans

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or

transmitted, in any form or by any means,

without prior permission from the author or in

accordance with the provisions of the Copyright

Act 1956 (as amended).

First published 2020 JHB South Africa

ISBN 9780620679206

ESP Catalogue

Learner Teacher Study Material

Library Resource (L.T.S.M) Senior Phase.

v


Dedication

To my father and mother, Fume Johannes and

Sebane Elsina Rakhale. My father, who – even

though he was illiterate – had introduced me to

reading by bringing old Reader's Digest magazines

and copies of The Sunday Times newspapers from

his place of employment; and my mother, who

believed in my craft as a writer and made a huge

personal sacrifice to ensure that my vision, both as

a writer and publisher, could happen.

vi


Heritage and Legacy Building Since 2009

vii

Acknowledgments

Contents

Foreword 10

1 ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING

The Ecosystem

2 BOOK WRITING

So, Where Do I Start?

3 BOOK CONSTRUCTION

Guidelines To A Well-Dressed Book

4 BOOK PRODUCTION

Book Treatment Plan

5 BOOK PROJECTS

Innovative Book Launches And

Promotions

19

35

47

60

65

Acknowledgments

Firstly, I want to thank God for the expertise and

the wisdom, with which to execute this

craftsmanship. My creative associate, Christo

Wolmarans, for bringing the book to life with the

cover design. To all the authors who crossed my

path, Cynthia Sesi, in particular, as well as Trevor

Mulaudzi and Sandile Memela; whom I would also

like to thank for entrusting me with their own

written work. I am because you are. Most of all, my

gratitude also goes to literary editor Victor

Mecoamere for ensuring that the words in this

book are well structured, and that the text serves

to convey the message as it is meant to be.

Foreword

T

he following recounts how Eunice and I

had met. I was sitting in my minibus, one

morning, in the parking lot of the Cresta

Shopping Mall in Randburg. I was waiting for a

friend who was on an errand inside the mall. The

car had darkly tinted windows. As I was sitting in

the car, I saw this lady who was passing the car,

and had started looking at the branding on the

sides of the car. A brightly coloured banner was

telling a compelling story about hygiene in public

school, with an emphasis on the cleanliness in

school toilets.

The lady - whom I was to later know as being

Eunice Rakhale-Molefe – not noticing that there

was a person in the car, started walking around the

car and made notes in her little notebook.

Meanwhile, I had just sat there, and watched her,

with great interest. After about ten minutes of

doing this, she had then placed her notebook in

her handbag and had then started walking away,

headed towards the western entrance of the mall.

Then something amazing had happened.

10


After Eunice had walked about twenty metres

from my car, she stopped for some minutes and

looked back at the car. After a few moments of

looking at the car for a second time, Eunice had

then started walking back to my car, and – like she

had done, earlier – she had paced around the car,

once again, and she took down more notes. That

was when I had inevitably felt the need to “engage”

with this lady. I had then opened the window and

asked her if I could be of any assistance. Her

answer had surprised me. Totally. Promptly, and

without flinching, she told me that she was an

independent publisher and was wondering if she

could write a story – in a book, of course – about

“the car and its owner”. I had immediately become

very interested, as I had always wanted to write a

book about my “Toilet Life” – which is the best

way to sum up and tag what had been my lifelong

ambition and ongoing campaign, then, to

encourage public schools in South Africa to

prioritise clean toilets and to maintain an overall

cleanliness regime, so as to achieve the most

desirable behavioural patterns and best academic

results among the learners, and to boost the

teachers’ morale. That was the beginning of the

story writing about my work life.

So far, Mrs Eunice Rakhale-Molefe has

11


successfully published two books about my work

in the area of public hygiene. The following books

are already published:

Environmental Health Practitioner Manual, 2014;

and African Toilet and Sanitation Dialogue, 2017.

It also is worth noting that the two books

mentioned above were not the first books we had

published together. In 2012, Eunice compiled a

Picture Book about my work, which was titled,

School Toilet Dialogue Journal, which was just for my

own, personal use. It is with this testimony that I

recommend Mrs Eunice Rakhale-Molefe of CEM

Publishers to be considered for the Gauteng

Women of Excellence Award. This is also because

Eunice is friendly, competent and a good listener

who will listen to your story, properly, so as to

write a good book about your life. I have seen her

writing numerous other books in front of me;

books which deal with food, poetry and other

human interest and people-centred life stories.

Fhatuwani Trevor Mulaudzi,

University of Limpopo,

11 December 2019.

12

13

Introduction

W

riting is the most difficult and frustrating

exercise on which one could ever

embark. Publishing, on the other hand, is

even more daunting. This handbook is meant for

those aspiring writers who have stacks of little

notes diaries and notepads hidden away

somewhere among their treasured items, and are

hoping for a miracle to have their books published,

one day. Alas, there is no miracle. But there is an

option; that of publishing your own book, on your

own. It is also one route that affords writers to

own their stories and publish these within their

means.

However, whether you self-publish your book

or publish the conventional way – as in relying on

a publishing house to do everything for you – the

process of writing, editing, layout, cover design

and printing remains the same. And selfpublishing

has its own downfalls, many of which

can be avoided. This handbook can help the

writers who choose the self-publishing route to

put the necessary systems in place to get their

manuscripts ready for publishing.

14


However, it requires self-discipline and selfsacrifice.

And the author must be prepared to

invest both their time and money in the book. Hal

Urban, the bestselling author of Life’s Greatest

Lessons, had his success while he was shipping his

book from home, with the garage serving as the

warehouse and his office as the packing room. The

book was published in 1997 and went on to win an

award from the Writer’s Digest Magazine in

August 2000. Within a period of three years,

success finally came for Urban, showing that selfpublishing

can be done, and that – however

daunting this may seem – it can be done!

Publishing my own books came at a time when

I was going through difficulties in my personal life.

