5. Making Money Online with Self-Publishing
How Dudu Busani-Dube became a self-publishing powerhouse
Dudu Busani-Dube started her career as a writer by authoring a trilogy of books she started sharing on her Facebook page in 2014. Since then, she has been named a literary giant in the making. Dudu is the author of the Hlomu series, which has gone on to sell tens of thousands of copies.
Leveraging Self-Publishing to Make Money Online:
The South African literary market is relatively small and bestselling titles aren’t necessarily equal to high numbers sold. Self-publishing your work makes financial sense, in this regard, however you then need to take responsibility for the success of your book, because there’s no publisher to do that on your behalf.
How this entrepreneur used Self-Publishing to Make Money Online:
“I thought a lot about approaching a few publishers when I was sitting with a complete Hlomu the Wife for two months but something kept telling me they weren’t going to understand, because I have total disregard for the rules of literature as they are, and what is perceived as a good book or good literature,” says Dudu.
Dudu wasn’t spurred to self-publish by rejection. In fact, she didn’t approach a single publishing house with her work, because she says she was unsure any of them would understand her stories and how she was telling them. “I didn’t want to find myself having to compromise and agree to things I didn’t want to. The fun ends when I put the last full stop.” So, she began blogging about Hlomu and then made the decision to print and publish the book after receiving a positive response.
Lessons learnt in establishing an income with Self-Publishing Online:
“It hasn’t been easy,” Dudu admits. “I had to decide on the grade of paper, get designers to do the covers and get editors, all of which doesn’t come cheap.” She sold her first 50 copies from the boot of her car, then she printed as the orders came in. Eventually, she couldn’t meet the high demand and approached Exclusive Books who turned her down twice before getting in touch and partnering with her.