I’ve learnt so much about the ladies I’ve featured during Women’s month through this series. It gives me great pleasure to introduce Nonhlanhla Ngwaxaxa. We met last year at Abantu Book Festival, the fact that she counts Alice Walker’s The Color Purple as a favourite book puts a stamp on how much I warmed up to her when we first met. A Business Science graduate, who dreamed of selling books back in 2011. Fast forward to September 2018 when she finally took the plunge and began, Nonhlanhla is truly an inspiration. I hope you enjoy learning about Nhlanhla as much as I did.
Tell us about who you are, and how did you get into the book selling business?
Nonhlanhla Ngwaxaxa: My name is Nonhlanhla Ngwaxaxa. I’m passionate about books. I have always loved reading. My favourite books in senior high school were Beloved by Toni Morrison and The Color Purple by Alice Walker. I would keep borrowing them from the library to re-read or for oral reading exams at school.
In matric, my older sister, Thoko read Maru by Bessie Head at her school; while we read A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens at mine. She recommended Maru, saying that I’d love it. I looked for it in the university library in first year and just fell in love. I practically lived in the African fiction section of the library for the next four years – even though I was a commerce student!
Selling books is something I planned to do full time in 2011, when I registered Cocoa Butter Books as a company. But, it wasn’t until 1 September 2018 that I finally did it. I sold South African literature at the Soweto Arts and Crafts Fair, a weekend market that takes place at Soweto Theatre. I am originally from Vosloorus in Ekurhuleni, but Soweto has embraced Cocoa Butter Books.
Tell us more about your store, including its history and areas you focus on/location. Also, what types of books does your store stock and specialize in?
Nonhlanhla Ngwaxaxa: Cocoa Butter Books is a small, up-and-coming retailer of African literature. This is literature, fiction and non-fiction, written by African writers and writers of African descent living in other regions (African diaspora).
There is a wide range of books on offer: novels, novellas, short-stories, poetry, plays, children’s books, comics as well as non-fiction. Most books are in English, but we have some in Sesotho, IsiZulu and other South African languages.
I do not have a physical store as yet but I operate at markets in Soweto and Vosloorus.
In Soweto:
Cocoa Butter Books participates in a number of markets at the Soweto Theatre. We are at the Soweto Art and Crafts Fair (SACF) every first Saturday of the month. We also sell at the Seven Colour Sundays market, which is held every last Sunday of the month. Additionally, Cocoa Butter Books is the resident bookseller at Poetic Thursdays, every last Thursday of the month.
Additionally, Cocoa Butter Books is the bookseller at Native Rebels in Jabavu for First Thursdays. A live music and poetry event held, you guessed it, every first Thursday of the month! I am at the Dinaledi Night Market at Eyethu Lifestyle Centre every second Thursday of the month. I personally like to join in the salsa dancing that takes place on these nights.
In Vosloorus:
I cannot forget my home town, Vosloorus. You can find Cocoa Butter Books at the monthly Sporo’s Cookout near Polokegong Primary School (where I started schooling and my grandmother was principal).
Who is your market? Who contacts you for a sale/the people who buy from your online profile?
Nonhlanhla Ngwaxaxa: Cocoa Butter Books’ market is a youthful and vibrant bunch of beautiful black women and men in their 20s and 30s.
People I meet at the weekend and Thursday markets contact me to make orders of books I had on display or different African titles in which they are interested. I have made personal deliveries around Gauteng.
I have also created catalogues for corporate clients. Word of mouth has been the main marketing agent to reach new corporate clients. Cocoa Butter Books’ corporate clients have been early childhood development (ECD) centers, one of the big four banks and an art studio.
I need to get better at the social media game because this is my main online presence.
What is it that you love about your work with books? And what don’t you like 😊?
Nonhlanhla Ngwaxaxa: My favourite thing is to interact with people about books I recommend, or books we have mutually read. I talk to clients at markets about characters in books like they are real people.
My new-found best friends and I will be going on about how good-looking the Zulu brothers are, from Dudu Busani-Dube’s Hlomu series, as if we have seen them in real life. I love meeting and interacting with people who share my passion for reading books.
I don’t like it when clients make big orders, but take long to settle their accounts. I usually take cash orders because I make cash orders with my suppliers. Having cash on hand is very important in business, especially for small businesses.
It’s no use making a big sale if it doesn’t mean cash in the bank to make more investments into your business. And it’s not nice chasing up after clients for money. But, it is a lesson learnt.
What are the challenges you’ve gone through in the time you’ve been operating? What characteristics do you think one has to have to run a successful book business?
Nonhlanhla Ngwaxaxa: Business is challenging because you have to show up every day for it, when things are great and when things aren’t. Some investments made do not yield a profit, or don’t yield a profit soon enough.
