Crystal Bazirake stresses that self-discovery should start early, because the world will push you in diff erent directions when you do not know who you are or who God created you to be, Esther Tusiime Byoona

Crystal Rutangye Bazirake is the founder of Scribe House, a publishing agency has fostered a love of books since she was a little girl.
“I was born into books. My parents instilled in us the love for books and I grew up watching people read a lot,” Bazirake, whose sister was often admonished for reading novels instead of studying, says.

“From an early age I discovered how impactful books were in influencing change and was delighted with the way a book can draw a reader into another world, ”she recalls.
“My father forced us to read. It was a must to borrow books from the library to read, ”she says. Her father would always ask follow up questions about the books they were reading.
First steps Despite her natural gifting with words, she did not see herself in the publishing industry. She was told that those in the industry do not make money.

“I decided that writing could remain a hobbie, I would pursue a ‘better’ career then probably write a book or two towards my old age, ”she recalls. She wanted to pursue a degree in
medicine but did not get the course. “I did not pass Mathematics well and did not make the points for medicine on government scholarship and I struggled to apply for private,” she explains.
When she realized that she was given Tourism on government scholarship, with her parents’ guidance she took on the course. She completed the degree in 2007 and graduated in 2008.

Publishing Journey
After her Tourism degree, she was hired to write the Tourism column in a Christian magazine. This led her down the path of freelance editing and writing up till she found stable employment.
She applied for the Commonwealth Scholarship in 2013. At the time she was working with Moran Publishers formerly Macmillan Uganda. “It was an intense application process, I first applied at the University of
Stirling in Scotland for a Masters in Publishing and got the place but my application to the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission was unsuccessful because I did not get all the requirements in time, ”she recalls.
After corresponding with Lecturers in the University of Stirling, they advised her to defer her application to the next year and apply again for the Commonwealth Scholarship again.
She applied in 2014 and got the vacancy.
“Getting the scholarship was exciting, I thought I was the first Ugandan awarded with the masters in Publishing at Stirling but when I was doing research for my Masters thesis, I found
many publishing research papers written by Professor Ikoja-Odongo, ”she remembers. After looking him up, she discovered he had a masters of Philosophy in Publishing Studies from the same University.
She studied her Masters from September 2014 to August 2015.

Attributes
She attributes her success to God, Family and a hardworking team. “The team I work with are project based, part-time staff but everyone is committed and understanding of the Industry we are in the hustle
together, ” Bazirake notes. She says her sister who is her business partner has a great work ethic and shares her passion for books. She adds that Jane Namujjuzi the operations manager coordinates the
team well and ensures the different timelines are being kept. Bazirake explains that what she learnt in her Master’s Degree equipped her with more knowledge. “I did a two week Internship with Palimpsest Book Production in the UK
and I learnt a lot of which I have implemented in the business, ”she recalls. Bazirake notes that African Writers Trust birthed her in the publishing industry. “I attended one workshop in September 2011 and the director Goretti Kyomuhendo noticed my talent and introduced me to key players in the industry, ”she explains. She says Goretti enrolled her in an editorial training by African Writers Trust where she travelled to Cape
Town and learnt directly from Collin Hicks, founder of Modjaji Books for six weeks as an editorial intern.

Non-negotiables
Bazirake adds that for quality work to be produced, a book needs to be given adequate time. Establishing the appropriate timelines for a project with clients is a non-negotiable.
She does not work with content that is illegal and causes her to compromise her faith in God.

Challenges
“People do not understand the publishing industry you need to explain what it takes to make a good book,” she says. Bazirake adds that teaching is needed for every client they get
because authors want to rush the publishing process.

Advice to 20 year self “Self-discovery should start early, the world will push you in different directions when you do not know who you are or who God created you to be,”
Bazirake stresses. She explains that learning to follow God’s voice early enables one to follow God’s path rather than the different voices in the world.

Impact
“Educating authors on the right way to do things our customer experience requires that education, ”she says. Bazirake notes that Scribe House produces content of a higher quality and it is recognized in the Industry.

Hobbies
“I love reading books, writing, listening to Music and having conversations with people, ”she notes.

Role Model
She is inspired by women who have gone far in the publishing industry such as Goretti Kyomuhendo and Ellah Alfrey. Her longest standing role model is her mother who has an outstanding work ethic.

Advice
“Look for the professional skills what I learnt in my masters has taken me a long way in bringing Scribe House this far” she says.