It is wonderful book called “A Talent Pay Cheque,” curved out by one of the many young talented writers at the National University of Lesotho (NUL). His name is Kopano Taolana, a final year Pharmacy student. He has penned a book that is going viral on the international book markets, even as we speak!
“What holds us back in many cases is fear; we are often afraid to attempt bigger challenges for bigger gains because we are held back by fear of failure,” reads one of the paragraphs on the celebrated book.
“The secret is that you will never realise your genuine worth and the real measure of your capacity until you apply yourself to a greater degree of confidence,’’ so concludes the paragraph.
A Talent Pay Cheque; it is written to inspire and motivate the youth of today and everyone else to take control of their lives, find their God-given talents and live their dreams. It is written for those who want to overcome the standard boundaries set forth by educational qualifications.
Taolana had realised a problem in our society; that of going through formal education and waiting forever for jobs that meet our qualifications, while there are other options like choosing careers according to our talents and other things that are close to our hearts.
Indeed, he acknowledges the importance of formal education in society but not that our lives and careers should be predetermined by such qualifications.
Mr Kopano’s story itself is that of trials, tribulations, and patience; it is quite an inspiration! He has had many manuscripts rejected by publishers but he never lost that zing for writing and making it big in the industry.
It all started back in 2014 while he was in fourth year. Using his knowledge of pharmacy and other health related issues, he then decided to write a health guide entitled “Cornerstone for Optimum Health.”
Unfortunately the book got rejected by most South African publishers due to its unlikeliness to make profits. That was not the end of it; he was then encouraged to take a self-publishing deal which unfortunately required an extensive amount of money from him.
His inspiration to write a health guide had come because he made a decision to follow his talent and practice as a health and lifestyle coach instead of just waiting for his university qualification to decide a job for him. He simply wanted to do what he loved and to love what he did.
After going through one particularly hard period in his life, he found a lot of comfort in reading motivational books, which would reignite his ambitions. In the following academic year Mr Kopano used his time to write his first motivational book entitled “Emotional Awareness’’.
Then he made a survey of books published in Lesotho and was not impressed by the rate of sales. That’s when it struck him! He had to try his luck with publishing companies overseas.
He chose the UK because getting his royalties in pounds would constitute an adequate remuneration when exchanged to local currency.
Soon after, one publishing company in London was requesting a publication fee of £2,000. He sought help from wealthy individuals and private businesses but he failed dismally.
Giving up was the last thing on his mind; so he started taking part in some international short story competitions with the hope of winning and funding his dream of getting published and unfortunately he never won. Do you think he gave up? No!
When his first book couldn’t get published he started writing another book which he would entitle “A Talent Pay Cheque”. He then found a publishing company called Novum Publisher based in London, in the United Kingdom.
The company also required an awful lot of money for publication and he did not have it. Without knowledge that his work had captured the hearts of Editors at Novum, he declined the offer but they thought his work was too good to be discarded.
Needless to say that this was the sign that his work was bound for the galaxies, the company offered him a platform to negotiate publication terms which would lead to a first successful publication of his book.
Indeed a burning desire is the starting point of accomplishments and Mr Kopano is a true exemplification of it.
While he still works part time on weekends at EX-IT Pharmacy, Roma shopping complex, Mr Kopano looks forward to finishing his second book entitled, “Life in all its fullness” and starting a career as a motivational speaker.
“Everyone must follow their bliss and discover ways to fulfil the hints of glory sparkling inside them,” no one could have said it better than Kopano himself.
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