The first Indie Book Fair in South Africa

Everyone has an opinion on the changes taking place in the publishing industry, as well as in the bricks-and-mortar bookshops. Some people even talk about a revolution taking place in the production of literary material. What seems certain is that dramatic realignments are underway and that the cause is very likely the irresistible march of technology. Clare-Rose Julius & David Robbins tells us all about the very first Indie Book Fair in South Africa.

One of the most visible changes in the industry as a whole is the rise of self publishing where authors, and sometimes institutional sources, are helping to finance the printing and distribution of hundreds of thousands of new books each year. This form of publishing is also called vanity publishing. Unsuccessful authors could get into print by paying substantial sums of money to companies possessing the means, or some of the means, of book production.

Such publishing still exists, and it is a measure of the growing financial importance of independent publishing that some of the worst culprits of vanity publishing are subsidiaries of large commercial conglomerates. Many of these culprits print and distribute anything that is paid for, with neither editing nor proper design. To make the experience even more disillusioning for authors, most companies now claim worldwide distribution through various websites – and for obvious reasons make no mention of the unavoidable linkages between quality, either of content or production, and sales. Neither do they talk very clearly about that essential corollary to distribution, which is marketing.

But this ruthless business model is not even half the independent publishing story. There’s also a brighter side – and this is what the INDIE BOOK FAIR seeks to celebrate.

It’s useful to unpack the most important element of this brighter side. This is without doubt the potential redevelopment of vigorous provincial literatures. To begin with, all literatures were provincial. The idea of international bestsellers and other generics is a more recent trend. The financial realities of commercial publishing, which seems to preclude risk taking and the nurturing of literature,  has opened up a substantial space beneath the commercial companies’ radar which their independent counterparts, with varied financial models and smaller print runs, is already occupying. They are doing so with considerable relish. There’s a real whiff of democracy in the publishing air these days. With this new development comes many opportunities but equally substantial dangers.

Take a look at the opportunities:

• Independent publishing can build a vigorous and inclusive grassroots literature, especially in a developing country such as South Africa
• Independent publishing can provide a conduit for important minority voices and cover important minority subjects
• New distribution models can reduce the retail price of books and stimulate local economic development.
• Independent publishing will encourage local writers to write first and foremost for local readers. This will mean that readers will be able to read about people and situations familiar to them.
• Independent publishing elevates the writer from merely the producer of raw material to an active partner in the process of publishing.

Now consider some of the main dangers and how they can be resolved:

• The production of mediocrity is probably the greatest danger. Many small publishers lack the expertise to produce professional product.
• Editing and proof reading must become as important for independent publishers as it is for commercial publishers. Otherwise the present two tiers of book production will remain.
• Training for writers, publishers and support skills must be available for those active in the independent publishing arena.
• Independent publishing must be usefully harnessed to bridge the wide existing gap between creation and consumption.
• The reputation of independent publishing is low, partly as a result of unjustified prejudice. To become a legitimate part of the publishing future, it should strive for quality and equality.

Authors: Clare-Rose Julius & David Robbins