Trade publishing, on the other hand, is dominated by imports. Of the annual turnover of around R600 million, around 20-25% of the books sold are published by local publishers. Increasingly, the large international trade publishing houses, with branches in South Africa, are publishing South African authors locally and internationally. Most locally produced books are written by local authors, while a handful, mostly established fiction authors, but increasingly new talent as well, are published abroad. Very few fiction authors in South Africa – only those with international reputations – can live off their earnings. It should also be noted that very few trade books are published in the indigenous languages.
The trade-publishing sector possibly has the greatest potential for growth. It is estimated that only 1 million of the country’s population of 45 million actually reads and probably only 500 000 are book buyers. There is a need to identify and promote expanding markets to create opportunities for a wider range of authors and readers.
Academic, reference and professional publishingis a relatively small sector, turning over around R300 million, of which 50% is from local publishers. The author base is, of course, highly qualified and specialised. Although turnover is relatively low, with most locally published academic textbooks selling under 5 000 copies per year, royalties for these authors are high by international industry standards, at 15% to 25% of net revenue. While the sector is relatively small, in comparison with schools publishing, it is strategically important, given the impact of research and scholarly information on national economic and social development.
