Ink Holds the Story
Odyssey Books publisher Sarah Bullen shares the news, and what authors they are looking for.
About a decade ago I sent an email to the publishing manager and CEO of Hay House.
Dear Mr Tracy
I would be very much interested in acquiring the rights to run Hay House Africa.
Well, I am sure the email was a bit longer and included my long relationship with books and publishing. For those of you who don’t know it, Hay House was the publishing house behind names like Diana Cooper and Wayne Dyer at the time. It made those names stars, and it is the largest self-empowerment publishing company in the world.
I didn’t get a reply. Two years later, I was contacted by MindValley, which had just launched its massive online learning school, and we began exploring a relationship with me as their author coach. I had a nail-biting few weeks having calls with them, a chat with the then-CEO, heart-pounding hope… and then nothing.
Ghosted.
Such is the world of publishing. It is punctuated by long silences, emails that end nowhere, and firm but polite rejections. This is a world I know well, having operated in it as both an author and literary agent since 2005.
A few decades ago, being a published author was nail-bitingly elusive. To be a published author was a Very Big Deal. It required years of writing, often on a typewriter, and then posting off your manuscript to very esteemed publishers, usually in London. It catapulted you into the realms of Virginia Woolf, John Steinbeck or at least Danielle Steel.
But here we are in 2026, and the world of books is vastly different. A lot of this we credit to Amazon (even though it's regarded as the big villain in the game). But Amazon systematically opened the publishing arena to authors; It means that the title of being an author has expanded to include far more people.
Publishing has changed. The trifecta of Amazon, social media and self-publishing has changed the game entirely. But change is not something we are fond of in the epublishing world. It is a world that is slow, steady and thoughtful. That is because writing a book requires the same deliberate, thoughtful approach.
My first book came out in 2005. Almost two decades later, I have worked with hundreds of authors as a literary agent and a writing mentor. I have pushed and supported them to walk this very same path, moving from being a little bit of an expert in something or someone with a story to tell to stepping into the role of a published author. Along with this movement of decades, the publishing industry has evolved.
In 2023, Odyssey Magazine stepped into my world. I was a speaker at their first KwaZulu-Natal Spirit Fest and on the near-death experience panel, and was promoting my latest book, The Other Side.
“I want this book publishing company to become the Hay House of Africa,” I told the magazine team led by Christa Gumede Buthelezi.
It was a perfect fit. My work had been deeply rooted in the world of spirituality and consciousness, and it seemed that over the years, the authors who came to work with me were equally engaged in this. Odyssey Magazine owns this market. I had been a subscriber for years, and its long and distinguished history in the South African and the African marketplace was a great mix.
We concluded our publishing deal in early 2026 and launched Odyssey Books Press.
Odyssey Books Press is starting off as a small-run press, which means we are not seeking out superstar authors with massive social media followings yet, even though we would be a fabulous fit for them, and we are moving in that direction.
We are supporting and nurturing authors who speak to a world we are interested in: the inspirational, the memoir, the mind-body-spirit, exploring consciousness and affecting other people's lives for the better.
Who are we interested in publishing? Experts who teach and inspire, African wisdom, deep thinkers, spiritual and thought leaders. We are also into the unseen worlds, spirituality and consciousness, healing, wealth and wellness.
And those would include cards, angel cards, divination cards, inspirational cards, as well as calendars and point-of-sale products. We have decades of publishing expertise, a strong distribution network for getting books and magazines into shops, a wealth of wisdom and a good dose of faith.
This year, we will launch a course by a master diviner. In October 2026, we are launching the most magnificent memoir of loss, grief and finding the light. In November 2026, we are launching a staggering story about navigating chronic health and how to heal from it.
The authors we are looking to nurture are those who have a message to share. They are rooted in Africa. They are rooted in wisdom.
Publishing History
Odyssey Books Press has a long publishing history, marked by several name changes and partnerships along the way.
Founder and board member Sarah Bullen is a well-known name in the book industry, having worked in publishing for 17 years and was the publisher at Gas Publishing, a magazine stable behind some iconic custom magazines. She has worked as an author coach, editor and literary agent since 2007. She has held editorial roles across books, magazines, and literary agencies. Her expertise in writing and publishing provides invaluable guidance to aspiring authors, helping them develop their craft, structure their stories, and navigate the publishing world.
2005 – 2014 Gas Publishing
The company was called Gas Publishing with directors Sarah Bullen and Gary Cotterell. Gas Publishing was a magazine publisher producing magazines and small-run books for corporate clients. Clients included kulula.com, BMW, Standard Bank, Rand Merchant Bank, and "Johnny Walker’s Keep on Walking".
2017 - 2022 QuickShift Publishing
Gas Publishing closed in 2014 as a magazine and corporate publisher, and a book division emerged in 2017 with Sarah Bullen and Kate Emmerson as QuickShift Publishing. Under QuickShift, we initially published our own client’s books, really starting our journey into publishing.
2022 – 2024 Black Ink Books
QuickShift rebranded again into BlackInk Books as one partner left, and it took on a new partner, Thandiwe Ngele, who brought her significant publishing and production background in custom book publisher DexSteps Publishing to the mix.
2025 - Apis Books
The same company underwent a name change and rebrand, acquiring new authors and opening a division that moves into traditional publishing.
2026 - Odyssey Books Press
Literary Agent. Author. Speaker. NDE experiencer. Cancer survivor.
Sarah Bullen is an international writing mentor and literary agent. She works with writers all over the world to tell their stories, and write that book. Founder of The Writing Room and Kent Literary, she has had over 180 books published by writers she has mentored over the last two decades. She has held editorial roles across both books, magazines and literary agencies.
The Writing Room helps writers throughout the book writing journey—whether you're working on your manuscript or you're looking for publishing advice.
As well as being a regular guest on talk shows, podcasts, literary festivals and writers’ circles, Sarah has been leading international writing retreats and adventures since 2014.
Sarah has also written over 14 books as a professional ghostwriter for business and thought leaders and celebrities.
Her own books have been on the shelves since 2005 and most recent titles are
Write your Book in 100 Days! Stop Mucking about and Just Write It
and the NDE book
Love & Above – A Journey into Shamanism, Coma and Joy.
Sarah's latest book is Love and Above. A journey through Shamanism Coma and Joy. has garnered international interest and attention with its sensational story.
A decade ago, after a crazy set of events, Sarah ended up in a month-long coma. In that time she travelled through near-death and into other realms and worlds. She came back with an urgent message from beyond, and a spark to follow which she shares in the book and her life.
Sarah lost her husband to cancer and is a breast cancer survivor herself, and her message is inspire people to find joy and bliss in the adventures of life.
She lives in Cape Town and spends part of the year in Greece and Botswana. She is a qualified Family Constellations facilitator and works with Writing with the Ancestors. Through these endeavors, I passionately foster the art of storytelling, curating storytelling retreats, and facilitating women's rites of passage and rituals that encapsulate the profound impact of narrative expression.
