In this issue we say a big thank you, look at one of our books crossing borders, a new longlist honour, & your chance to submit. (We publish our newsletter on Substack first, you can reply or ask questions if you follow us there.)
Dear friends, supporters and book-lovers
Firstly, thank you to all of you who bought book subscriptions, book bundles in response to our “Keep the Lights On” call. I was deeply moved by the response from the reading and literary community in South Africa and beyond. Every donation, every book bought made a huge difference. We’d love to hear how you found the books you bought.
We were also extremely lucky to receive funding from the NIHSS to support our publication of three titles, this was an unexpected, very welcome piece of good fortune and also came about in part because of the call we put out.
A recent delight: I finally got to meet Trifonia Melibea Obono, author of La Bastarda (which we published in 2017, translated into English by Lawrence Schimel). Melibea is in Cape Town for nearly two months, researching and planning interviews with queer writers, artists, and theatre people. It’s always a gift when our writers’ paths cross with ours in real life.
Cape Town friends are invited to meet her on Saturday 2nd August at 2pm at WomenZone Library, at the Artscape Centre.
In this month’s newsletter, you’ll find our newest long-list honour, an interview with Barbara Adair, and the story of Peaches and Smeets going abroad. You will also get a sneak peek at some of our new titles to look forward to.
Warm wishes
Colleen
On our horizon
New Submissions Portal!
Mark your calendars! We’re opening our next submissions window from 1 September to 30 November 2025. We now have a new submissions portal to make the process clearer and simple!
Keep an eye on our Instagram and on our website for the live link. We look forward to seeing your work!
New Honour
We’re delighted to share that A Blow to the Head by Andries du Toit has been long-listed for the CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa — an award that recognises and celebrates African publishers whose books help tell African stories and strengthen the continent’s publishing ecosystem!
“Andries du Toit’s A Blow to the Head is a remarkable book. He writes with forensic precision about what happened to him, all the personal, social, professional factors that brought him to speak out against racist behaviour, and suffer the consequences. There are many things to admire – the way he contextualises his thinking in childhood experience, his working life and his intellectual trajectory; the complex take on shame and rage; the search for a ‘third position’ between antagonistic camps that doesn’t gloss over complicity or privilege. This is an insightful, moving addition to the writing on violence in our society.” Ivan Vladislavic
New partnership
We’re delighted to let you know that we have published a beautifully illustrated children’s picture book with Lauri Kubuitsile (the author) under her Sunflower Books imprint. Here’s the cover of Mr Fitchelstein’s Safari Company, it’s available at all good bookstores in South Africa and on our website.
New event
We’re excited to invite you to a special event!
Joanne Bloch will be in conversation with Colleen Higgs, about her book, Unseen, at the Fish Hoek Library on Saturday, 16th August at 10 am. The event is part of the Blown Away by Books programme offered by the Friends of the Fish Hoek Library. We hope to see you there!
New titles coming out soon
- Look out for Caitlin Farley’s fantasy novel, The Worldbreaker’s Name. We haven’t published many titles in this genre, we hope you will love this exceptional book.
- The Clergyman’s Daughter a memoir by Hannah Botsis, will be out later this year. Helen Moffett, who edited the manuscript had this to say, “There is no secret or trauma at the heart of it, Hannah is able to address a huge underlying wider trauma of this country: that so many white South Africans claimed to love Jesus and follow Christian precepts — but supported apartheid in word and deed.” She also said, “it’s a wholesome, spiky, comforting, challenging and very funny memoir about the extraordinariness of the ordinary.”
- M.A. Kelly’s brilliant second collection of short stories, The Limbo Circus will be out very soon! We published her first collection, A Bed on Bricks in 2022.
- The new movie tie-in edition of Tracey Farren’s Snake is at the printer. I can’t wait for it to be in your hands.
- Samantha Keller’s debut novel, The Light Remains is almost ready to go to print. Here are some of the covers we’ve been considering with The Stoep Collective. Watch this space for our final choice.
In the pipeline too are new books by authors we have already published – Sally Cranswick, Saaleha (S.E.) Bhamjee, Anne Schlebusch, Arja Salafranca, Barbara Adair and Jo-Ann Bekker. We’re also bringing out a collection of short stories by award-winning writer, Jayne Bauling; we published a story of hers in our Bed Book of Short Stories (2010).
Inside the story
We’re always delighted when Modjaji titles spark thoughtful responses.
Tracey Hawthorne’s Flipped was described by Robyn Sassen as “a yarn cast with such surety and conviction that it is able to touch a whole universe in just five hours of unstoppable reading.” Flipped is both a clever coming-of-age story and a tragedy that unfolds with the tight elegance of a Greek play. If you haven’t read it yet, now’s the time — this slim novel packs a punch. Read the full review here.
Another gem is Joanne Fedler’s The Whale’s Last Song. Originally written as a children’s tale, this fable was reimagined as a lyrical novel about loss, family, and our ties to nature. Reviewer Jenny Stapledon said, “the novel was so affecting and positive, I wondered if it might be included in the new genre of healing fiction.” Read the review here.
And finally, a glimpse into Barbara Adair’s world: In the Shadow of the Springs I Saw explores the history, lives and stories of Springs, east of Johannesburg. In her own words, Barbara says: “Change is far nobler than permanence — without it, things decay. Things that are able to change will last.” Read the interview here.
Behind the deal
This month’s publishing insight: how a local book travels.
Peaches and Smeets, Ashti Juggath’s award-winning novel has found a new home in Argentina with Editorial Empatía — a publisher committed to amplifying African authors for Spanish-speaking readers across Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Colombia, and Peru.
Rights sales like this don’t happen by accident. They’re carefully nurtured by agents like Bieke van Aggelen, who help small presses like ours cross borders. It’s another reminder that even books rooted deeply in a local place can speak across languages and cultures when given the chance!
Keep the conversation going
- What’s on your reading pile this month?
- Is there something about small, independent publishing you’d love us to explain in a future letter?
We’d love to hear from you. You can read the newsletter on Substack and write to us there.