Frequently Asked Questions

Anyone can use Option 1 to self-publish independently. Option 2 (Assisted Self-publishing) is specifically for South African writers who have never been published before and are writing in previously under-published South African languages or First Nations languages. Your manuscript must also meet the WritePublishRead criteria.

Yes! The WritePublishRead Programme is completely free. Our mission is to remove all barriers to publishing. Draft2Digital (the platform currently being used) has no up-front charges for their ebook publishing, conversion and distribution services. Draft2Digital earns a commission only if they sell your book and they pay some of the industry’s highest royalty rates.

All South African languages are supported in Option 1 (Self-publishing). Option 2 (Assisted Self-publishing) supports the following South African languages: isiNdebele, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, Siswati, Tshivenḓa, Xitsonga and South African First Nations languages (for example, ‡Khomani San, Khwe-, !Xun-, Nama, Koranna, Griqua, Cape Khoekhoe). Please note that Option 2 does not offer a category for English or Afrikaans.

With Option 1 (Self-publishing), you can publish at your own pace. With Option 2 (Assisted Self-publishing), the timeline depends on your manuscript and the level of support needed. Typically, it takes 4-6 months from acceptance into the programme to the publication of your ebook.

It is not advisable to include any artwork in your manuscript (Option 1). WritePublishRead criteria (Option 2) prohibit the inclusion of any artwork (photographs or illustrations) in your manuscript. All material must be written in the genre of Fiction with no photographs or illustrations and the material must be your own, original work.

Your ebook will usually be distributed via a digital platform such as Draft2Digital which distributes ebooks to multiple e-retailers – Kobo, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, and more. Your ebook will reach readers worldwide.

The Assisted Self-publishing Programme provides mentorship, editorial guidance, formatting support, professional book cover design and assistance with the technical aspects of publishing your ebook. You will work with experienced publishers who understand indigenous language publishing.

Yes! You keep all the rights to your Work. As the sole copyright holder, you will grant a platform such as Draft2Digital the non-exclusive right to publish, promote and distribute your ebook as well as samples of your book. However, you retain the full copyright to your Work and are free to publish anywhere else because the agreement is non-exclusive. As the copyright holder you can do whatever you wish with your Work.

WritePublishRead is merely a programme to help you self-publish your ebook. All rights to the Work remain vested in you. You are both the author and the publisher. WritePublishRead, Via Afrika and the WritePublishRead Partners are not the publishers of your Work and do not have any claim to the Work.