ADVICE TO ASPIRING WRITERS, FROM KELI H, KREST CEO

 

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 any of the students be considering pursuing the literary industry. 

I told them the story of how The KREST House came to be where it is today, and there are certain keynotes I want to highlight from the tale. If you too are an aspiring writer, no matter the age, this is my story and my advice to you.

Childhood passions are your key to success

I've always known I was born to be a writer. I've loved books and stories for as long as anyone can remember me. As my mother still tells it all these years later - and I'm 30 now - I used to scribble lines on a page before I could write, and I would 'read' off the page, telling whatever odd story was in my head at the time. My childhood passion for stories was never random. And yours isn't too. It's they key to your calling. I hope you remember this.

Creative arts is a career

When I was in matric it was time to pick a career. I wanted to be a writer. But the year was 2011, and it was a very different world then. Anything creative wasn't considered a real career. It was considered a hobby. And so I was dissuaded by society at large from pursuing my artistic talent with words. We are very lucky to be living in a new era. You can make money from anything in today's economy - your Tik Tok channel, creating online courses, novelty product websites ... you need to take advantage of the fact that today it is 100% acceptable to be a writer. There is no better time than now to pursue this particular dream. 

Know when to quit

After matric, I did the 'normal' thing instead. I became medical doctor. I went to med school and I worked in government hospitals for two years after that. Honestly, I was good at what I did. The academic challenge of it was wonderful. But I didn't want to just be good for the rest of my life. I wanted to work towards greatness. And the thing I would always be greatest at was the art of storytelling. As the saying goes - the things that excite you are not random; they are connected to your purpose. 

Another saying is that successful people are not afraid to quit when it's not right. I hadn't known of this saying at the time, but in retrospect I think I knew precisely that I had to quit my job as a doctor because it wasn't the right career for me. I'm not ashamed of the decision. And when it's time for you to follow your purpose, you shouldn't be ashamed of doing it either. 

It's never too late

So at the age of twenty-seven I quit my job to follow my love of books. This was the age at which most of my acquaintances were getting married, creating families, and undergoing the journey of specializing in their careers. And here I was, considered too old to be starting life all over again.

Nonetheless I did it. I took myself back to 'school', studying through the SA Writer's College. I obtained certification as an editor from them, and then I started by business KREST Publishers in late 2020, giving up everything I owned to do so. Whatever age you may be, I promise you that you are still vital enough to follow your writing dreams too (our oldest debut author is 80 years old! You really can't tell me you're too old to try.)

Greatness is guaranteed when following a purpose

In the last 3 years of being the CEO of KREST Publishers this company has achieved more than any other its age. This is because we are following a very steady purpose - that of spreading through the world the most inspiring stories we can find. We've been able to sign on 44 authors - some of them from other countries. Of these 44, we've gotten 8 book award nominations, including an award win for my book The Four Hundred Club. Last year at the national book awards we were nominated as the Best Publishing Company in SA, alongside Penguin Random House, Jonathan Ball, and NB Publishers. These companies have been around longer than any of us have even been born. What a prestige to be competing on this level. We've started a magazine called KREST Cars, an online writers academy called the KREST Conservatoire, and an e-commerce bookstore called the KREST Bookstore. Collectively, we are now known as The KREST House. 

The journey hasn't been without challenge. But if undertaking this journey is your purpose, then your eventual greatness is inevitable. And the purpose will always be enough to see you through the hard times. 

Stay Inspired,

Keli H

To join the ranks of The KREST House writers, submit your manuscript by following the guidelines on www.krestpublishers.co.za