Creepy Tales

My name is Mfundo Mpofu, in East London, Eastern Cape. I have this amazing little book that I have written. The little book is called CREEPY TALES, wth four banging short stories, set in Mdantsane and Mthatha, Eastern Cape. It's horror fiction, about the darkest side of life known as witchcraft, which victimizes us black folk in the townships and the villages, on a daily basis. Creepy Tales is 100 pages long, A5 sized and printed in black and white.

Creepy Tales comes in six parts (the current Creepy Tales -- Creepy Tales 6).

My stories may be categorised as horror stories, but there is no bloodshed. With these stories, my audience would range between the fans of horror and the supernatural. 

In 2008, the year I started and completed the first part of Creepy Tales, series, I submitted it to four different traditional publishers. They rejected the script. But I never took the rejection as the end of the world. I took it as a test, to see how determined I was, which I was. Not daring to give up, the thought of opening my own publishing company to publish my own work dominated my mind above everything else. To start any kind of business, finance is key. And so I decided to look for it.

My first stop was Arts & Culture in King William's Town. A very promising response, when they told me to register a company for tax purposes, to be able to help me. My hopes were raised to the highest level. I registered the company, a close co-operation, called Creta Self-Publishing cc, which turned out to be a waste of time, money and energy as I never got any funding from Arts & Culture. Instead, I spent the whole year submitting R0.00 to SARS every month. I approached The Department of Education, with the same negative response. At least they were honest. They never went around in circles. They told me upfront, without asking me to do anything first, like registering a company, that my stories were not suitable for the curriculum. And I understood. But I was only groping in the dark. Two years later CIPRO closed down my company, for obvious reasons. My company existed only in name, not making any money.

 For 12 years, since 2008, when I started Creepy Tales series, it's been a perpetual struggle to get Creepy Tales off the ground. If I had given up after the rejections, all my efforts, the sleepless nights, the difficulties I went through putting the stories together would have gone down the drain, and of course, would have drained me mentally. 

Right at the far end of Creepy Tales series (Creepy Tales 6) a full length 12 chapter horror story called DEPARTURE, will follow, proving my determination to carry on writing more and more stories to entertain the wonderful fans with my wicked fiction.

Having learnt that it was virtually impossible for me to open a publishing company, I went around and around, gathering information on turning the script into a readable book. I got an interesting piece of information which suggested that I could actually make the book (self- publish) myself. Without any waste of time, I began.  

After obtaining the ISBN, I went to the printers (Copy World) in Berea, East London, with the script. They made the book, and from it they printed 50 copies. I then approached Exclusive Books to have my book on their shelves on consignment. Two things worked against my wonderful little book: First, it had no barcode to scan. Second, the quality of my amazing little book didn't appeal to them. Of course. Since I paid for the making of the book myself, I chose the cheapest option. And so I was left with one option; to sell the book myself. I went door-to-door, like insurance, selling at 30% markup. It took me a very long time to sell 50 copies. But I persevered and made another 50 copies, which was fully funded by my wonderful and lovely youngest sister Nandipha "Demi" Ngxambuza. Then I discovered I was losing more money than I was making. And the cause was not a mystery. It was marketing. I didn't have the marketing power.

Then I realised self-publishing companies were there for this reason, among others. I contacted one of the best self-publishing companies (My eBook) in Gauteng and explained my problem. They asked for a script. I sent them, and they sent me a quote. The biggest mistake I made was assuming they would make the book and then deduct their fees from the sales.

The quote included, Editing - R8 990: Proof reading - R7 990: Book cover - R1 490: Ebook conversion - R2 990 & Publishing on Amazon - R2 990. And they wanted it upfront, to get started. And because I couldn't find any money, I decided to look for funding... the second time around. This time I was not gonna start a publishing company, but was gonna pay My ebook to make and sell Creepy Tales on my behalf, as is the case with self-publishing companies. 

I approached IDZ, in West Bank, East London, I was told we had to be a group to be considered for any kind of financial assistance. I tried a few business people with no success, because I didn't attach any strings. Then I turned my focus on the big boys and girls including SAB, Coca Cola, Woolworths, Shoprite, the list goes on, with no success, because I was an individual, not registered with anything, and did not belong to any kind of grouping. Not daring to give up, I made 100 flyers and distributed them to houses asking for donations. The first batch saw me receive R240 as a positive response. The second 100 flyers, I got R410. The third, the response was so negative I received R17.00, out of 100 flyers. 

Then it crossed my mind that by distributing flyers I was actually crowdfunding, but was not aware of it. I only needed to do it the right way, by enlisting the help of a real fundraiser, not what I was doing. 

Those wonderful people who bought Creepy Tales must have long been waiting for the sequel, as I have indicated on the last page that Creepy Tales 2 is coming. I get the feeling they must have waited and waited... and waited, and realised I ain't coming back from the moon with the sequel. Fortunately, I'm nowhere near anything that resembles a moon. I'm running around in circles, like a dog trying to catch its tail. 

