The annual gathering of South Africa’s publishers and booksellers at the Sefika Booksellers Awards took place in Johannesburg last night, where the winner of the coveted Nielsen Booksellers’ Choice Award was also announced.
The 2015 Sefika Booksellers Awards saw, among others, Pan MacMillan being announced the Best Trade Publisher of the Year and one of Cape Town’s favourite bookish hangouts The Book Lounge winning Best Trade Bookseller of the Year (Independent) for the second year in a row.
Read the press release to see the other awards:
Press release
Sefika Booksellers Awards
Members of the SA Booksellers Association and the Publishers’ Association of South Africa (PASA) gathered at the Sunnyside Park Hotel in Parktown, Johannesburg last night to applaud and be applauded. The annual event is set to thank and celebrate both booksellers and publishers for the roles they play in promoting literacy and a culture of reading by producing and selling quality books in South Africa. The theme for this year’s gala event was 50 Shades of Colour.
The booksellers awards, voted for by their colleagues in the publishing sector went to:
- Best Academic Bookseller of the Year – Van Schaik Bookstore
- Best Education Bookseller of the Year – Adams Booksellers
- Best Library Supplier of the Year – Hargraves Library Services
- Best Trade Bookseller of the Year (Chain Store) – Exclusive Books
- Best Trade Bookseller of the Year (Independent) – The Book Lounge
Winning publishers were:
- Best Academic Publisher of the Year – Oxford University Press Southern Africa
- Best Education Publisher of the Year (Large) – Macmillan Education South Africa
- Best Education Publisher of the Year (Small) – Berlut Books CC
- Best Trade Publisher of the Year – Pan Macmillan South Africa
The final award for the evening, the Nielsen Booksellers Choice Award, is bestowed upon a local author for a South African published book that booksellers most enjoyed selling or that sold so well that it made a difference to the bottom line of booksellers across the country. This is a very special award and the industry as a whole celebrated Marguerite Poland who won this year with her book The Keeper, published by Penguin Books South Africa.
The shortlisted books were:
- 150 Stories by Nataniël, published by Human & Rousseau
- Goeiemore, Mnr Mandela by Zelda la Grange, published by Penguin
- Kamphoer by Francois Smith, published by Tafelberg
- Low Carb is Lekker by Ine Reynierse, published by Struik Lifestyle
- The Keeper by Marguerite Poland, published by Penguin
The awards evening forms part of the SA Booksellers Association (SABA) and PASA’s joined AGM which will continue today. Updates and key learning from the event can be found on Twitter under the hashtags #saba #sefika or follow @SABooksellers.
Ends
Book details
- 150 Stories by Nataniël
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EAN: 9780798166645
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- Goeiemore, Mnr. Mandela by Zelda la Grange
EAN: 9780143539117
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- Kamphoer by Francois Smith
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EAN: 9780624065517
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- Low Carb is Lekker by Ine Reynierse
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EAN: 9781432304782
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- The Keeper by Marguerite Poland
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EAN: 9780143539032
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