The mailbag is where most of the reading here begins. Someone sends a book they keep returning to, a translation they are unsure about, or a novel they set aside halfway and still think about. I read every note. Some turn into a full review, some into a line in the monthly shelf roundup, and some stay a private reply.
No payment, no sponsored picks, no promise that a title will be written up. Just a sentence about why the book mattered to you, and the edition if you have it to hand.
Send a note to the desk
Tell me the title, the edition if you know it, and one line about what it did to you. That is enough to start.
The mailbag is read by one person, usually on weekday mornings before the reading starts. If you are unsure which edition to pick up, whether a content note applies to you, or whether a title would hold a reading group together, write in and say so plainly. A sentence about why the book stayed with you helps more than a long pitch.
Email a book you think deserves a closer look, with the edition and translator if you have them. Submissions are read, though not every one becomes a review or a mailbag note.
Questions about a specific printing, a translation you are unsure about, or a content note before you start are welcome. Include the publisher and year if you can, so the answer is about your copy and not a general one.
Notes go out in batches through the week, and a question that needs a longer answer may wait until the next shelf roundup. Nothing here is sponsored, and no one is asked to pay for a mention.
Still working out where to start? The questions page walks through the common ones, and the desk phone line is open during office hours if email is not your habit.
Desk line: 027-902-2381 · 8034 Goosen Crossroad Suite 625, Allanfort, NW 3227
The mailbag is the desk's editorial ear. Write in about a title you think deserves a closer look, a translation you are unsure about, or a book you set aside and want to talk through. Notes are read here in Cape Town, and a few of them turn into short replies, a line in the monthly shelf roundup, or a full review.
Send a title and one sentence about why it stayed with you. Questions about editions, translators and content notes are welcome too.
The line is answered between reading and writing blocks, so keep it brief if you are asking about a specific edition.
Letters and review copies can be sent to the desk address. Please include the edition and translator where relevant.
8034 Goosen Crossroad Suite 625
Allanfort, NW 3227
Email suits longer notes about a book, a translation question or a reading group pick. Phone works better for quick checks on whether a title has already been covered. Letters are read in batches, and submissions are not all published. There are no sponsored picks and no requests for payment.
If you are asking about a specific edition, mention the publisher and year so the note can be matched against the shelf.