I'm still struggling with the publicity for "Demon Lord", and meeting with excessive resistance from the bookshops now. They say they will order it and then don't, and people are contacting me because they want to buy it and can't find it in the shops, it's ridiculous.As a South African author, I find the perceived prejudice or at least lack of interest in local authors from local bookstore chains like Exclusive Books to be overwhelming and disheartening. That, on top of the attitude of local magazines that won't review the book or even have their reviewers read it, makes it impossible for a local author to get the kind of exposure they need to promote their work. What is wrong with media people and bookshops in SA?
How is a local author supposed to succeed against those kinds of odds? My agent will be sending my next book overseas, South Africa is just not the place to get ahead as an author, especially for local ones, apparently. Isn't that sad? The sales of my book have been horrible because of this. Must all South African talent be forced to go overseas to find the kind of exposure and appreciation that they deserve? Will South Africa never be able to claim that it has produced good fantasy or science fiction authors because the local media and bookshops appear to be so prejudiced against local authors?
My advice to budding local authors is, don’t waste your time in South Africa, go overseas if you want to succeed.
T C Southwell
