Highly acclaimed publisher Thabiso Mahlape chats to us about how she’s changing the industry to cater for black writers and readers.
By: Fundiswa Nkwanyana
1. My career kicked off as an intern at Jacana Media. After I graduated from the University of Pretoria with my publishing degree, I was unemployed for about two years until I got an internship at Jacana Media. Through hard work and dedication I was able to work my way up the corporate ladder through the years.
2. Throughout my career, I’ve published books that became bestsellers. Some of them include Endings & Beginnings by Redi Tlhabi, My Father My Monster by McIntosh Polela and Memoirs Of A Born Free by Malaika wa Azania. I was passionate about these books from the word go. There was a big need for books written by black authors for black readers.
3. The publishing industry lacks diversity. I work in an industry that traditionally held the belief that black people don’t read. I realised that the right books for black people were not being produced. So I started publishing books that strictly spoke to the black market. The market was itching for books that spoke to them and that is how I found my niche.
4. I am the first black woman to own an imprint of Jacana Media. I felt I had reached the ceiling in my career as a publisher and needed to find other ways to grow. In 2015 I started a publishing company called Blackbird Books, operates as a subsidiary of Jacana Media. Through my company I can curate and publish books myself.
5. It’s important for people to buy locally written and published books. People are reading books – which is great – but they also need to buy the books so that the publishing industry can grow, especially locally. If we had nearly as much people buying books as we have submissions, we would be a thriving industry.
6. The publishing industry has a lot of potential. There is a huge gap for black authors and publishers in this country. People need to support the industry by buying more books, which enable us to publish more authentic African stories.
