Johannesburg - Mbulelo Mayikana is a 54-year-old author who is passionate about social wellness, which includes the wellness of individuals, relationships, families, communities, and societies that function at optimal levels.
His experiences and interactions with people on a business and social level influenced and inspired his desire to write books.
Driven by passion for people, seeing them succeed, their mental wellness being at the required positive levels, and leaving a thriving and functioning legacy encouraged Mayikana to start writing books in 2014.
He said that he has written 12 books that speak to all sexes and ages from 18 to 70.
“My books are written with the desire to be practical and drive realism in how people see life through the book topics.
“That means there is no desire in my writing style to just go along with popular culture and be politically correct.
“The books test people's long-held idealistic views while at the same time educating and helping them on various challenges that life brings.”
Mayikana prides himself on being person who is willing to listen and understand other people’s views while at the same time being assertive and not afraid to state his views without fear of being deliberately misunderstood.
He said: “I have been a business consultant for the past 24 years, operating in all sectors of the economy, focusing on strategy, organizational effectiveness, labour-employee relations, and organizational transformation. I also believe in active citizenship, and I participate in radio interviews that seek to improve the lives of ordinary people.
“I am also a documentary maker and a podcaster, and all my productions are available through subscription on my website, https://mbulelo.co.za/. I am also a life coach, and details of my work are also detailed on my website.
“I have made my books extremely accessible, both in terms of pricing and accessibility. They are available on my website, https://mbulelo.co.za/. You just pay, download, and read. They are also available online and in hard copies through the Alkebulan Authors Platform.”
He added that, “the aha moments that the reader will get from the content and the ability to challenge the reader’s comfort zone, hopefully leading to better adaptation and acceptance of the realities of life, is what mostly excites him about writing”.
Distribution and selling his books have been a challenge for him because there are distribution cabals that work with book stores to ensure that they make things difficult for any author that wants to self-publish.
He said: “They force you to go through these distribution cabals, who together with the bookstores get 80% of the profits from your book sales, and you are left with crumbs as an author.
“Some of the book stores will tell you that they only accept books from distributors. It’s a well-organised gatekeeping system that leaves authors poor even with respectable book sales.”
He overcame this challenge by selling his books online.
“It’s a slow, painstaking process but rewarding because you escape being a slave of book stores and distribution cabals when you sell them online, and I managed to sell over four thousand books,” Mayikana said.
The Star