Given that the Christmas Season is here, now is the time to support our Belizean authors. As has been reviewed, 2019 was a promising year for authors as many of their books were published and are now on the shelves in Belize.
There are a lot of opportunities for publications in Belize. This is so for educational books. However, if you want to make it in the writing world you will need to have a great grasp of language. That’s according to Montserrat Casademunt, the Director of Cubola Publishers based in Benque Viejo del Carmen, who this year helped produce works from several starring Belizean writers.
Very few people can make a living out of writing, says Casademunt. It is because Belize has a small population and thus a small market. Casademunt recommends that every home should have a bookshelf in an effort to reach out to children. Additionally, every child of reading age needs to have a library card from the Belize National Library and Information System.
Cubola Publishers now has some of its books available online. We had asked Casademunt on whether e-books are the way to go. Originally from Barcelona and having settled in Belize now for many decades, Casademunt does not like to read from a tablet. The notable publisher explains that there is a place for paper books especially for children, since books give a tactile experience.
“We should take care of our people…tourism is a fragile industry,” she says, admitting that it is mostly tourists, who buys her books from strategic locations across Belize. Our hope is that more Belizeans read works by Belizean authors. At the level of the Belize Book Industry Association, Cubola Publishers and others continue to lobby for Belizean books to be incorporated into the Belize curriculum.
When we left elated from number 35 Elizabeth Street in Benque on Saturday, where Cubola is located, the message from Casademunt that resounded in our ears was that writing has a purpose. “You do not write for money, you write because you love it,” she said.
Mrs. Han Gibson, an author with two million words published thus far and now residing in Belize, has tested the waters in publishing. Gibson is the producer of the The Chronicles of Han book series. The release of her autobiography this year marked the tenth anniversary of The Chronicles of Han book series and the 15th book published. Five more books are in the editing stage and should be released over the next few years.
“The biggest challenge currently of being an author is gaining reader interest. Even if you are with a publishing house, marketing is still the author’s responsibility. Lately, tried and tested methods are no longer giving sales results and the publishing industry as a whole,” she added.
Writing can also be challenging says Gibson.
“For most authors, writing is done in between living life while working at a paying job. Time management may become a challenge if not overcome by diligent writing discipline.”
Gibson is of the belief that Belizeans should use technology to enhance their reading experience.
“Belizeans can definitely read more by making full use of their smartphones. Free e-books can be accessed from legitimate sellers such as Amazon, Wattpad or Smashwords, to be read directly on their phones. So instead of spending the bus ride or lunch break scrolling through Facebook, why not enjoy a book instead,” she adds.
Another noted Belizean author Mrs. Ivory Kelly introduced her book “Pengereng” at the Wildfire Artzmoshere gallery in August, locateed on Waight Street in San Ignacio Town. From an introduction from the Image Factory art Foundation, Pengereng is set in both Belize and the United States. The stories in Pengereng will resonate with readers worldwide as they probe into issues that are both universal and Belize specific.
“Equally important has been the enthusiastic support of some members of the Kriol Council, especially Dr. Silvaana Udz, who co-translated the Kriol story with me and read from it at the Belize City launch and Yvette Herrera who had very helpful editorial feedback on the Kriol usage in ‘Stilbaan.’ Additionally, Dale McDougall and Terry Gordon, who are both literate in Kriol and trained by the Kriol Council, provided assistance with the Kriol editing as well. All four of them were not only willing, but enthusiastic as well and were very open-minded about the fact that my usage choices sometimes deviated from their typical Kriol usage,” says Ivory Kelly on her Pengereng.
Copies of Pengereng are now available for purchase online from Amazon.
Belizean author Zoila Ellis also launched her latest book, Saltpickers, at the Wildfire Artzmosphere building in San Ignacio Town in November. According to Cubola Publishers, Zoila Ellis’s stories restore human community, nature, and ancient beliefs to their rightful places in our misguided world. Her literary landscape spans the Caribbean, England, Central America and the USA. Saltpickers, now forms part of Belizean Writer Series.
Zoila Ellis has been writing all her life, having also made contributions to Snapshots of Belize. She is also the author of a collection of Short Stories entitled On Heroes, Lizards and Passion (Cubola Productions).Her work has been translated into Spanish and German and has been used for the teaching of Belizean Literature in Secondary Schools.
“I think the characters just really jump out at you; they come from the environment of the different places that I have lived the different people I have contacted and connected with,” she says, having lived in many parts of the world.
Writing in her blog, entitled “Publishing Your Literary Works in Belize and Abroad: Some Resources for Emerging Writers” Kelly, who is also an English lecturer at the University of Belize, writes that opportunities for publishing in Belize remain limited. “But they are not non-existent.”
Kelly concludes that if you are serious about becoming a published writer, think of your writing as a business and your publications as sellable products. Invest both time and money in them, including procuring high-quality editorial service. Kelly highly recommends professional editors such as Joanne Hillhouse (jhohadli.wordpress.com/writing-editing-coaching-services/), Virginia Hampton (hampton.virginia19@gmail.com), or Karla Heusner (karlamheusner@gmail.com), who have provided excellent service to her and other writers in Belize and abroad.
