Archive for the ‘News’ Category
by Stuart on Jan 30th, 2012
As a follow-up to the wildly successful Out To Lunch…Ungagged launch in Johannesburg, Tokara Restaurant in Stellenbosch will be hosting an exclusive dinner with commentator and author, David Bullard, on Wednesday, 15th February. The evening will include a special three course dinner created by chef Robert Carstens, with an optional wine pairing available. Unfortunately tickets for this event are sold out, but we look forward to hosting more events like these in future, so keep checking back. You wouldn’t want to miss it, especially since Mr Bullard himself has confirmed that Olympic gold medallist, Ryk Neethling, will also be in attendance. 
The other event which Burnet Media is proud to be involved with is the literary lunch at A Tavola Restaurant in Claremont. Joanne Hitchens (Divine Justice), Deon Meyer (Trackers) and Margie Orford (Gallows Hill) will all be present at this luncheon, taking place on the 11th of February. As already announced on BOOKSLive, there will be a sumptious menu of Italian food and De Grendel wines, as well as a crop of great prizes up for grabs. Gorry Bowes-Taylor is your host for the afternoon and the event costs R225 per person. Bookings must be made with A Tavola. More details available here.
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by Stuart on Jan 23rd, 2012
With 2012 underway and the office as busy as ever, Burnet Media would like to wish our readers and authors well for the coming year.
2011 was a great year for us, with two titles in particular performing well beyond our expectations. 50 People Who Stuffed Up South Africa and The Racist’s Guide to South Africa had their best-ever sales weeks this Christmas – more than a year after publication – and started the first week of 2012 in Neilsen’s SA top 10 list. As of this week, 50 People has been in the top 50 for an unbroken 52 weeks.
A hearty congratulations must go to authors Alexander Parker and Simon Kilpatrick, as next week sees the printing of the 40,000th and 30,000th copy of their respective titles. With upcoming projects that include companion books for both titles and a one-man stage show for The Racist’s Guide, there’s loads more coming from these two to look forward to.
Congratulations must also go to our latest authors:
Peter Church – Bitter Pill
Joanne Hitchens – Divine Justice
David Bullard – Out To Lunch Ungagged
Neil Manthorp – The Proteas: 20 Years, 20 Landmark Matches
Here’s hoping their books sell equally well in 2012, a year that will see the migration of major and new Burnet Media titles to digital formats, as well as new and exciting book launches.
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by Stuart on Nov 3rd, 2009
If you’re a fan of Ndumiso Ngcobo’s two books (and numerous blog posts), you’ll be happy to discover that, if you live in the Gauteng region, you can now tune in to KayaFM’s “Good Morning Gauteng” (http://www.kayafm.co.za/features.php?id=49) between 6am and 9am every morning to listen to him co-hosting the show with Kgomotso Matsunyane (http://www.whoswhosa.co.za/Pages/profilefull.aspx?IndID=5995).
Ndumiso and Kgomotso’s collaboration almost seem predestined. Commenting in a review of Some Of My Best Friends Are White, she predicted that he would prove to be “one of the most important commentators living in South Africa today. He says everything you ever thought but never quite had the brains to put together in a cohesive, funny argument.”
But, as Ndumiso explains it, it was his chapter “Music: The True Opium Of The Masses” from Is It Coz I’m Black? that secured him the gig. In particular the line: “I wish someone out there with some vision would offer me a DJ contract in a fine music station.”
Well done to Kgomotso and Kaya FM for having the vision…
And for those of us out of range, we’ll just have to do with online radio streaming for now (http://www.kayafm.co.za/latest/stream).
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by Stuart on Jun 8th, 2009
2Kak 2Furious
Is It Coz I'm Black?
Good news for Capetonians wanting to meet Ndumiso Ngcobo or hear him speak: he’ll be at the Book Fair this weekend for an interview and a couple of talks (and I’ll be making a brief appearance after him).
Two Dogs: The Art Of Irreverent Publishing
When and where:
2pm Saturday 13 June, room 1.41
12pm Sunday 14 June, room 1.62
Speakers:
Ndumiso Ngcobo and Tim Richman
Ndumiso Ngcobo, author of the hit Some Of My Best Friends Are White, will discuss his Homebru-topping new release Is It Coz I’m Black?. Tim Richman, Two Dogs publisher and author of the best-selling Is It Just Me Or Is Everything Kak? series, will follow to discuss his titles as well as humour and irreverence in the SA book industry. Ndumiso, Tim and Grant Schreiber will be available for signings afterwards.
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by Stuart on Jan 28th, 2009
Please excuse the further press release talk, but such is the way of overdue updates. (And besides, I’ve bolded the interesting bits.)
The second impression of Dark Video, the disturbing and compelling thriller from Peter Church, has been printed on the back of interest from international publishers, some excellent local reviews and a regular spot in the Neilsen fiction top 100.
Set in and around Cape Town, Dark Video plots the descent of a star UCT student into a sinister world of online video trading; it features a gripping opening chapter, a memorable climax in the waters of False Bay and an unexpected twist in the tail.
It has recently been confirmed that the book will be printed and distributed in Australia later this year, substantiating reviews from Die Burger and Louise Mann at Leisurebooks/Leserskring that Church is a “local author with international potential”. Interest has also been shown by German and Norwegian publishers.
