I’m looking for new, exciting manuscripts to develop into bestselling books. Do you have something for me?
Hi
I’m a commissioning editor and I want to publish books about business, travel, politics, social commentary, comedy, love, healing and general greatness.
Non-fiction that is smart, intentional and entertaining. I want to help you craft your ideas to create books that people will be rushing to buy and engage with. Your work is the most important part of the equation, so I’m asking you to share your best with me, and trust me to take your story to the audience that needs it.
So, if you have complete manuscripts (or at least three solid chapters — I know some ideas take some time to make their way onto the paper) that cover any of the topics below, please send them to me: nkhensani.manabe@gmail.com
I’ll be adding ideas to this list every few months or so.
A new take on the great [South African] road trip
Each summer it seems everyone on social media is posting long videos of scenic drives. They’re stopping at caves and frolicking in fields and eating interesting things. But what does it mean for young, Black people to take to the road and explore their country like this? What are the definitions of “freedom” and “free will” in this case? What do you do with the knowledge that there are millions of people who live whole lives without ever leaving their hometown? This is about travel, democracy, society and culture and maybe even the meaning of life. A collection of essays with great photographs to go with it.
Traditions of grief and mourning
When there is a death in the family, everything stops. In black South African families, grief is performed in a certain way: the black clothing, the periods of isolation. Where do these traditions of mourning come from? What are the perceived benefits — and what happens to people who don’t follow the traditions? Why do women have to carry mourning on their bodies in such particular ways? At a point when society has evolved to question many traditional practices, why do those associated with grief and mourning persevere? This is about pain, grief, tradition and womanhood.
The greatest love story rarely told
I’m looking for a memoir about love in some form: a mother-daughter relationship, a pet that you adopted that ended up rescuing you, a teacher who opened up your whole world and whom you never ever forgot, a friend who taught you the meaning of life. I want to read about love that changes the trajectory of your life. There will be fear, there may even be tragedy, but the main note is real, enveloping love.
“Piano to the world!”
Pop culture commentary in South Africa over the last five or six years has been full of buzzwords: gqom, three-step, barcadi, amapiano, lekompo, spitori. Youth culture in South Africa is being exported across the content and over to Europe and America and Asia. But are the originators getting real recognition, beyond social media dance trends and memes? What’s “cool” changes every week so it’s difficult to really capture it, but I think we should try. Let’s write the story of this moment in South African youth culture before it’s gone and we’re scratching around the dark web for videos and interviews that prove that yes, we were there.
(For reference, read Born to Kwaito.)
Nkhensani Manabe 