I once paid a larger than normal fee to trade at a widely advertised event over a long weekend. There were transport costs and other incidental costs to be there. I also brought a lot of stock. Unfortunately, with all my efforts, I made very few sales at the event. I made a loss.
On the other hand, at some events where I’ve made a smaller investment, sales are high. I’ve learnt not to get too excited when this happens – not to run and keep twice the number of stock on hand as I will be left with low cash if sales become slower.
I think that’s the important characteristic a successful bookseller must have, the ability to learn from past experiences, good and bad. I hold an honours degree in Business Science, but it is now that I am doing the true learning of how to be successful in business.
Another important quality is resilience. Don’t give up. There are ups and downs, wins and losses in business as there are in life. And lastly, remember to enjoy yourself. We are living our dreams with our businesses, after all.
What sets you apart from other local book distributors?
Nonhlanhla Ngwaxaxa: I endeavour to offer a wide variety of African literature titles at Cocoa Butter Books. As I mentioned before, the offering includes novels, short stories, poetry, plays, children’s books and comic books.
Non-fiction offerings include cookbooks, religious self-improvement, economics books as well as current affairs and history.
Children’s books and Kwezi comics are available in different South African languages. I also keep Setswana fiction by Sabata-mpho Mokae and Sesotho poetry by Motlalekgotso Ponya.
Over and above that, clients often make special order requests for titles I don’t have on hand. These are delivered to them around Gauteng within reasonable time.
What lessons have you learnt from book selling in South Africa?
Nonhlanhla Ngwaxaxa: South African readers love books by South African authors, set in this country. They are not so interested in books from other countries on the continent at this point in time. Having said that, I do receive occasional requests for big names like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
Which book has sold way past your own expectations? And why do you think so.
Nonhlanhla Ngwaxaxa: I have found Loyiso Mkize’s Kwezi comics to be very popular among children and adults, men and women alike.
In this time of movie franchises based on comic books breaking box office records around the world, it is refreshing for people to come to my stalls and find a South African superhero comic.
Marvel’s Black Panther movie, also based on a comic, was highly popular in South Africa. People are excited to find similar content, with the story based in South Africa.
The Kwezi comics by Loyiso Mkize are of superior quality, with fascinating storylines. They are comparable to the best graphic novels around the world, hence they are attractive to children as well as adults.
Why is it important to support self-published authors in your business?
Nonhlanhla Ngwaxaxa: The traditional publishing industry in South Africa is yet to contend with the growing demand for local content from the black market in the country. There are many stories to be told and there are people who are looking for the next local book to read.
Some enterprising authors in South Africa have taken it upon themselves to publish their own creative work. Dudu Busani-Dube is a great example of an author who has been successful as a self-publisher.
These authors use social media to their advantage and create a buzz around their books. Features in websites like Bookamoso also do a great deal in marketing. This creates a demand for the books and booksellers like Cocoa Butter Books are dedicated to meeting that demand.
I also like to support self-published authors because they have taken on the full financial burden of publishing upon themselves. There is no publishing house that has given them an advance. They pay for layout, cover pictures and printing themselves.
I would suggest that self-published authors invest more in editing, however.
Don’t just invest in how a product looks, take care to have quality content too.
Even books that go through publishing houses need to check that the editing is on point. It was unfortunate what happened with the first edition of Bonang Matheba’s autobiography. The experience taught the industry that black South African readers are discerning and are looking for quality products.
What in your opinion, due to your book sales, is the appetite for South African fiction currently?
Nonhlanhla Ngwaxaxa: The appetite for local books in South Africa is huge! South African adults love to see themselves and their stories in the books they read. The relatability of the characters is important as the role of art is to provide a mirror to society. People can reflect and make better sense of their own lives with this mirror provided, especially in fiction.
There is a demand for local non-fiction by South African writers, too. People want to read about successful black business people and about analyses of politics and history.
Parents love to buy books with black characters for their children. The stories are not only relatable for the children, but creatively inspiring.
It is an exciting time. The local market is about to explode. We have only seen the beginning. Look at Abantu Book Festival, the positive energy there is palpable. One is lucky to find a seat in the crowded rooms to hear the speakers. And, Abantu Book Festival has only been on for three years.
What inspires you to keep going?
Nonhlanhla Ngwaxaxa: What gets me up in the mornings is following my dreams and working to make them come true. Making Cocoa Butter Books a success is a dream I’m working toward. Watch this space, my dreams are big!
Social Media Account/where you prefer to be contacted:
Nonhlanhla Ngwaxaxa:
Facebook Page: Cocoa Butter Books (@CocoaButterBooks)
Twitter: @CocoaButterBks
Instagram: @cocoabutterbooks
Email: cocoabutterbooks@gmail.com
Here’s to wishing you more book sales and lots of growth for Cocoa Butter Books! Onwards and Upwards!
