KREST PUBLISHERS BLOG PAGE

  The University of Pretoria is the only university in South Africa that offers a degree in publishing. Every year their final year students hold a presentation day, whereby they showcase their ideas for book and magazine projects to publishing industry executives.  This year KREST was honoured to have been invited on to the judging panel for the book projects. On behalf of KREST we sent Michael Ferguson, author of A Prophecy of Flowers and Lightning, one of our topselling books, to judge the books being pitched.  The winner was Nicolette Botha, who commissioned a beautiful coffee table book on hiking trails in the Drakensberg.  We were additionally lucky that the publishing faculty allowed KREST authors to attend the event, so they could network with bookstore managers, other publishers and authors, and get more exposure to the future of the industry. If you would like to join the stead of authors published by KREST, and get the opportunity to be involved in these events too, submit y

    KREST Publishers partnered with Wordsworth Books in Pretoria to host a book signing. The book signing showcased 4 authors whose titles we have released over the last year.  The Four Hundred Club by Keli H The Four Hundred Club by Keli H   Keli H is the CEO of KREST, but has her own novel. The Four Hundred Club is a contemporary fiction for the the new adult market (age 18 - 35). The book won the author the award for Best Upcoming Female Author at the 2022 Book Behind Awards, for its originality and quality writing. The story revolves around 7 millennial adults trying to make a reality TV show in Durban. Cue the glitz, glamour, and scandal! The book has seen an exciting year in bookstores and several sold out print runs. Now copies can be still be purchased from Wordsworth Books in Castle Gate Mall or on the KREST website. A Prophecy of Flowers and Lightning by Michael Ferguson   Michael Ferguson is a three-times published author, and his latest book has been signed by KREST. A Prop

  Written by Keli H  Award-winning author of The Four Hundred Club and CEO of the award-nominated publishing house, KREST Publishers Our founder's story has always been innately tied into the magic of the KREST brand. We as a house have a mission to spread through the world the most inspiring stories we can find. And we can do this because we believe we are currently living out, ourselves, one of the most inspiring stories that will ever be told about a business in the future.  I was invited to share this story with matriculants at Durban North College (Durban-Noord Kollege), an esteemed high school in the northern suburbs. The occasion had a shade of happy nostalgia for me because I schooled in this area from 2007-2011 and was familiar with DNC. The reason I had been invited was because the school had compiled an anthology of short stories written by their matric learners. In a world where you can now be anything for a living, career advice from a publisher was in order, should an

  Written by Mervin M. Francis (author of poetry anthologies Book of Dreams and Dreams of Life) An educator Miss Connie Francis came across my Poetry on Facebook and reached out to me to give a talk to their Grade 6 and 7 students at Spearman Primary School on the subject of poetry writing. I was overwhelmed by her request and without hesitation I accepted her invite to visit the school. Together we colaborated on the agenda for my visit which was to address both grades individually so as not to upset their class time tables. On the 4th of August 2023 I made my way to Spearman Primary School where I was warmly received and I was introduced to some of the Educators. I was then led to the assembly point where I was introduced to the grade 6 learners first.The topic of discussion was in relation to poetry. Miss Connie introduced me to the learners as a South African Author who specialised in poetry. She then handed the mic over to me to share my journey as a published author, and what ins

  The Four Hundred Club by Keli H KREST Publishers has long held an interest in innovation in what is otherwise a very traditional sector: that of the world of books. It was the release of the The Four Hundred Club, written by our own CEO, that allowed us as a company to finally get experimental with marketing. After enjoying an entire year of keeping the book close to its edgy roots, we have finally released the book into chain stores across Southern Africa! This comes just before the sequel is to go into pre-press.  The author, Keli Hariparsad who writes as Keli H, has a backstory as fascinating as the novel she's written. Keli matriculated in the year 2011. She describes it as a different era. "At that time, it wasn't considered normal to pursue careers in creative fields. I couldn't just say that I wanted to be a writer for a living, even though I wanted it more than anything. Things like that weren't considered real jobs - they were considered hobbies. So I be

  Author Gretchen Ryan is returning to the literary scene with an exciting children's book called There's an Elephant in my Swimming Pool , and your child could be the official cover designer!  There’s an Elephant in My Swimming Pool is an adventure story set in the South African bush. While on holiday at his grandpa’s game farm near the Kruger National Park, 11-year-old Toby has close encounters with various dangerous, wild animals but worse than that, the most dangerous of all: rhino poachers. The story tells of Toby’s attempts to combat poaching, which are constantly thwarted by his younger and more responsible sister, Tara.    The book, aimed at readers aged 8-12, has started achieving recognition well before publication . There’s an elephant in my swimming pool  was the winner of the Eyelands Book Awards (unpublished children’s novels) in December 2019. It was also shortlisted in the Wells Festival of Literature Children’s Book competition in both 2016 and 2019. The boo