Melinda Ferguson (middle) with Eloise Wessels, Managing Director at NB Publishers (right) and Marga Stoffer, Publishing Manager at NB Publishers (left).

The SA book trade was taken by surprise when NB Publishers announced the acquisition of MFBooks as one of their imprints. Melinda Ferguson explains how the match came about: ‘I am a publisher who thrives on connection. From the moment I met NB’s MD Eloise Wessels, Publishing Manager, Marga Stoffer, and Head of Non-Fiction, Erika Oosthuizen, as well as the rest of the team, I felt an affinity with the house, like I could really be part of the family. I also have a crazy work ethic and from the get-go I have been impressed by NB’s infrastructure and amazing attention to detail. I’ve been wanting to stretch myself as a publisher for a while and it feels like with the support and business acumen of NB, I will be able to really do that.’

The MFBooks stable is off to a flying start in 2020, with Eva Mazza’s Sex, Lies Declassified – the sequel to last year’s bestseller, Sex Lies & Stellenbosch – to hit the shelves in April. June or July will see the release of Brutal School Ties – The Parktown Boys Tragedy by bestselling author and talk show radio host, Sam Cowen, and in August the much-anticipated fourth book by Prof. Pumla Dineo Gqola, Female Fear Factory, will see the light. Towards the end of the year there’s Lollipop Lounge owner Gigi’s much awaited memoir Nipple Caps & G-Strings (written with journalist Nan Roux) and the year ends with Helena Kriel’s new book, Meditating with Rhinos.  

According to Eloise Wessels, MFBooks fits in perfectly with the company’s long-term strategy: ‘Melinda focuses on some of the same areas of interest in her publishing as NB Publishers, including excellent narrative non-fiction and adult fiction. She has an exceptional instinct for a good story that is well told, gripping and poignant and that is what we’re all about at NB Publishers.’