Preview the entire book here.

Laugh it Off has taken our unique brand of satire and social comment, and combined it with the voices of many other contemporary South African artists. This creative collaboration has led to the publication of a book that is bursting at the seams with what a young South Africa is thinking, feeling, and doing.

The Laugh it Off Annual features everything from graphic design to short stories, and from poetry to cartoons; as well as interviews, photography, and articles from the more established literary fraternity. The heavyweight contributions include Naomi Klein, Pieter-Dirk Uys, Zapiro, and Marianne Thamm. Controversial content to look out for includes ex-SL editor Andy Davis’s insight into the racist paradigms of South African media in his article entitled “Why I left SL”, as well as the mysterious pictures of Hansie Cronje that have surfaced suggesting that he is still very much alive. A younger South Africa will also no doubt recognise the names of contributors such as Karen Zoid, Tumi Molekane (Tumi & the Volume), Hagen Engler, Waddy Jones, The Most Amazing Show, Bastard Media, Nikhil Singh, Zef Sketse, Kgafela oa Magogodi, and many more….

Barry Ronge had this to say about the Laugh it Off Annual:

“This is not only a directory of talent, it’s a fascinating preview of what’s waiting in the wings for South African audiences over the next few years and a tantalising foretaste of the unique flavours of South Africa as it shapes a new legacy of creativity.”

Darrel Bristow-Bovey didn’t really have this to say about the Laugh it Off Annual:

“I don’t think I’ve read anything like this before”

Derby Day Rugby Book: Sales hit the 000 mark!

Derby Day, a whopping 400-page, full-colour book on the history of South African schoolboy rugby, has sold its first 3000 copies to rugby-loving South Africans all around the country – and all around the world – using newly-established sales channels, most notably online, as well as through the featured schools themselves.

Published by Laugh it Off, SA’s favourite shirt-stirrers, Derby Day has found its way into the hearts and homes of South Africans proud of their school by using somewhat unconventional methods of marketing, and retailing, the book.

Derby Day: Online Sales & Distribution

The website www.derbyday.co.za has proved to be a revelation in terms of online sales, with copies of the book being ordered and sent to all corners of the globe on a daily basis.

“A lot of books have gone out to Australia, Canada and Britain,” says Derby Day’s Bryce Hepburn. “The postage costs more than the book itself, but people are willing to pay for a nostalgic reminder of their school and rugby days.”

What is even more impressive about Derby Day’s online portal www.derbyday.co.za is that effectively the entire book is available for download, for free, in PDF format.

“We didn’t want to exclude those who couldn’t afford to buy the book, particularly school kids, from reading about the featured schools, as well as the history of the game of rugby in South Africa”, says Derby Day’s publisher, Justin Nurse (of Laugh it Off).

“We put a great deal of work into this publication and wanted to proudly flaunt SA schoolboy rugby’s rich illustrative history, page for page. We live in an age where valuable information should be shared and distributed freely. It has been very satisfying for us to hear that teachers are using some of the book’s as part of their history syllabus.”

Derby Day: Incentivising the schools to sell

Derby Day was launched on Supersport’s ‘Boots ‘n’ All’ rugby show, and word of mouth quickly spread around the country’s rugby-loving nooks and crannies, in pubs and classrooms, Old Boys gatherings, as well as at the local schoolboy rugby derbies themselves.

After the book’s launch, the Derby Day team embarked on an ambitious three-month national roadtrip to visit all 101 of the schools featured in the book, to present the schools’ headmasters with a copy of the book. A book about schoolboy rugby also deserves to be seen next to the rugby field of a big local derby and the Derby Day team did just that by traveling up and down the country promoting the book. Schools were offered a percentage commission to sell the book through their established school networks as both a marketing tool as well as to earn money for the school. Many are doing so, from schoolboys and secretaries to the rugby coaches and the head of the OBUs. As a result, of the first 3000 copies sold of Derby Day, over 2000 have come from the schools themselves.

