Category: Historical

An Update from Catalyst Publisher/Founder Jessica Powers

Dear friends of Catalyst Press,

In just a few short weeks, it feels like the world as we have known it has collapsed. We’re all trying to keep in touch as best we can, and those of us who can work from home are doing so, but we know that a lot of people have lost or will lose their jobs; we know that people will have trouble paying rent or feeding their families. And meanwhile, all of us have to deal with the fear and uncertainty of an illness that can be deadly, and may affect us or our loved ones.

The economic shutdown of the USA has affected book publishers in myriad ways. Amazon is making shipping of books a low priority. Independent booksellers have changed the way they work with customers, and are working to ship online orders as well as provide curbside pickups. But booksellers and publishers alike are going to be dramatically affected by the quarantines and shelter-in-place orders, primarily through loss of sales, but also through loss of marketing opportunities to get the word out about our books through reviews and other outlets that are also not operating under optimal conditions (or at all.)

Catalyst Press is committed to weathering this storm but, as a new small press we are especially vulnerable to a tank in sales. This is true for all small presses, not least for us. For those of you who really want to support us during this time, here are a few ways:

  • If you’re in North America, you can order new and older books directly from our website or from independent bookstores at this link.
  • South Africa is in a severe lockdown right now, and deliveries of books aren’t happening. In the meantime, you can order ebooks at Amazon. We always want to support independent bookstores but in this particular case, please do buy ebooks on Amazon! But if you want to buy physical books and you can wait for them to be delivered, you can order copies from LAPA, our distributor in South Africa, and they will resume deliveries when they can.
  • We are also able to accept one-time or recurring tax-deductible donation through Fractured Atlas, a 501 (c) (3) arts organization that has offered us fiscal sponsorship. This is an option we’d love for you to consider anytime, of course!
  • Even if ordering books or offering donations is not possible for you at this time, we love hearing from our supporters on social media, this blog, or via email, so please feel free to drop us a kind note anytime. We’d love to hear about past books we published that you loved, future books you’re looking forward to, or suggestions for future books.

Thanks guys. Keep in touch and stay well!

Jessica, Publisher & Founder, Catalyst Press (with imprints Story Press Africa & Powers Squared)

February’s Spotlight Author: Luke W. Molver

Luke Molver

This month’s spotlight shines on author/illustrator Luke W. Molver. Luke is the co-author (along with Mason O’Connor) and illustrator of the first book in our African Graphic Novel Series, Shaka Rising: A Legend of the Warrior Prince, and the author/illustrator of its sequel King Shaka: Zulu Legend. Both of these books are published through Story Press Africa, our collaborative imprint with Jive Media Africa. As part of our ongoing Author Spotlight Sale, this month we’re offering Shaka Rising for 50% off!

Shaka Rising is the story of a legendary Zulu leader’s rise to power during one of southern Africa’s most turbulent periods. Shaka’s story is one of family drama, political intrigue, and warfare, and is told in a nuanced and exciting way that’s both entertaining and educational. Add in Luke’s fantastic illustrations, and you’ve got a great book for the young reader in your life!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Luke and Shaka Rising have had an incredible run since the book was released in 2018. It has earned rave reviews from The Wall Street Journal (“[M]arks the launch of a welcome historical graphic-novel series set in Africa”); Kirkus (“A worthy introduction that offers a young Anglophone audience entry into a legend of Africa”); and Booklist (“This is a tale comics has heretofore not done justice to, and it’s handsomely presented here.”), among many others. It was also shortlisted a Nommo Awards for African Speculative Fiction in the Graphic Novel category, and was named an Honor Book for Older Readers by the Children’s Africana Book Awards.

In addition to his work on the Shaka books, Luke is also a comic book creator whose work, most recently, has been featured at the Johannesburg Art Gallery’s exhibit The Art of Comics. You can also learn more about Luke in this short video interview with Beautiful News South Africa or this interview with Smash Pages.

All this month, and only at our site, you can get the paperback version of Shaka Rising for just $8.50. Order here

Notes from the 2019 ALA Conference

I had a great time at ALA2019 in Washington D.C.