After losing my restaurant business, I had some

money that I had invested in a Danish company

that I had worked for, a few years before I had

gone into business. I had a choice of either using

the money to find a place to stay and remedy my

dire situation, or to invest in a business. I chose the

latter and rented a room, sleeping on a mattress

(without a base, on the floor) that the landlord had

offered. This was in Windsor West, near the Cresta

Shopping Centre in Randburg. This was an

extremely dark period in my life, I must say.

15


Yet, it was also the most formative years of my

life; personally and in my publishing business. The

company, CEM Publishers, was established in

2009. Often, people ask me what CEM stands for.

It is my family member’s initials, including my

daughter, Mothei, together with whom we had run

the restaurant business. The aim of the publishing

business is to build and preserve, not only South

African family legacies, but those of other families

across the African continent. And to encourage

Africans to write their own stories and preserve

their heritage. It also seeks to produce authentic

cultural and heritage books that are professionally

designed and can compete in the international

book market.

Finally, the objective of CEM Publishers is to

put in place an ecosystem that makes book

publishing affordable and accessible to all. Since

2009, I have published 24 titles by 16 independent

authors, and one of these – Thembeka Cynthia

Sesi from Dobsonville, Soweto – won the SALB

Award for 2016-2017 in the indigenous languages

category, for isiXhosa Poems. Sesi published her

first book aged 61, and her second book, Isipho

Xhosa Poems Volume II, won the award at the age of

66.

16


Ten of these Twenty-Four published titles are

listed in the Gauteng Education Department’s

Learner Teacher Study Material catalogue as

library resources.

17

18

About

Self-Publishing

The Ecosystem

T

he nature of self-publishing is such that all

the elements must work in harmony; from

the submission of the manuscript, up to

the book launch. If one or two of the related

elements do not work, the whole system becomes

a costly and wearisome exercise. For the elements

to be in harmony, it is essential to establish solid

and sustainable ecosystem. But, first, we must

understand the advantages and disadvantages of

both conventional and non-conventional

publishing.

19


Advantages of Conventional Publishing

This is the traditional way of book publishing

through a well-established company. There are no

publishing fees to be paid up front. Therefore, the

author has no financial obligations of paying for

editing, formatting, book layout, cover design and

printing. Marketing – to a certain extent – and the

book launch are all taken care of by the publisher.

The book sales and distribution tasks are also

handled by the publisher through their booksellers

or distributors.

Through the support of a strong sales team, the

books are offered on consignment to the

bookstores. The bookstores, in turn, later pay out

an invoice to the booksellers or distributors, minus

the unsold copies and fifty five percent (55%)

commission. The booksellers or distributors must

still take their thirty five percent (35%)

commission, leaving the author with ten percent

(10%). The bookstores keep your books for only

six months, unless you are a well-known, highprofile

personality. The author receives an industry

standard royalty fee of between seven percent

(7%) and thirty five percent (35%). The rates

differ as per the format of the book: hardcover –

fifteen percent (15%), paperback – seven-point

20


five percent (7.5%), eBook – twenty five percent

(25%), and audiobook sales – twenty five percent

(25%). In addition, the author is paid an advance.

This is an upfront payment that is decided by the

publisher, based on how many copies the book is

expected to sell, and through which the publishers

would recoup their money. It makes sense, then,

that the publishers will only give the author an

advance if they know that a book is going to be a

success. Lastly, your inclusion in a bookstore

catalogue is guaranteed.

Disadvantages of Conventional Publishing

The publisher is the final decision maker on the

content and publishing process. The author does

not have creative rights of the book for a period

equaling the lifespan of the copyright, which is the

lifetime of the author, plus seventy years after your

death. The publisher must also be consulted on

any future book developments and any other

related projects. Ultimately, the publisher has the

right to decide whether your book can be

published or not.

21


Advantages of Self-Publishing

The author – referred to as the “Indie-Author” in

the industry – has exclusive copyrights rights of

both the content and created product.

The independent publisher does not benefit

from the book sales and there are no royalty fees.

The author communicates directly with the

booksellers or distributors, including uploading

the book on product-selling and book-distribution

platforms like Amazon. The author also manages

and has full access to the book sales, and receives

a “Print Ready” digital copy of the book and cover

from the publisher at the end of the process. This

is for future printing. Ultimately, the decision –

regarding whether to publish or not – is in the

hands of the author. Literary awards and critical

acclaim is not fully open to self-publishing authors.

However, if the work is professional and its quality

is of a high standard, being considered for major

awards can happen for Indie Authors; as with

Cynthia Sesi, as has been mentioned earlier, above.

When you own the rights of your own book, you

can brand it according to your own, uniquely

vision; and you can even customise this to the

needs of your readers.

22


Disadvantage of an Independent Publisher

The author is financially responsible for the

publishing and printing fees and for sales and

distribution, including the book launch. This is

where commitment, self-discipline and sacrifice

come to play. Thankfully, there are now many

independent publishers, like myself; “Indie

Publishers” as they are referred to in the industry;

and authors have a wide range of independent

publishers to choose from.

The Role of An Independent (Indie)

Publisher is, first and foremost, to implement a

book rollout treatment plan that will produce a

professionally designed book that meets the

publishing industry standards. Secondly, to ensure

that the author retains exclusive copyrights to their

content and created work. Finally, the Indie

Author’s role is to provide a publishing imprint to

enhance the book as a business project.

The Markings of a Writer

A passion for reading is the first indication that

there is a writer in you. You cannot write, unless

you read, and read widely. You must also have a

broad knowledge of books and authors.

23


Writers appreciate solitude, and they see this as

an opportunity to create. I know of one local

author who went to Germany for six weeks to

produce their material; Sabbatical leave, as they call

it.

Of course, solitude does not necessarily have to

be that expensive. There are many ways and means

of creating solitude, which do not necessarily

require you to have lots of money. After all,

solitude is mainly a state of being. The ability to

manage time in a balanced way is another critical

factor. In addition, one needs to have a healthy

relationship with money. Self-publishing is a costly

exercise, and the rewards come long after you have

spent the money on the project. One must not

think of the book as a short-term income

generator. However, with a good business plan, it

does pay off, eventually.

