A little over four years ago, I began a journey with a small Co-publishing company called Sela.

(Written in April 2022)

Anneline Bezuidenhout and I had been in the same church as teenagers. We connected again after she self-published her first book Vuurwa Taxi under her pen name, Anneline De Hout. We were both home schooling moms and followed the same social media groups where she shared about her book and mentioned self-publishing. Vuurwa Taxi is Anneline’s story about her and her friend’s miraculous escape from the hands of kidnappers while travelling in Egypt. (Note: Vuurwa Taxi has been translated into English, as Chariot Taxi. There is also a Workbook to complement each language – it is a lovely package for a Unit Study on Egypt for middle school children.)

Anneline De Hout Author and Project Manager for Sela

When my sister-in-law, Carol, wrote her book Cancer Bowed to the King and was looking for a company to publish her story, I was glad to be able to point her in Anneline’s direction. With help and guidance, Carol was able to publish her book under the Sela banner.

Later that year, I hosted a book event in my home for Carol to share about her book, Anneline to share about Sela and Belinda A Weber, another author, to share about her book Dancin’ Feet. It was then that I was approached to be an Ambassador for Sela, to which I agreed, hoping that I would be able to do it justice. I was entrusted with a small stock of books to keep for events and in case anyone in Cape Town should wish to purchase copies, as Sela was about to move its office to George.

Over the years, I was introduced to precious people whom the Lord led to write their stories, their testimonies and share their hearts with others in the form of a book. I went from just being an Ambassador, to translating a book from Afrikaans into English, to editing and proofreading some of the English books, and I loved it!

I have always loved reading, especially true stories, so this was an absolute treat for me. And, in many cases, I have come to know the authors on a more personal level through my work.

In February 2021, I officially began proofreading/editing as a freelancer and have called my “company” Parpar, which is “butterfly” in Hebrew. The butterfly represents transformation. Transformation brings freedom – “every writer’s freedom to share his or her story in a way that is truly representative of him/herself.”

An advert for a recent Self-publishing info session with Anneline.

I love working with Anneline. She knows her stuff!

Over the past few years, Sela has grown from a small company with a handful of books to a growing organism of a business that has even begun to move across the borders of South Africa. We are in the process of revamping our website and online shop to be of even greater service to our community of authors.

In November 2021, I published my first book Protected, Living Psalm 91 and my second book Victorious, Fully Prepared has just been launched through Sela. Anneline was a tremendous help and guided me expertly through the process. I learned a whole lot more about writing, self-publishing, marketing, and supporting other authors in the process.

Julaine

If you are interested in self-publishing a book, you send an email to Sela : info@sela-books.co.za, or click on the link below to go to the Sela website.