About Wilman Fikker Publishing House
Wilman Fikker Publishing House is an independent, South African publishing company dedicated to telling stories that matter. We believe in publishing with purpose, and nurturing honest and deeply human narratives that reflect the complexity of life, identity, and faith.
Our work is rooted in sincerity, care, and a commitment to storytelling that uplifts and empowers, especially within our own communities. We edit carefully, publish selectively, and strive to create books that feel like home for the readers they were meant for.
The decision to start my own publishing company grew from a vision to raise the standard of self-published books and create a platform where quality and authenticity go hand in hand. After dedicating two decades to raising my children and continuing my own studies, I recognised a significant need for higher editorial and production values within the self-publishing community.
The idea of starting a company emerged as a way to create a venture that aligned with my interests and goals while making a positive impact on others.
Together with a group of like-minded prefer-to-stay-home educated mothers, we established a company with a purpose: to give authors easy access to high-quality editing services, and simplify the publishing process without overwhelming financial burden.
By leveraging our collective experiences, skills, and knowledge, we aim to nurture and celebrate creativity by offering practical solutions to authors. We’ll make sure it’s never a lonely road.
Our Publishing Philosophy
- Quality over quantity: We believe in publishing fewer books, but editing them deeply and beautifully.
- Trust and collaboration: Our authors are our partners. We listen, respect, and co-create with care.
- Legacy-focused: We want every book we publish to feel important ten years from now.
Legal Deposit & the National Library of South Africa
In compliance with the Legal Deposit Act (Act 54 of 1997), every book Wilman Fikker Publishing House publishes will appear in the National Library of South Africa (NLSA) collection, ensuring its preservation as part of South Africa's literary record.
For more information on legal deposit, visit the National Library of South Africa's website.
Our Team
Wilman Fikker Publishing House is built on the collective strength of women with decades of combined experience in editing, design, project management, and creative writing. We understand the value of meaningful work that fits around family life, and we’ve created a publishing model that honours both. We work collaboratively, drawing on our varied educational backgrounds and life experiences to ensure every manuscript receives the care it deserves.
Thoughts 'n All
Life here is so much more than just poring over manuscripts, poking around for mischievous and missing commas or irregular line-spacing until we’re dizzy; digging through dusty university notes trying to figure out if a scene is Chekhov’s gun or just purple prose looking pretty; or waiting on hold for the guy at the back of the printing press, begging him to pause because finicky Khadija demanded yet another tweak.
We cook, we eat, we pray, we play, we juggle hobbies and sideline projects, endure pet peeves and PMS, and manage children in all their gloriously creative, messy, jaw-grindingly exhausting demanding-ness.
Sometimes our academic paper projects spark lunchtime debates. Other times, we hold emergency votes on whether to tell an author that yes, unfortunately that scene must go.
And somewhere in between all that chaos and craft are thoughts that don’t fit into any of our projects. So here’s a little corner (a "Miscellaneous" folder, if you will) for those little brain hiccups that sneak up on us while we’re in the middle of projects, procrastinating finishing projects because we enjoy them too much and don’t want them to end, or nervously preparing for new projects, knowing that finding the right balance between professional and personal with every author is its own unique, crazy salsa.