Content

The idea of a book comes differently for each of

us, and there is, actually, no formula. This is greatly

influenced by what inspires you. It could be

history, nature, personal experiences or sociopolitical

circumstances? The way you narrate your

story also matters a great deal.

24


This could be done through humour,

dramatisation, teaching in a lecture method, or

using images or themes? It is only a sensitive spirit

and heart that will enable you to recognise the

conception of a book.

Content is what gives your book substance.

However, most writers rush into publishing their

stories. That is, before life has enriched their

experiences, especially the experiences which

could have given them authority over their stories.

Sometimes, it might be a good idea to let your

material simmer a little bit longer, before arranging

for this to be published. Once the idea of the book

is planted in your heart, you could then take a leap

of faith and act on it, without overthinking. Most

authors delay the process by overthinking.

You need to spend time researching your story

and finding out what other authors may have

written about a similar subject. You should also

ensure that you record the details and information,

as and when these creative thoughts arise. Your

story must also bring a new dimension that reveals

a different perspective, thus bringing a new world

of words to the fore. Whatever your intentions,

your book must have the desired impact in the end.

Each new book is supposed to challenge the

25


reader’s mind; be it a leisure book, training manual

or a cartoon. This is what helps to promote

popular reading material. The reader must have the

desire to soak in the information, turning it over,

and over in their mind, reflecting on it; and being

compelled to return to it, over and over again. The

mind-challenging aspect in a book may come as a

flash against the backdrop of life, oftentimes in a

humorous or dramatic way. Also, this might

emerge from a moment of sudden realisation,

inspiration, insight, recognition, or

comprehension. Once this happens, your book

would have achieved the ultimate objective of

enhancing the enjoyment of reading. It is the

aspiration of all authors to reach this level of

writing.

Presentation and Packaging

A good story, which carries a powerful message,

can be easily devalued by poor presentation and

packaging. Therefore, think carefully about the

cover, size, shape and quality of paper, as well as

the layout that is supposed to be made a part of the

package. The cover is one of the areas in which

most Indie Authors fail their books.

26


They fail to recognise that a cover design is a

specialised area in constructing a book, which

needs accurate measurements of the size of the

book, dimensions of the spine, as well as the

artwork and the various, appropriate colour

themes.

Elements of the self-publishing ecosystem

The publishing industry is still dominated by the

discriminatory and unequal political history of our

country. Therefore, the industry is not in our

hands, as Africans. I entered the self-publishing

ecosystem eleven (11) years ago, and this had,

actually, happened to me completely by chance.

The following are the most critical elements of

self-publishing.

1. Printers

The major cost of the publishing process is

printing. Meeting my first printer was a matter of

God’s providence. This had happened through my

graphic designer, who was based in Fourways,

Gauteng at that time and was designing my

restaurant menus. Having worked closely on the

designs, the designer and I were on good, friendly

terms. On this day, the he had enquired after my

wellbeing and about the business, as had become

27


usual between us each time we met. Well, let us just

say that he had received what he had not been

anticipating, as I had poured my troubled soul

onto the poor designer. He had asked me a

pertinent question on how I was dealing with all

my related problems; and I had then answered him

in this pointed manner, “I want to write the pain

away”.

He then got excited, because, as he had

explained, albeit in a question, “Did you know that

our company’s head office is very big in book

printing?” By the time I had left the printing shop,

he had already secured me an appointment with his

company’s head office, and had also given me

directions. This was in 2010.

Indeed, his company’s director was also keen to

see me. After I had presented my case regarding

the vision I had for my own publishing company,

the director had politely explained to me that – as

book printing was an expensive business – they

were only working with companies that could print

big volumes of a minimum of 500 copies per print

run. With the “cashed-in investment” that I have

already spoken about in the introduction, I knew I

that could manage, financially. I got the printing

agreement.

28


The director had then duly assigned me the selfsame

designer and a sales representative from his

office, together with whom I would be working. I

already had their book design software, which I

had already been training myself to use. So, there I

was, me and my troubled life, sitting in a

boardroom, and pitching the vision which was

more like a pipedream at this stage, and being

taken seriously by the chief executive officer of

such a huge company. This was truly God’s

providence! Subsequent to this relationship, I had

produced a series of Coffee Table Heritage Books.

As the business had grown, so had the content

of my books, and the quality of authored materials.

Also, I had soon moved on to the printers who

were specialising in different types of formatting,

and who could also offer me scaled volumes

according to what my authors could afford,

ranging from 100, 1000, 500, to 10,000 or more

copies per print run. With this growth also came

the challenge of keeping the printing costs down,

without compromising on the quality of paper and

binding. I am not going to torture you by narrating

my bad experiences regarding the area of printing,

suffice to say I have learnt a lot from the many

costly mistakes I made along the way. And have

finally found a good printer with whom I have

29


established a solid working relationship. It is

through social media that I was led to the next

publishing ecosystem.

2. The Cover Designer and Illustrator

Until I was able to connect with my cover designer,

cover design was a hit and miss affair, especially

with several graphic designers (whom I had

thought were cover designers). I had not met my

cover designer in person. He had been

communicating with me via Linked-In, after he

had sent me an impressive biography and his scope

of work, from Cape Town. He is an esteemed

designer who has worked for an international

publishing company, as both a cover designer and

illustrator. Through him, I was able to learn the

finer details of cover design and the significance of

each different detail on a book’s cover. Once

again, God’s Providence had made a crucial

resource available to me, at just the right time; and

this, without me knowing that this was what I had

needed the most.

The cover speaks, not only to the readers, but

to the booksellers and bookstores, as well; and it is

among the aspects to which your average graphic

designer does not pay attention, and might not be

able to ensure that these are emphasised. The

30


cover designer must also be someone who can

understand the brief in a way that you may have

envisioned, and be able to design the cover in line

with the book’s narrative, or storyline. Therefore,

the cover design is another key element in the

ecosystem. Now that I had a printer and a

designer, I now needed a delivery system.

