This national initiative invites authors across all provinces to submit manuscripts written in any of the official South African languages. Eligible genres are restricted due to budget limitations to novels, poetry anthologies, short stories, drama books, children’s literature, young adult fiction, and narrative non-fiction covering history, politics, and current affairs.

Applications are open to both emerging and established writers, who will be paired with qualified publishing houses under legally binding industry contracts to guarantee intellectual property protection and regular royalty payments.

“And we know that it might not be enough, but we believe that through this programme, we are really making quite a huge difference in supporting the literary sector,” said the director for books and publishing in the department of sport, arts and culture, Cathrine Mokoena.

To maintain transparency and prevent conflicts of interest, an independent selection panel will be appointed by an evaluation team including representatives from the department, the Academic and Non-Fiction Authors’ Association of South Africa, the Pan South African Language Board, and the Publishers’ Association of South Africa.

Panel members are strictly prohibited from submitting their own literary work for financial support during this cycle, and candidates must answer specific capacity questions during the vetting phase.

The production phase requires participating language specialists to edit and refine the chosen submissions before publishing firms print, bind, and distribute the completed volumes.

Successful books will be combined into existing government literacy initiatives, which include the National Library of South Africa’s Funda Mzansi championships and the national reading clubs programme, ensuring the texts are purchased and distributed to reading clubs nationwide.

Reflecting on the established reach of the initiative, Mokoena said it’d managed to publish 91 books in different formats. “We are really getting there to make sure that we make the necessary impact, you know, in the different spaces in the country with these books that are written,” said Mokoena.

OFM News /Refilwe Bekane sm

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