The book industry forms an integral part of a country’s education system and is filled with a variety of professionals that play a specific role in the business of books. However, the average person on the street generally knows very little about what it means to be a publisher or an independent bookseller; highly popularized professions like doctor or accountant tend to be more sought after.

Careers in the book industry is a brand new feature that will give the professions in the industry a voice. We will showcase the breadth and depth of the available career options through talking to active professionals within the industry.

In this issue we chat to:

Sibongile Machika

Associate Editor – Pan Macmillan

Please share your background and what you currently do in the book industry.

I was born in Mamelodi, Pretoria and was raised by a single dad, my grandmother and Yotv. Between these three I fell in love with stories and storytelling. I studied Publishing at the University of Pretoria and I am currently an Associated Editor.

How did you get into the book industry? Was it something you always wanted to be in?

I have always wanted to be a story teller but only fell in love with books in matric. I had a brilliant English teacher Mrs. I. Joubert at Cornerstone College.  She made words matter to me. She built us and cut us down to size with the power of her words; it was her super power. She made Shakespeare’s mythical worlds come alive and completely understood why I was ready to love a vampire when Twilight came out.

I wanted to be a publisher because stories changed my family’s lives; from the Soul City pamphlets that taught about HIV/Aids to the 14:00 stories on Ukhozi FM and even Generations. I saw how stories impacted my family then and continue to do so now. I wanted to part of that.

I got into the industry through the Media 24 graduate programme. I was one of 2000 people who applied and after a series of interviews I was accepted to be part of the 1 year internship.  I was placed at NB publisher and it allowed me to work with various publishers and imprints.

What skills-set does one need to perform your role?

The simple answer is a huge appetite for reading and an open mind. Reading widely and often outside of my comfort zone is also big part of my job.  One also needs to be a critical thinker and have a keen interest for other cultures.

I would also encourage doing things outside of your comfort zone to jolt the imagination and inspire lots of creativity. I would like to be a dragon effect kind of publisher; this means I want those who have never experienced my work, to have some idea of what I do. Just like we have never experienced dragons but we know what they do.

One also needs to be good with people. Our industry relies on relationships with authors, media, customers etc.

What are your formal qualifications and how did they prepare you for the work you are currently doing?

I have an undergraduate degree in Publishing and an Honours degree in Journalism.

When I went to university I didn’t know what publishing was.  My undergrad taught me the practicalities of how to produce the finished product; how one brings the dream to life.

My time at journalism school taught me how to listen and what it takes to formulate and write the story. It also taught me how to work under pressure, meet deadlines and build networks.

Most professionals say that their fields are constantly evolving and it’s a must to stay abreast of the latest trends, updates and new ways of performing functions etc. Would you say this is true to your role as well?

Yes, but in context. Whether it is new stories told in new ways or technologies there is always something new happening.  So, I think it is worthwhile learning about new systems and technologies that might make our jobs easier.  Knowing doesn’t always mean we can put it to use here in an African context. Sure, we keep our ears on the ground and stay plugged in, but reading widely is still top of my list in terms of progressively performing my job.

In terms of evolving, for the first time ever the publishing industry is open to black authors, readers and whatever they choose to image themselves as. That is a scary thought for most people so when I say that the industry is open to it, I mean that the black market is one that can no longer be ignored. It is a profitable, creative market that is telling human stories in ways we haven’t seen before. What does history look like when we write it ourselves? Who become the heroes, the villains when the writers are black? How do we (black people) address difficult issues that are to do with us?  This might be new in SA but there is nothing new under the sun.

Many nations found their voice before us, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Botswana and India just to name a few.  How have these nations chosen to recreate themselves, to recreate their history, to retell themselves? There is so much to gain and from them but there is also so much of us to share with them. Yet it seem there is very little effort or interest in figuring out the best way to have this exchange.

What are some of the misconceptions that you had about the book industry prior to working in it?

Black people don’t read.

That well-read people are progressive, open minded and creative. It is not true.

The devil wears Prada!

What is your advice to young people that are considering a career in the book industry? What education path would you encourage them to follow?

Read, read, read. Don’t come into the industry for the money.

I would encourage one to study a language, ideally a local language or any of the major languages on the continent. Then I would say anything that gives insight into the human condition: Sociology, Philosophy, Literature (lean towards African literature), and consider journalism.

What are entry level positions in the book industry?

Internships and book reviews or working in book stores.

Are the professionals in the book industry comprised of a certain demographic?

Is there under representation/over representation of certain groups?

Yes the industry is mostly white middle aged women.

There is over representation of white people and over representation of English language practitioners. Both factors have a huge impact on what stories get published and who gets access to them.

With regards to the over representation of white people, it comes down to this: we engage that which is familiar to us. So white publishers publish what they know or are comfortable with; they market in ways that make sense to them to reach the target audience they imagine; and, they sell in ways and at avenues they know.  Therefore, if most of the industry is made up of white people at every point of the value chain, well then, we as an industry will continue to publish (mostly) for white people, those who assimilate as such (white) and those who aspire to do so (be ideologically white).

Most of the nonwhite practitioners we have can’t write or read African languages on a professional level, never mind being able to keep up with how these languages evolve. So it means most publishing houses don’t publish African languages, which then means we are not catering for the majority or nurturing this market. By African languages I am also referring to languages from other African countries. Of course there are many reasons and excuses for this and that is a story for another day.

Such things as I have outlined, create and maintain vicious myths like ‘blacks don’t read’.

If you had a magic wand and could make the Book Industry perfect, what would you do?

The book industry doesn’t exist in isolation. Books reflect our time, our world. Thus the changes I would want to make speaks to our world as it relates to readers and those that create the content.

My dreams need more than just a room, they must be the land on which the house is built.  So with this in mind, the change are:

• Make African languages compulsory from grade R to honours level (after undergrad). Create a market that only  fellow Africans can service well. Most people read in English because that is the language they learned to read first and probably express themselves best in. So what happens when people are as comfortable with their mother tongues?  What that opens us to is the possibilities of transmitting culture more effectively. An opportunity to write about ourselves in ways our souls and ancestors will resonate and to capture (write) what our ancestors might have imagined.
• Make it compulsory for publishers, book retailers and media houses to fund tertiary education in languages, publishing and other industry related fields directly proportional to their market share. Publishing and languages go hand in hand so approaching them collectively at a tertiary level would greatly assist the industry. Such an obligation could drastically change things and it can be made attractive for the media/publishing houses by offering a tax rebate.
• All publishing related government and SOEs requirements should be serviced by local publishing houses.
• Introduce an industry quota for the next 10 years; each imprint at a publishing house must publish 50% non-white authors. Half of which must also be available in an African language.
• Before publishing a white author, make sure there is no non-white person who is writing on that topic.

What 3 books are most representative of who you are?

Can I answer this on my death bed? Or better yet, I will visit you in a dream six months after my death…. I’m still reading and Sula by Toni Morrison is on the list.