3. Courier System

Having worked with this company for a long time

through one of my suppliers, I now had a good

relationship with the driver who had been assigned

to my area. He was a methodical person, who used

to pay attention to all the important details. While

he was briefing me on the specifications on a

specific delivery, he also expected me to have my

ducks in a row. I was impressed by his service and

had then asked him if it were possible for his

company to service my business. He gave me the

contact person for opening an account, and I have

been with the same courier company since then.

This was in 2014. Book publishing, like so many

other functions of production, works on tight

timelines, schedules and deadlines. Unless you

have a good delivery system in place, the process

becomes more stressful and tedious than it already

is.

31


4. Sales And Distribution

This is the most important, yet difficult part of the

book publishing ecosystem. Unless you are able to

sell your books through the mainstream

bookstores, then the business is not worth it.

Bookstores work through their own preferred

booksellers.

You are supposed to work through these

designated booksellers to be on these bookstores’

shelves. It is, therefore, a matter of building

relationships, once again, and am still in the

process of achieving, and perfecting this. My

vision is to ultimately be one of the preferred

suppliers to the mainstream bookstores. And it is

doable. Amazon and Kindle provide a viable

alternative. Part of my publishing package is for

authors to be able to upload their books on

Amazon, and we have been successful in this

regard.

School Libraries: Through the department of

Gauteng Department of Basic Education and

Training, the CEM Publishers’ books have been

evaluated and accepted as library resources. The

criteria for evaluating books is stringent, and it is

for this reason that I had to establish a formidable

editorial and designing team.

32


I am looking forward to working with other

provinces as the business grows; and my next stop

is Limpopo.

33

34

2

Book Writing

So, Where Do I Start?

B

y Doing Exactly That: Writing!

Start off by writing while the idea is still

vivid in your memory. Give the idea a

backdrop by describing the location; starting with

the time, and expanding towards the other

nuances; like the meal you were having, then, and

perhaps, even mentioning the related occasion.

What you write does not have to be long; about

200 to 500 words minimum, per entry.

Do the word count and ensure that you have

numbered your pages, appropriately. Then file the

document in a special folder that will be used for

35


all the information which would be related to the

unfolding manuscript. Your entries do not have to

be necessarily relatable; sometimes, these might

not even make sense. Repeat the exercise of a daily

entry, until you are disciplined enough in managing

your writing time. In about six (6) to twelve (12)

weeks, your word count should be around 12 000

words, or more.

At this stage, you should read through the

whole document, using the Word Read Aloud Tab

and also attend to any grammatical errors. With a

word count of 10 000 to 20 000 words, your

manuscript is ready for publishing. And, now, the

key would be in reading aloud as you go along.

Most writers just want to pour their hearts out,

without revisiting what may have been in their

thoughts. Each time you read what you have

written, the quality of your work improves.

The Scribe

In preserving family legacies and heritage,

consultation has to be made with the relevant

people with first-hand knowledge to verify the

facts. This information must be written down or

recorded with relevant places, dates and times;

indicating where the storytelling took place.

36


This can be easily achieved without any of our

modern-day gadgets. But, first there must be the

scribe and each family has got one. That is how

God structured families to create lasting legacies.

By building the present upon the history of those

that came before us through genealogy.

This we see in the story of our Lord Jesus Christ

as narrated by Matthew in his book of the same

title in the new testament. He makes sure that as

we read his account of the birth, life, death and

resurrection of Jesus, we see the connection with

everything that has gone before. Better still,

Matthew tells the story in such a way that not only

is everything previous to us completed in Jesus; we

are completed in Jesus. Every-day we wake up in

the middle of something that is already going on,

that has been going on for a long time: genealogy,

history, culture and the cosmos-God. His account

makes us aware that we are neither accidental or

incidental to the story. We get a full background of

the genealogy and history of Jesus that make sense

of our lives, family, work and history.

The role of the scribe is three-fold. First to put

the collected information in writing, then put it in

harmony to make sense to the recipients, and

37


finally to explain and credit these facts. This

individual do more listening than talking. They pay

attention to details including the unsaid.

As indicated earlier in the dedication, my father

was illiterate but a great story-teller. My mother on

the other hand believed in writing down her

thoughts and family discussions. Some of her

thoughts she jotted them down herself. Just

before her passing she handed me all her scribbled

notes, written in her mother tongue Sesotho.

Authenticated with the dates and times of writing.

It is for this reason that she had appointed my

younger brother Elia Thebe Rakhale as the family

scribe for our family meetings. Elia later played a

major role in transcribing my own book the JUNE

1976 COMMEMORATIVE

DIALOGUE.

Shadow Writing

If you do not want to write the book, yourself,

there is an option of hiring a book writer. This is

an expensive way of publishing a book. There are

many reasons why one may need a shadow writer.

This may apply for someone who has a creative

concept but lacks the skill to write out such a

concept in the form of a book.

38


It could be a situation involving a high-profile

person, and could be having busy schedules, but

need their stories to be documented. Or it could

be a person who may be requiring to make use of

the research materials, knowledge and experience

of someone else, and to then put these different

features into writing, and – ultimately – a published

work.

Your main responsibility as a shadow writer is

to ensure that the tone of the book is identifiable

to the person you are writing for. As an example,

in documenting the June 1976 Commemorative

Dialogues, I used this method of writing, which is

known as Shadow Writing.

Guidelines for submitting your manuscript

Word count is key in book publishing, as this is

what is going to determine the related costs; from

editing, layout and designing to printing. You only

submit your manuscript for publishing once you

have reached an agreement regarding the price. As

soon as you have accepted the quote, an invoice is

sent, and the proof of payment is then also

confirmed. Then, and only then, can you submit

your manuscript. The process of publishing a book

takes about nine (9) to twelve (12) weeks.

39


This gives authors an opportunity to break

down the payments to ease the financial burden of

self-publishing. This is then, when the process of

getting your book published, begins in earnest.

