The South African Booksellers Association is pleased to announce the 2023 SA Book Awards.
You are Invited to the South African Book Awards – 2023 to be hosted online on Tuesday, 3 October @ 12pm (South African Time). These annual Book Awards recognize books that are popular with Booksellers and the public, and celebrate the creativity and skills of Authors, Publishers, and their support teams, who came together in […]
Lean times
The Trade SectorGrattan Kirk The South African reading population is both ageing and reducing. However, there are opportunities for local authors and exciting prospects in new emerging market readers including children. Covid-19 has had a massively negative impact on the general trade. The estimated General Trade book market (excluding study guides and dictionaries etc) is […]
SABA Conference and AGM
Please join the 2020 SABA virtual conference and AGM – follow the link to the programme here and the link to register here.
Bookmark April 2020 Newsletter
Download the latest Bookmark Newsletter here.
Letter from SABA President
Dear Readers, Booksellers are the curators of our local community’s primary knowledge resources. This is more of a calling than a job. It is not for the faint-hearted nor those averse to risk. In fact, as with our compatriots on the front-lines of the war against Covid-19 in medical care casualty wards, few in this […]
Letter to Dr Blade Nzimande – Alliance for Academic Success
The Alliance for Academic Success sent a letter to the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Dr Blade Nzimande, requesting for textbooks and learning materials to be classified as Essential products during the Covid-19 lockdown. In this letter the Alliance extend their understanding and support to the measurements taken to flatten the Covid-19 infection […]
SABA’s response to SA REIT’s rental proposal
Image: Evan Wise/Unsplash In light of rental obligations with no income realities, all SABA members are facing at the moment, SABA sent a letter to the Chair of the South African Real Estate Investment Trust (SA REIT) Association. SA REIT presented the retailers with a proposal suggesting they defer April and May’s rent and amortise […]
LIASA President: Statement – Books are essential
The Library and Information Association of South African (LIASA), the Professional Body for Library and Information Services (LIS) in South Africa, remains in full support of our South African government and the efforts to address the worldwide SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. We actively appeal to our members and the wider Library and Information Services sector to adhere […]
Appeal to sell books during Lockdown Stage 4
PEN South Africa’s Open Letter to President Ramaphosa to allow the selling of books during Lockdown Stage 4 was signed by more than 3 000 people within 36 hours. Many prominent authors added their signatures to the appeal, including Nobel winner J.M. Coetzee, current Poet Laureate Wally Serote and other internationally renowned names such as […]
Melinda Ferguson publishes two e-books during lockdown
With lockdown biting hard in the bookselling business, publisher Melinda Ferguson was determined not to just sit by and watch. Shortly before the first lockdown, Prof Pumla Dineo Gqola joked on the publisher’s WhatsApp group about writing a ‘coronavirus book’, and so the idea was born: all 17 writers on the group were challenged by […]
SA Book Industry Hit Hard By Lockdown
When President Ramaphosa announced the first lockdown due to coronavirus on 23 March, it was clear a book industry already under pressure would face extraordinarily difficult times. March sales figures were somewhat saved by the Christmas-like rush in the 3 days before lockdown started, but April loomed long and empty. Most bookshops and publishers were […]
TERS Application – A step by step guide
Initially, employers lodged claims under TERS by emailing a designated UIF email address. However, to simplify and expedite the application process, the UIF has recently developed an online portal to lodge claims under TERS. To assist employers in lodging a claim under TERS using the online application process, the steps to be taken are as […]
Post-lockdown to-do list
With lockdown eased to level 4 and hopefully continuing to open up, managers have to prepare for open up shop. Here are post-lockdown to-do list guidelines and suggestions. Permits, where applicable Deep clean premises (public facing surfaces, multiple times a day) Order sanitiser at doors (preferable single entry/exit) Masks/visors for staff (or see through Perspex […]
Disinfecting Bookshops
Retail space everywhere is being disinfected regularly … including Bookstores.
SA book trade braces itself for Covid-19
With the coronavirus steadily spreading around the globe, the first sign of things to come was the postponement of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in February. The fair was supposed to take place from 30 March to 2 April, and was initially rescheduled for 4 to 7 May this year before being called off completely […]
LAPA Publishers sold to Penguin Random House SA
Iconic Afrikaans publishing house LAPA was sold to Penguin Random House South Africa in February, where it will now function as an imprint and independent division of the global giant. Their offices will remain in Pretoria, while the Cape Town arm of the publishing house will be based at PRH’s premises in the Mother City. […]
World Poetry Day goes virtual
South African collaborators Hear My Voice, Imphepho Pressand Bridges Pan Afrikan Arts Movement watched in dismay as the Covid-19 outbreak disrupted events planned worldwide for World Poetry Day on 21 March, and decided to do something about it. Together they collected funding for a Zoom event, roped in 16 of the best poets around the globe and managed to […]
NSFAS – ring-fenced allowances
Minister of Higher education, science and technology, Dr Blade Nzimande has again reiterated that eliminating corruption and maladministration in NSFAS is a priority. Placed under administration in August of 2018 when the scheme was on the brink of collapse, in a statement made in January 2020 it was revealed that five internal forensic investigations have […]
Blackbird flies from Jacana’s nest
Jacana Media, on 10 February, announced the departure of Blackbird Books from their portfolio, with publisher Thabiso Mahlape striking it out on her own from 13 March 2020. In Shay Heydenrych’s letter to the trade she expressed their sadness to see her go, but said they were ‘proud to see her fly!’ Mahlape studied publishing […]
Ingeborg Pelser to head up Daily Maverick publishing arm
After the success of their first printed compendium, We Have A Game Changer: A Decade of Daily Maverick in November last year, online newspaper Daily Maverick announced plans to create a permanent book publishing division under the auspices of Ingeborg Pelser (pictured). Pelser has more than 20 years’ experience in publishing, having worked at David […]