The Sefika and SA Book Award winners have been announced, with Manage Your Money Like a F*cking Grown Up by Sam Beckbessinger winning the grand prize.

Press release

Last night (27 August 2019) the much-anticipated Grammys of the South African book industry were announced at a packed ceremony held at the Vineyard Hotel in Newlands, Cape Town.

The annual event forms part of the co-located Annual General Meetings (AGM) of South Africa’s booksellers and publishers associations where topical issues in various sectors of the book industry are discussed. The Sefika Awards acknowledge and celebrate publishers and booksellers and the role they play in promoting literacy and a culture of reading.

The Sefika Booksellers’ Award winners were announced by Steve Cilliers, Chairman of the Publishers’ Association of South Africa (PASA):

• National Academic Bookseller 2019 – Protea Books
• National Educational Bookseller 2019 – Books 24/7
• National Trade Bookseller (Chain Store) 2019 – Bargain Books
• National Trade Bookseller (Independent) 2019 – Love Books
• National Library Supplier 2019 – Hargraves Library Services

 

The Sefika Publishers Award winners were announced by Melvin Kaabwe, Vice President of the SA Booksellers Award. He said: ‘By operating in physical locations and increasingly online, your favourite booksellers are diligent literature curators for the community they serve. As Booksellers, we believe these awards to be prestigious for the recipients but also quite valuable as a reflection of what may have captured the imagination of our collective neighbourhoods this year.

‘The hard work of publishers in raising the bar for more diversity in terms of the content available is remarkable. Whilst the consistent support of our sponsors over the years has enabled the book industry sector to show deserving appreciation for the creators of books having an impact on readers across the country.

‘The diversity of the selection continues to mirror the national mood in so many ways and we are grateful for the on-going generosity of our sponsorship partners in recognising the value of books and literacy towards an inclusive Southern Africa that thrives on reading.’

• National Trade Publisher 2019 – Penguin Random House South Africa
• National Academic Publisher 2019 – Oxford University Press South Africa
• National Education Publisher (Large) 2019 – Oxford University Press South Africa
• National Education Publisher (Small) 2019 – Berlut Books

 

The Nick Perren Foundation-Publishers’ Association of South Africa Lifetime Achievement Award recognises an outstanding lifetime contribution to the publishing industry.

The award is named after Nick Perren and PASA. Nick Perren was born in Nyeri, Kenya and published extensively in Africa through John Murray Publishers and in Europe for various publishing houses. He also served as the UK Publishers’ Association representative to the International Publishers Association (IPA).

The 2019 Lifetime Achievement winners are Stephen Johnson and Lieze Kotze.

The SA Book Awards build on the success of the Booksellers’ Choice Award, established 19 years ago. The SA Book Awards strive to celebrate books written and published in South Africa, as voted
for by South African booksellers.

This year there are three categories plus an overall winner:

The shortlisted books for the 2019 SA Book Award – Adult Fiction were:

• Kainsmerk – Annelie Botes
• Selma en Louise – Susan Coetzer
• Zulu Wedding – Dudu Busani-Dube
• Kantelpunt – Sophia Kapp
• Prooi – Deon Meyer
• Captive – Tony Park
• Bare – Jackie Phamotse
• Ys – Rudie van Rensburg
• Sondag – Irma Venter
• Blameer die Skoenlapper – Elsa Winckler

 

The shortlisted books for the 2019 SA Book Award – Adult Non-Fiction were:

• Manage Your Money Like a F*cking Grown Up – Sam Beckbessinger
• These things really do happen to me – Khaya Dlanga
• The Lost Boys of Bird Island – Mark Minnie; Chris Steyn
• The Land Is Ours – Tembeka Ngcukaitobi
• Steinheist – Rob Rose
• Beloftes vir ma – Nina Smit
• Steinhoff: Inside SA’s Biggest Corporate Crash – James-Brent Styan
• Vusi – Vusi Thembekwayo
• Ministry of Crime – Mandy Wiener
• Zapiro annual 2018 – Zapiro

 

The shortlisted books for the 2019 SA Book Award – Children’s were:

• 101 lawwe grappe – Jaco Jacobs
• 101 grappe vir pousetyd – Jaco Jacobs
• 101 dieregrappe – Jaco Jacobs
• 101 klop-klop grappe – Jaco Jacobs
• Spaghetti tussen jou tone – Jaco Jacobs
• Tippie by die dieretuin – Reinette Palmer; Jose Palmer
• Tippie se nuwe maat – Reinette Palmer; Jose Palmer
• Tippie gaan leeupark toe – Reinette Palmer; Jose Palmer
• Klein kook en geniet (2018 uitgawe) – Eunice van der Berg

 

The three categories and their winners were:

• Favourite Bestselling Adult Fiction Title – Prooi by Deon Meyer
• Favourite Bestselling Adult Non-Fiction Title – Manage Your Money Like a F*cking Grown Up by Sam Beckbessinger
• Favourite Bestselling Children’s Title (Fiction and Non-Fiction) – Klein kook en geniet by Eunice van der Berg

 

The overall winner was Manage Your Money Like a F*cking Grown Up by Sam Beckbessinger published by Jonathan Ball Publishers.

In this clear and engaging basic guide to managing your finances, Sam Beckbessinger covers topics from compound interest and inflation to ‘your brain on money’, negotiating a raise, and particularly local South African phenomena like ‘black tax’.

Beckbessinger was unable to attend the evening, but in her absence she sent through a riveting speech praising the South African book industry and its authors:

‘Books matter. Books can change the world. They can give us a different perspective on life. They can make us see that the world can be different than it is and that we can be different than we are.
Books are a way of having a conversation amongst thousands of people you have never met. Books are magic. So, thank you to all of you for being part [of] bringing more magic into the world.’

Ends

Categories Fiction Non-fiction South Africa

Tags Awards Bargain Books Berlut Books Books 24/7 Deon Meyer Eunice van der Berg Hargraves Library Services Klein kook en geniet Lieze Kotze Love Books Manage your Money like a F*cking Grown Up Melvin Kaabwe News Nielsen Booksellers Choice Award Oxford University Press South Africa Penguin Random House SA Prooi Protea Books SA Book Award SA Book Awards Sam Beckbessinger Sefika Booksellers Award Sefika Publishers Award Stephen Johnson