Positioning the Book

With clarity, you should decide on the type and

tone of your story. Is it fiction, a biography, a

memoir, a journal or a training manual?

Do you want to edify your book with

illustrations, for an example? This is important, as

it will affect your costs and the marketing plan of

the book project. In other words, you should have

your audience in mind with every detail of the

book.

Do Not Stifle the book

You should recognise that the book is going to

outlive you. Therefore, it is important not to allow

your personality to stand in the way; otherwise, the

book could become stifled and the message could

be lost. The content must always be relevant to the

subject, message or the storyline; and should –

ideally – be sprinkled with a few anecdotes, for

human interest, humour and entertainment value.

40


You should remember that you only have one

shot at writing a book. Sifting and discarding

irrelevant parts of your story, though painful, puts

you one step closer to your work being published.

Uniqueness of the Book

Undoubtedly, nothing you say now has never been

said before; so, the Bible tells us. Therefore, your

book must have a unique message, and it should

raise a point that might have been overlooked.

This is the reason why readers buy books. If you

intend to make a series out of the same story,

ensure that this occurs naturally; because the book

is growing, and questioning; and oftentimes even

exploring ideas which are yet to be discovered.

Targeted Age

Have the targeted age of your readers at the back

of your mind, ensuring that you enrich your

readers’ vocabulary, and also inspiring other

writers through the use of words. Your words

must also speak in a language that make sense to

readers of that particular genre.

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Identify the Customer and the Buyer

Knowing your customer is different from knowing

your reader. The customer might not necessarily

read the book. Knowing the customers

beforehand helps you in selecting the type of book

which you might want to publish. This could be

either hard cover or soft cover, full color, or black

and white, or this could involve the use of

supplementary materials or artwork? Have a

marketing plan ready and find out about the

relevant specifications (or specs, in short) and

conditions of distribution. As a self-published

author, “Print-on-Demand” is the best way in

which Indie Authors can sell their books. A good

marketing plan is necessary to create demand for

your book. Consulting with a marketing specialist

might be helpful. You should also familiarise

yourself with the processes of the industry

regarding evaluation, listing and submissions to the

buying departments of the various, related

companies.

Book Resume

It is important to have a comprehensive-one page

book resume written, preferably by your publicist.

This will accompany your book partnership

proposals, interviews and promotions.

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The Book Resume is to go together with the front

cover. Never submit your whole book for

soliciting partnerships and promotions.

Industry Associations

It is important to affiliate with writers’ associations

and to attend book fairs and book clubs. This is

where you learn about the latest trends in the

industry, and where you can meet suppliers of

various industry-related materials.

Most importantly, you should strive to be a

card-carrying member of your local library. A

library membership in South Africa is convenient,

because you can use this wherever you are in the

country. The library is still one of the most

resourceful places where one can carry out the

most rewarding research.

Obligations

1. Copyrights

We have an ethical and legal obligation to respect

each other’s creative work as authors. This right is

protected by the Copyright Act of 1956. Also, this

comes in the form of acknowledging the

references, citations or artistic work which may

have been used in a story, as part of a storyline or

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entries just about anywhere else in a book, as a part

of your creative process. The information from

other writers is only supposed to enrich what we

already have inside ourselves, as creative beings.

Therefore, we must respect, acknowledge and pay

for each other’s craft and services.

2. The Legal Deposit Act, no. 54 of 1997

The purpose of a legal deposit is to collect,

preserve and make available to present and future

users the documents that contain the intellectual

and cultural heritage of the country. The

preservation of the documentary heritage

facilitates access to all published material which

has been generated within their country.

Therefore, after your first print run, you must

submit copies according to the guidelines provided

by the National Library of South Africa.

3. Creative Exploitation

I am amazed how often people approach me and

say, “Can you help me to publish my work?”

And, when I ask, “Do you mean that you want me

to publish your work? They then reply, hastily, and

say, “No. No, I do not have the funds.”

44


I then usually enquire, “So how are you going to

have the book edited and printed?” And, this then

puts an end to the ridiculous discussion.

I pride myself in paying all the service providers

in my publishing ecosystem. And am grateful that

I value my craft and have made lots of sacrifices to

contribute, meaningfully, towards making the

business professional and viable. This is without

ignoring the fact that I am also called to act kindly

to those who cannot afford my services.

Book Writing Experience

The effort of writing a book is only attractive once

the physical copy is in your hand. Before then, it is

a gruelling process. Each book that you write has

a higher purpose that is often beyond your human

understanding. Therefore, the writer has to be

open to what the book is meant to achieve.

When a book is meant to change the writer, the

emotional implications may take a toll on them,

sometimes even causing them to abort the project.

If you are able to endure the process, then you

emerge a much stronger writer, with enriched

content. When I wrote my first book in 2010, a

simple coffee table recipe book, the idea was to

document my legacy for my children.

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I was surprised at what the book had ultimately

turned out to be, though. It was a conversational

piece that had forced me to not only have

conversations with the chefs, home cooks and

traditional food industry players, but also to have

deep conversations with myself, as well. Dreaded

internal conversations needed to take place before

the book could come to its fullness. Conversations

that – in the end – transformed me, and brought

me back to life. But, I had to allow the process to

run its course, and naturally, so.

I have seen other authors go through the same

process. Cynthia Sesi (See Cover P17) is one such an

author. She was forced to learn to use a computer

at the age of 63. She had to adopt a new way of

life, a prayerful life with scripture reading and

dissection, as she came face to face with subjects

of social illness in her community that she was

writing about.

Another example is Samukelisiwe (See Cover

P33) a learner from Diepsloot. Samu published her

first book just before finishing off high school,

with no funds. Samu had to sell spinach in her local

community to raise money to get her book

published. This, they did diligently right to the end.

46

3

Book Construction

Guidelines To A Well

Dressed Book

A

s an unconventional self-publishing author,

it is important to know how books are

traditionally put together. It gives you the

freedom to know where you can bend the

conventions of book construction to

accommodate the needs of your own readers.

A Well-Dressed Book

The cover and layout must be done professionally.