Booth 707

Catalyst Press shared booth space at the Global Literature in Libraries Initiative booth with several other publishers who focus on international and translated literature. GLLI was founded by Rachel Hildebrandt Reynolds, who is also the talented translator of our  recent release The Wall by Max Annas. Business was booming at the GLLI booth, with a lot of interest in publications from Africa. I brought 60 Advance Review Copies, which were snatched up before noon on Saturday, the first full day. We trust that they got into the hands of librarians who care and who will promote African writers and books set in Africa. Continue reading “Notes from the 2019 ALA Conference”

Shaka Rising Named an Honor Book by the Children’s Africana Book Awards

Shaka Rising: A Legend of the Warrior Prince was named an Honor Book for Older Readers by the Children’s Africana Book Awards! The awards, presented by Africa Access, a non-profit that celebrates and promotes African literature for young readers. The Children’s Africana Book Awards are an annual award honoring “authors and illustrators of the best children’s and young adult books on Africa published or republished in the U.S.” We couldn’t be more excited that Shaka Rising was among the honorees!

Shaka Rising is the first in our African Graphic Novel Series, and the first release from our collaborative imprint, Story Press Africa. You can read about Shaka Rising author/illustrator Luke W. Molver in this Q&A. And you can learn more about the awards, and the other winners and honorees here.

Find Your Next Book Club Pick

Our books are a great choice for book clubs and reading groups. We have readers’ guides available for several of our books, with more coming soon! If you’re looking for ideas for your next read, check out some of our picks (PDF), and get your next conversation started.

 

 

Q&A with Luke W. Molver

This Q&A is an extended version of the one that appeared in our most recent newsletter. Want to read more interviews like this, plus stay up-to-date on everything going on at Catalyst Press? Be sure to subscribe!

Earlier this year, we released Shaka Rising: A Legend of the Warrior Prince by author/illustrator Luke W. Molver. This graphic novel was the first release in our African Graphic Novel Series and the first release under our Story Press Africa imprint. The book was praised by The Wall Street Journal, Kirkus, Booklist, and the Midwest Book Review. This nuanced look at the life of the legendary Zulu king is part family saga, part military epic, and part history lesson. It has been a pleasure to bring Shaka’s story to readers. Luke will be bringing this story to even more readers as the book makes its South African release this month. Luke will be celebrating that, along with his other accomplishments at Comic Con Africa in Johannesburg this month.

We chatted with Luke about his work, writing Shaka, and what’s next for him. Keep up with Luke at his website, on Instagram, and on Facebook.  Continue reading “Q&A with Luke W. Molver”

Women in Translation Month 2018

It’s that time of year again! Welcome to Women in Translation Month everyone! This is a great time to broaden your reading horizons by adding translated works by women authors and translators to your ‘to read’ stacks! We’ll be doing our part this month with giveaways, interviews, sales, and more! Stay tuned….

If you want to get reading now, we’re offering special prices on all of our titles all summer, but we have a few we want to spotlight:

SacrificedFirst up, Sacrificed by Chanette Paul (translated by Elsa Silke) sends readers on a global journey from South Africa to Belgium as Caz Colijn searches for answers about her mysterious past. Sacrificed is on sale now.

And next, if you want to add even more women to your reading list, check out our special Women’s Voices bundle, which features Sacrificed, short story collection Love Interrupted by Reneilwe Malatji, We Kiss Them with Rain by Futhi Ntshingila (Futhi just recently finished an isiZulu translation of her novel!), and a sneak preview of Bom Boy by Yewande Omotoso, which is out in January.

Follow us @catalyst_press on Twitter and @catalystpress on Instagram to keep up with our #WiTMonth fun, and be sure to tag us if you’re reading one of our titles this month! And click here to read all of our WitMonth posts.

Continue reading “Women in Translation Month 2018”

Q&A with Jive Media Africa

Our monthly newsletter is full of good stuff. We’ve got author news, events, and special sales. We have a good time there. Part of that good time is also being able to publish Q&As with our authors and partners that we then get to share with you. We’ve been republishing these Q&As here at our blog (you can read them here), but if you want to be among the first to read them, you can subscribe to our newsletter here!

The Q&A we’re sharing this time is with our South African partners, Jive Media Africa. We’ve teamed up with them to create our imprint Story Press Africa. Story Press Africa’s mission is to bring African histories and figures to life in the pages of our African Graphic Novel Series. The first installment in the series was Shaka Rising, and we’re so excited to bring more stories like this to readers everywhere. Continue reading “Q&A with Jive Media Africa”