Creepy Tales wasn't my first work in 2008. Many years ago, in 19 ninety something, the very first time I started, I wrote a 9 chapter horror story called Mass Grave and submitted it to two different publishers for consideration. They rejected it; one citing lack of market for my "kind of story." The other, it was not their cup of tea. Then I met someone who promised to help me. His, as he put it, was to help novices like me succeed in this dog-eat-dog, cutthroat industry. Like a real novice, I gave him the original. I trusted him. I had to. I was desperate. Then he vanished off the face of the earth. But there I was, many years later, with Creepy Tales. 

It's taken me this long to get to this point, where I'm still pushing. But I strongly believe there's light at the end of the tunnel. With your kind support, I can reach that light.

Below are the names of the short stories, their lengths and some short synopses of each story, to give you an idea what the stories are about.

1) REJECT Length: 21 pages

The story tells of a girl (Wendy Skhonyela), from Umtata studying in Qunu, in 1989, who is taken by the wicked witches to Gwadana, one of the witches' magically hidden (by black magic of course) many evil places in the former homeland of Transkei (they exist everywhere, not only in the former T.K.I.). But an unexpected twist, which makes the whole story a complete shocker, forces the sinister witches to bring Wendy back to the real world unharmed (which is not supposed to be, so they say. Once a victim, always a victim, no coming back). Wendy's return makes a chilling revelation about the supernatural dark world of Gwadana, so shocking you will slap, punch, pinch yourself, or even pull your skin (just to feel the pain) to make sure it's the real you, and that you're not in Gwadana yourself..... BELIEVE THE UNBELIEVABLE!

2) THE COLLEGE Length: 13 pages

The year is 1986. The place is a boarding school called Umtata Technical College. Between the college and the town is a forest of moderate size. Across the forest stands a narrow steel bridge, used by the college students (though not intended for that purpose) to go to town and back. It's the kind of bridge that no one student ever crosses alone at night. But not for Sylvia Bala. You have to be like her to have the guts to cross the bridge to the hostel alone at night. On this Friday night, she is taking her fearlessness of the bridge to the next level. She is crossing the bridge wearing a long white dress (imagine that). Against the the terrifying colour of darkness, the colour of her dress could easily attract to her anything unpleasant that occupies darkness. Would it be unpleasant to Sylvia? Here is a clue: All of her dorm mates - all 13 girls have gone missing. No one knows anything. Is it possible that Sylvia knows something? For God's sake, can't anyone find out before another dormitory loses more girls.....A BLOOD CURDLING TALE OF WITCHCRAFT!

3) EXPOSED - Part One - Length: 23 pages.

The story really gets down to the powerful and deadly art of exposing the foul deeds of witchcraft. Two boys, Bongani and Manyano from Mdantsane and Butterworth are about to expose some very evil and very wicked acts of witchcraft when they go for a traditional circumcision. In my language we call it UKWALUKA. The place where UKWALUKA takes place is called EHLATHINI (forest) or ENTABENI (mountain). In the process of UKWALUKA, the boys make a startling discovery about themselves, so sinister, so evil you have to read the whole story to know it.  Sorry, I can't even give you a clue. My God! It's so bad it will take the story further, much further (in EXPOSED 2), beyond your wildest imagination. But what I can tell you is this; when the truth about their discovery finally hits your ears, you will be angry. It's the kind of truth that will make you realise, in real life, it can happen to you, or to a member of your family, precisely what will infuriate you. It's the kind of truth you don't want to come out. It had better stay buried. But Bongani and Manyano will dig it. From Umtata to Mdantsane to Port St Johns, it's digging until they get to the bottom of their discovery. Unfortunately, for them, it's not over yet. Their digging, unknown to them, turns out to be one giant leap to a more sinister truth that will destroy, literally, anything that stands in the way (it's like opening a can of worms, if you catch my drift). But that is in EXPOSED 2. For now, get to the bottom of their discovery. And brace yourself. It's a nasty one..... WILL KEEP YOU GUESSING UNTIL THE DISTURBING TRUTH COMES OUT!

4) THE WINDOW - Part One - Length: 22 pages.

Look through this window and discover, to your breath-tightning, goose-bumps - forming, hair-raising horror, the diabolical occurrences created by the damned witches in the darkest hours of the night. It's all happening in Mdantsane, N.U.8 in the area of 36, in 1992. Philmon Ntanga is the main character. He has a friend. His name is Jack Filtane. Philmon and Jack's homes face each other and are separated by the street that runs in front of their homes. The window in question is in Philmon's room and is directly facing Jack's home, where the dark and nasty witching acts take place, witnessed only by Philmon. Is Jack involved? Since his friendship with Jack, Philmon's room window has suddenly become super cool. Now what's up with that? But now Jack himself becomes a victim of witchcraft, right in front of Philmon, on their way home, from the places of fun, in the middle of the night. Philmon believes the window can help bring Jack back from the abyss of witchcraft (Is it possible? Can it really be done? The story has the answer). But he and the window can not do it on their own. They need help. Fortunately, there is the right person for the job. Her name is Nancy Myeni who lives in N.U.13. Totally immune to witchcraft, Nancy is the witches' worse nightmare, renowned for stopping the abominable witches dead in their evil tracks..... SO BIZARRE! EXTREMELY ENJOYABLE!

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Once Creepy Tales takes off (at long last), and ends up in the hands of the countless number of fans out there, the following parts (Creepy Tales 2 - Creepy Tales 6) and Departure will be much easier to self-publish.

It will all be made possible by you, with your donation.