Also, you should ensure that your book stands out

for the great writing, the thoughtful arguments, or

47


the tremendous value it brings to the readers; not

because it looks unprofessional. Remember: you

want buyers and reviewers to take your book

seriously. It is also important that you should take

the design and layout details of your book just as

seriously, as well. In the end, the best investment

might be to hire a professional book and cover

designer; someone who knows how to properly

construct the book and cover, and who will look

after all the details for you.

The following are the guidelines to book

construction design attaining a well-dressed book

with good aesthetics:

Book Size

First, you need to understand what type of book

project you are working on - leisure, text book,

training or hand-book. Then decide on the

dimensions for the layout. Consider the standard

book sizes as they are cost effective as opposed to

the custom size that will in the end increase the

cost. The following are five standard sizes offered

by CEM Publishers:

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Hand-Book Size 105mm X 148mm

Heritage Size 127mm X 203mm

Story-Telling Size 139mm X 215mm

Training Manual Size 178mm X 254mm

Legacy Size 215mm X 215mm

To help visualize your book you can also have

a copy of your favorite book size at hand to

present to the publisher and select a size close to

the standard size.

Book Layout

The book layout commonly referred to as

formatting begins with selecting the font and the

size. The font forms part of the look and feel of

the inside of the book. For the heading it must be

bold and appealing. If you use images as part of

the heading they must be well spaced and

compliment the heading.

For the rest of the body of your book select

amongst the classics (Garamond in this case)using

the different weights Bold, Italic and Thin to

enhance the text. For consistency use a minimum

of three to five font types per book project. In this

book project I used four:

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Tile and Headings Augusta size 28 - 36point;

Subheadings Modern No 20 size18 -24 point;

Paragraph headings Garamond with a heavier

Bold weight size 12point; For the rest of the body

Garamond size 12 point and the header Times

Roman size 8-10 point. Size 14 point is more for

the children’s books.

Finally, avoid floating lines. These are the lines

at the beginning or end of a paragraph left

suspended at the top or bottom of a page. It may

be a short sentence, one word or the end of a

hyphenated word.

No Blank Right-Hand Pages

A blank page should be just that, blank, with

nothing on it, at all! Many books have blank lefthand

pages and there is nothing wrong with that.

If your chapter openings are always on the righthand

pages, about half the chapters in your book

will have blanks preceding the opening chapters.

But, if your chapter openings are on facing pages

(a left and right together, with illustrations facing

the chapter opening page, for instance) you run the

risk of the dreaded blank right-hand page, and that

will look like an error to any reader, even those

with untrained eyes. Instead, adjust the typography

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or have quotations or artworks on hand that will

augment the message of your book, and put those

supportive creative elements on the blank righthand

pages.

Page Numbers

Recto: It is important to get your pages on the

proper side of the page for book formatting

purposes. When a book is opened, the pages on

the right hand-side-recto should always have an

odd page number (like 1, 11, or 55).

Verso: The lefthand side-verso should always

have an even page number (like 2, 22, or 110). Not

adhering to this standard approach will have a

negative impact on the appearance of the book.

However, these pages are included in the

quotation price.

No page numbers on the following sheets:

a) title page;

b) copyright page;

c) any blank pages;

d) display pages like part openers and chapter

openers, and;

e) Advertising pages at the end of the book.

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The half-title


Such a page contains only the title of the book and

is typically the first page you see when opening the

cover.

Frontispiece

This is an illustration on the left-hand page that

faces the title page. It can either be a campaign, or

a business logo.

Title page

Such a space in a book, or a page, contains the title,

subtitle, author, and publisher of the book, and

might include the publisher’s location, the book’s

year of publication, or an illustration.

The Copyright Page

This is placed on the back of the title page (evennumbered)

page. It has the copyright notice, the

edition, any cataloging data, legal notices, and the

book’s International Standard Book Number, or

ISBN, in short. It is up to the author, whether they

want to list credits for the cover and book design,

production, editing, and artwork – which may have

been done by others – in the book.

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Dedication


This is an honour that is bestowed upon those who

have influenced your craft. Because it is something

personal, and not professional, it is often not

compulsory. A dedication is usually placed on its

own page, following the copyright page, and must

be kept as short as possible.

Epigraph

This is a quotation that appears on the page facing

the Table of Contents or the first page of text.

Table of Content, or Contents Page

This is a list of all the major divisions of the book,

including chapters and sections. Some books

provide a lot more details, which leads to an easy

read. Some novels do not have the “Contents”,

altogether.

List of figures

A book with a lot of illustrations might be helped

by a list of all figures, along with their titles and the

page numbers on which they may be occurring.

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List of tables


This is reserved mostly for research and academic

books. Like the List of Figures, a list of tables may

be helpful for the readers’ easy comprehension of

the related contents.

Foreword

The foreword provides context for the book and

is usually written by someone other than the

author. About 500 – 1 000 words long, this is

always signed, including the foreword author’s

name, place, and date (compulsory).

Preface

This is usually the information about, or relating as

to how the book came about, and is narrated by

the author. The author may or may not sign it with

the name, place, and date (Optional).

Acknowledgements

Through this part of the book, the author

expresses their gratitude to various individuals,

groups of people or institutions for their different

kinds of help in writing and publishing the book.

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Introduction


The introduction profiles the mission and the

vision of the book, outlining the purposes and

goals of the book, with some context, and

explaining the organisation of the book.

Prologue or Preamble

In a novel, this can set the scene for the story; like

an opening scene in a theatre production, and it is

usually told in the voice of one of the characters

from the book.

Text distribution

Stick with fully justified margins, where both

the left and right margins, to form a straight line,

or a Rag Right Composition. Some books can be

typeset in a rag right (unjustified) style; but these

are rare.

Graphic formatting

Image resolution should be set at 300 dpi to ensure

that the final document is not pixelated when

printed. This applies to all images in the book.

Enlarging images in a layout is not allowed as it

will lower the resolution, while reducing an image

will increase the resolution.