Derby Day: Booksales in Bookstores

4000 copies in English and Afrikaans have been sold of Derby Day thus far, with no indication of a slowdown in sales. So, while national retailers are bemoaning a downturn in sales, Laugh It Off is convinced there is fun to be had in these lousy times.

National stockists thus far include CNA, Exclusive Books, Sportsman’s Warehouse and Bargain Books. Several independent bookstores are stocking the book too. Potential stockists (from pubs and clubs, to sports shops and secondhand bookstores) are invited to contact Laugh it Off on (021) 788 3226, or e-mail info@derbyday.co.za to find out more about stocking this summer’s big seller.

Praise for Derby Day: From Rugby Players to Men’s Magazines

“If you go back to any rugby player’s memoirs, he talks about the fun and enjoyment of schoolboy rugby… And this book…  that I got a couple of weeks back… it brings out the fun in schoolboy rugby, it’s not just a statistical history of rugby in South Africa. It’s a fun book. I reckon it’s a must on anyone’s shelf in South Africa.” ~ Mornè du Plessis, ex-Springbok Captain

“…Nurse must be commended for driving his vintage Alfa Spider convertible across South Africa, visiting one hundred plus Springbok incubation tanks and compiling all of it in 400 pages. This lively, loose ruck is filled with photos, anecdotes, insights, rivalries, pride, history, old boys and traditions; and like a leggy librarian at an all boys’ school, Derby Day is sure to get rugby players reading.” ~ GQ, September 2008

“Genius!” ~ Bob Skinstad, ex-Springbok Captain

“We have all at some point stood around a fire debating whose school is the oldest, which player came from which school and which school has produced the most Springboks? This book answers all those questions and more. Do yourself a favour and go out and get it now!” ~ Graeme Wepener, Rugby 365

“Seriously twisted! If South African cartooning can produce something this wacky,

The Western Nostril – A collection of gut-bustingly hilarious cartoons, published by Laugh it Off, in association with Business Day.

What is The Western Nostril?

Produced by brothers Patrick and Alex Latimer, The Western Nostril is a single-panel cartoon strip that appears daily on the leader page of Business Day, as well as online at www.thewesternnostril.co.za

The Western Nostril was first published in 2003′s bestselling Laugh it Off Annual Volume One. There it won a ‘New Media Award’ for ‘Best Overall Contribution’, as voted by the readers. Over the years its army of adoring fans has swelled in numbers ­­- to the point where Patrick and Alex have figured, “Hey, we should bring out a book for all of our fans. And who knows, maybe they’ll buy it, and we’ll get filthy rich!”

About the Book

Building on the popularity that the cartoon has enjoyed in Business Day – where business leaders such as the likes of Tokyo and Trevor have heartily chuckled over the muddled musings of The Western Nostril‘s two characters, Osteus and Finbar – comes the first annual collection of the cartoons, in gloriously glossy, laminated paperback.

Business Day have ut their money where their mouth is and have proudly sponsored the print run for the first collection. Says Business Day‘s editor Peter Bruce: “I think the Latimer boys are world-class funny. The first time I read their cartoon it made stuff come out of my nose. We are delighted to be associated with such strong creative content; a universal humour that is homegrown.”

Marketing of the Book

Laugh it Off has promised an aggressive marketing campaign to encourage positive sales of the inaugural publication. Business Day will be running daily adverts promoting the book over the festive season, and their sister publication, The Weekender, will also be running features on the cartoons, as well as the cartoonists themselves. This, coupled with an online viral campaign ensuring that the humour of the cartoons spreads as contagiously as the common cold, will guarantee bookstores the results they need.

Says Laugh it Off’s Justin Nurse, “The fact that the brothers Latimer have been able to resist the temptations and toils of the devil that is the advertising industry and survive as full-time cartoonists, is testimony to their original talent. Laugh it Off is as pleased as punch to be publishing this, and we will use all manner of alliteration, assonance, and astute marketing prowess – not to mention our motley crew of influential media associates – to ensure that this book gets into the hands, hearts and minds of every humour-loving South African.”

To preview The Western Nostril please visit: www.thewesternnostril.co.za

Click here to order the book online