Early positive reviews from The Citizen, The Argus and Fair Lady have been followed by further critical kudos. In September, Dark Video featured as the book of the week in the Sunday Times, where it was touted as a “topical thriller with a strong moral message that should get the conversation going among a diverse audience”.
Lindsay Slogrove of the Natal Mercury describes it as “a fabulous read [with] twists that take this thriller above the norm and make it one of the best debuts in a long time. Good stuff.”
Samantha Bartlett of the Cape Times calls Dark Video “a remarkably readable debut novel. It is clever, pacy and has a thrilling climax with a sting in the tail.”
Attempting to disprove the notion that local English fiction doesn’t sell – which, to be honest, it doesn’t unless you’re John van de Ruit – Dark Video is one of only a handful of SA English-language books that maintained a regular spot in the Neilsen top 100 fiction charts towards the end of 2008 – despite low levels of stock in bookstores across the country.
The second impression of Dark Video is distributed by Quartet Sales and Marketing.
Find out more about Dark Video and read the first chapter online at www.darkvideo.co.za
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by Stuart on Jan 28th, 2009
I’m sure there’s a better header out there – something about best friends or barking up trees or woof woof – but it’s hard to be creative when you’ve just rattled off a press release. Which is to say, please forgive the official talk:
As of January 2009, SchreiberFord Publications has fully taken over ownership of the Two Dogs book imprint. Previously a collaboration with Struik Publishers, SchreiberFord has now assumed all creative and managerial responsibilities, and engaged Quartet Sales and Marketing as distributors.
Started in 2006 in Cape Town, the Two Dogs imprint was initially tailored specifically for men, with the tagline “books men read”. That approach has evolved to the point that Two Dogs now produces entertaining and irreverent reading for South African men and women from ages 18 to 80, while maintaining a focus on “male” subject matter and tone. Notable best-sellers that have made regular appearances on the Nielsen Top100 General list include the two Is It Just Me Or Is Everything Kak? titles and Some Of My Best Friends Are White which was shortlisted for the Nielsen Booksellers’ Choice Award 2008. Five Two Dogs books appeared in the South African Titles top 100 over December.
With offices in Cape Town and London, SchreiberFord Publications is an independent publishing company that offers a variety of publishing services. Clients include the Laureus World Sports Academy, the Young Presidents’ Organization and the Sports Science Institute of South Africa. It also produces the annual SA Whisky Handbook.
Company directors Grant Schreiber and Daniel Ford have a long history in the industry. Schreiber is an award-winning designer, who has been involved in publishing magazines and books for the last 13 years, while Ford has extensive experience in the UK market and was launch editor of both GQ and Top Billing magazines in South Africa. The Two Dogs publishing manager, Tim Richman, worked on magazines in South Africa and Australia as a writer and sub-editor before taking up his current position.
See www.twodogs.co.za and www.sfpublications.com for more information.
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by Stuart on Jan 20th, 2009
Should you? Shouldn’t you? Are you still trying to make up your mind about whether to join COPE?
Thought Leader blogger and Johannesburg writer, Ndumiso Ngcobo, is the author of Some of My Best Friends are White and Is It Coz I’m Black?. He has been pondering whether to offer his services as COPE’s resident speech writer of late. Perhaps he can guide you in the next step of your political evolution:
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by Stuart on Jan 5th, 2009
Weekend Witness motoring columnist Alexander Parker has written his first book: 25 Cars To Drive Before You Die. Estelle Sinkins dragged him away from the wheel for a few moments to find out why he decided to write it, and to get a few other motoring-related thoughts.
Have you always wanted to write a book, and were you surprised to get this gig?
I was quite surprised to get this gig. The publishers originally asked David Bullard to write it, but his packed schedule was to my advantage. David suggested they give me a call, and I pretty much bit their arm off. I’ve always wanted to write about cars in one way or another, so I was delighted, obviously.
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by Stuart on Dec 24th, 2008
Is It Just Me Or Is Everything Still Kak? 2Kak 2Furious is a bit grinchy, we admit.
But then again, the issues that we tackle with such courageous disregard for our own well-being – actually confronting the seemingly bottomless list of kak items head-on – demand immediate, robust action.
We’re just doing our jobs.
Even a small sampling of the kak things that pepper our daily lives ought to be enough to give you some idea of the gravity of the threat:
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by Stuart on Dec 9th, 2008
Is Dit Net Ek Of Is Als Tos? dit kla oor allerlei goed wat gewone Suid-Afrikaners ’n akute pyn in die agterstewe gee. Alhoewel die Afrikaanse titel losweg gebaseer is op die suksesvolle Engelse weergawe is, die onderwerpe, humor en styl doelbewus aangepas vir die Afrikaanse leser.
Meer as 150 aspekte van vandag se lewe loop kwaai deur insluitende die AWB, Blou Bul ondersteuners, call centres, Eskom, gholf op TV, lapswaaiers, Oppikoppi boneheads, Saffas, Star Wars junkies, Telkom, Joost van der Westhuizen, Vereeniging, witmense met dreadlocks en talle ander…
Lees ‘n ekstrak:
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