55


Under no circumstances should internet images be

used as most images are only 72 dpi. Do not

embed images in your manuscript; rather save

them, separately. These must be numbered and

labelled according to the pages where they are

supposed to be placed, while also ensuring that

these are relevant to the text and subject matter.

The cover, author’s photographs and other

relevant illustrations or images must be

professionally designed and accompanied by a

brief author’s biography (bio, in short) of about

300 words.

Text and Index

Custom made text will enhance the design of the

book, while the index must be carefully laid out,

complete with corresponding headings to aid the

flow of the relevant content.

A book of 30, 0000 words, with size-12 font,

will ideally number about 150 pages for an average

book size. Average paragraph will number 900-

1000 words. So, the book is ready to go into

production; but, what does it take to get to this

stage?

56

Budget


Decide how much money you want to spend, to

be able to select the package that is affordable for

your means. The choice of self-publishing package

will be influenced by what you want to do with the

book, to align this with a set vision and business

plan.

Editing

Appoint a credible editor and formalise the

agreement, and outline the desired or anticipated

deadlines. On average, a book will be edited three

times before it goes to print. Your editor must be

someone who understands your vision and what

you want to accomplish with the book. On the

other hand, the author must have an open mind

and take advice from the editor.

Do not personalise criticism and make yourself

more important than your book, as has been

mentioned in the book. The book will outlive you.

So you must think ahead. This is the most difficult

phase in the book production process. Oftentimes,

editing comes with critiques and suggestions. At

the time, it might feel like your baby is being ripped

apart by the editor.

57


Learn to trust your editors, because – in due

course – you will appreciate them. It is in those

painful remarks that you will gather ideas to

enhance your work. My work has improved greatly

because of criticism, mainly from my family,

peers, industry key players and formally by my

editor. As you grow and mature as an author, you

will also learn to handle it with ease. So, take heart!

Proofreading

Some editors will do both editing and

proofreading. My suggestion is to appoint a

separate person for this task. It might be a person

who is going to do a blurb or the write-up for your

book.

Editorial Notes

At the end of the editorial process, the editor

submits the manuscript in three forms. The first

document (font color coded Red), is one with the

enforced consistency regarding the style of the

author’s writing, that address spelling, sentence

structure, attention to the tenses, the flow of the

paragraphs and the chapters. The second (font color

coded Blue), is the proofreading document, where

the editor has exercised prudence, so as not to

distort the author’s original or true story, or cause

58


a misrepresentation of the facts, thus ensuring that

the storytelling is accurate. The third document

(font color coded black), is the final draft with

combined editing and proof reading, ready for

submission for lay-out and design.

How Much Does It Cost to Self-Publish?

The costs will cover the following areas below, and

are subject to quotations. An independent

publisher like CEM Publishers, will also be able to

give you the whole package. And there are many

such publishers in the market. A comprehensive

Book Publishing package offers:

1. Editing and proof reading;

2. Book layout, design and formatting;

3. Cover Design;

4. Illustrations if needed, and;

5. Printing.

59

Book Production

Book Treatment Plan

W

eek 1: Content development

a. Identify the target audience and

market.

b. Marry the main title and subtitle, and review

these, if and when necessary.

c. Marry the purpose and title of the book

with the target audience and market.

d. Establish the business concept for the

book.

e. Find out if there are any elements that can

be incorporated into the book.

60


f. For the Book Registration process, finalise and

confirm the main title of the book. Subtitles

can be finalised by week three of the related

process;

g. You can decide on your names; for an

example, you may wish to include your middle

name or maiden name; and, then send the

confirmation of your full physical address for

the registration of the ISBN.

h. Submit the author’s biography, of not more

than 500 words.

i. Submit the book’s resume; also of not more

than 500 words.

Week 2: Preparation of manuscript for editing

a. Publisher prepares the received manuscript for

editing.

Week 3 – Week 6: Submission of manuscript

for editing

a. Publisher submits the manuscript for editing.

NB: Turn-around time is usually 21 days from

the date of submission.

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Week 4 – 5: Cover Design Briefing

a. Proposed book size to be approved by the

author;

b. Submit cover design brief (that is, a list of what

you would want to see on the cover, and how

this should look like);

c. Arrange for blurb writer, acknowledgements;

also up to 500 words, and a dedication of up

to 100 words, and;

d. Submit professionally shot, high resolution

author’s portrait 300 DPI (Shoulder length),

with a white background.

Week 7: Book Construction

a. Editor submits the edited manuscript,

followed by:

b. Book layout and design;

c. Scanning; typesetting; artwork;

d. Barcode generation, and;

e. Copyright insertion.

62

Week 8: Print Run


a. Submit – to the author – page proofs and

cover, so as to authorize printing;

b. Publisher submits manuscript to the printers;

c. Print run, of a minimum order of up to 500

copies of black and white inside pages or in full

color, soft cover;

d. Publisher sends the print-ready proof to the

author for final proofreading, before the bulk

print run is then initiated.

Week 9: Promotion and Distribution

a. Uploading on Amazon;

b. E-Book conversion;

c. Delivery of 500 hard copies to the author;

d. Legal Deposit of five (5) copies at the National

Library of South Africa in Pretoria, Gauteng,

South Africa;

e. Print Ready PDF Digital File of the Book and

Cover are submitted to the author for future

printing;

63


f. Press release and medial launch stage

(Publisher to prepare the press release or

statement);

g. Book launch is staged at author’s costs and

discretion;

h. Publisher will guide and advice regarding the

details of the book launch;

i. Book launch date to be confirmed by author;

j. Proposed book launch venue, Exclusive

Books Fourways, Gauteng;

k. Book availability: Online on Amazon,

Exclusive Books and Bridge Books;

l. Enlisting in the Gauteng Department of

Education School Library Catalogue.

NB: This would be subject to a call up, book specs

and approval by a relevant committee.

64

Book Projects

Innovative Book Launches

And Promotions

T

his is the most important, yet difficult part

of the book publishing ecosystem. Unless

you are able to sell your books through the

mainstream bookstores, then the business is not

worth it. Book stores work through their own

preferred booksellers. You have to work through

these designated booksellers to be on the

bookstores’ shelves. It is a matter of building

relationships once again, and am still in the process

of doing so.

65


My vision is to ultimately be one of the

preferred supplier to the mainstream bookstores.

And, once again, it is all doable.

Amazon and Kindle provide a viable

alternative. Part of my publishing package is for

authors to be able to upload their books on

Amazon, and we have been successful in this

regard.

School Libraries: Through Gauteng

Department of Basic Education and Training, my

books have been evaluated and accepted as library

resources. The criteria for evaluation is very

stringent and it is for this reason that I had to

establish a formidable editorial and designing

team. I am looking forward to working with other

provinces as the business grows, and – once more

– my next stop is Limpopo.

Women’s Day Book Event Parktonian

Hotel, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, Gauteng

Mother Daughter Dialogue:

“I first got to know Eunice about eight years

ago. She coached me on how to use the Facebook

social media platform, and how to build followers

for my business. As our relationship had grown

66


stronger, I discovered that Eunice was not only a

writer, but she was also a self-publisher who had

identified several South Africans who had great

stories to tell but had not considered their stories

to be worth telling. Through her gentle,

motivating, yet a very persuasive power of

speaking, Eunice has been able to help many

writers discover their stories and their writing

abilities.

It did not take Eunice long to give me

assignments that, like many others, made me tap

into the writing abilities that I did not know I had.

She asked me to write a chapter on “Food

Security” in one of her books, South African

Culinary Heritage.

“It was during her journey of writing this book

that I discovered even more of the intellect,

abilities and skills hidden in the soft character of

Eunice, the writer and the publisher. On Women’s

Day, in 2015, Eunice hosted a women’s day event.

All kinds of people in various professions were

invited to this Women’s Day event. The setup

provided a good platform for inspiring women to

have fruitful conversations among themselves and,

most importantly, in their families. Also, I was

privileged, not only to be present, but to be an

67


active participant and speaker at the event. My

presentation was about my Non-Profit

Organization, NPO – Phethahatso Community

Development. It was at this event that everyone could

appreciate Eunice’s organisational and

communication skills.’’

Moeketsi Mahasa, Founder Phethahatso

Community Development, Vaal Gauteng.

The conversations: “When we cease to try and be

perfect, the conversations are authentic and life goes on, with

all the flaws in situ. Healthy and growing people also engage

in healthy conversations, because they are willing to be open

and sincere in their conversations. They not only talk about

the good sides of their lives, but also the weak and wounded

sides.” – P61 South African Culinary Heritage; Eunice

Rakhale- Molefe

Culinary Storytelling-Tourist Experience

For an authentic tourist experience with former

restaurateur and author Eunice Rakhale-Molefe, come and

experience a full African three-course menu. Each course is

paired with local indigenous wines, while also enjoying

authentic stories behind the recipes and ingredients.

68


Time: 18:00 till 22:00 Days: Mondays to Sundays; subject

to bookings. Minimum guests: Up to fifty (50) guests. Cost:

Price includes dinner and a signed copy of the book. Event

Flow 17:30 till 18:00 – arrival of guests and traditional

welcome drinks around the fire.18:00 – 22:00: Dinner

with full African food culture experience. The versatile nine

chapters are meant to celebrate South Africa’s family

traditions, national culinary and cultural heritage.

Conditions: Booking is subject to proof of payment.

Chapter 1: Covers, among others, local food and wine

culture, culinary storytelling and culinary destinations.

Chapter 2: Over hundred (100) conversational style (no

pictures) authentic traditional recipes and a recipe index.

Chapter 4: History about Shebeens, Taverns and

Traditional Drinks and local tea recipes.

Eunice has been hosting the storytelling event

since 2010 at distinctive Heritage destinations.

69


70


The Book Launch 14 th February 2014

Naledi High School Soweto.

“June 1976 Commemorative Dialogue, authored

and published by Mme Eunice Rakhale-Molefe. It

took her a year to compile the stories, and the

content was based on the various experiences of

some of the activists, who were also former

students of the school. Human rights icons

including Reverend Frank Chikane and Enos

Ngutshane are among the people who are featured

in the book. The book was a project of Naledi

High School. We would gather at the school on

weekends for discussions. Sometimes, I visited the

homes and workplaces of the narrators in the

book, to share their experience about the Soweto

uprising,” Mme Eunice reminisces. Mme Eunice

believes that many people do not really know that

the 16 June 1976 Anti-Bantu Education protest

march and subsequent massacre was sparked by a

culmination of several of things.

“The use of Afrikaans as a medium of

instruction at schools was just the last straw that

broke the camel’s back,” she explains.

71


Thousands of students from many schools

were on their way to Orlando East, Soweto and

were expected to gather at the Orlando Stadium

for a peaceful march against the Apartheid regime.

They were confronted by Security Forces, who

were armed to teeth. They shot and killed about

176 unarmed learners, and over a thousand others

were injured. But those in the know say the

number of people killed is way over that. The

Apartheid government report had claimed that

only 23 learners had been killed during the march.

The book, June 1976 Commemorative Dialogue

bases its stories from the 8 th of June in 1976,

moving forward. It is available on Amazon as an

eBook and a hard copy. The education department

of has approved the book and can also be found at

state libraries.”

Victor Mecoamere,

Former Deputy News Editor,

Sowetan.

72

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About The Author

Eunice Rakhale-Molefe is the founder and owner

of Book Tourism Trading (Pty) LTD an imprint of

CEM Publishers. The company was established in

2009. Since then Eunice has published 22 titles

(three of these her own) and 13 independent

authors. One of these authors, Thembeka Cynthia

Sesi, is a winner of the South African Pan African

Language Board Award for 2016/2017 in the

isiXhosa poems category. Of the 22 titles, ten titles

are listed in the Gauteng Education and Training

Department’s ESP Catalogue as library resources.

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