Evidence Sello Magaga II (23) says he would always find himself asking a friend after church what the sermon was about. And when he realised he wasn’t the only one who struggled to remember, he transcribed live recordings and turned them into books, which he publishes under his company Ready T Publishing.

When he published his first book Experiencing Kingdom Mysteries in June last year, all he wanted to do was ensure young people took the Word with them. And when he realised there was potential for business when he published his second book, The Joseph Generation in September.

“When you read something, it gets stuck in your head”

Although he sold over 150 books in a month, he says his biggest challenge when he started was convincing churches that there was a need for books as a tool for growth for the youth. Evidence believes that the key to personal growth lies in strengthening the reading culture. “One of my mottos is ‘read it to remember it’ because I believe that when you read something, it gets stuck in your head, you have a visual memory connected to that idea.”

Increasing reading among the youth is not the only intention Evidence has with Ready T Publishing. He would also like to adapt some of these books into another creative form that he loves, and that’s film.

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Although soft spoken, Evidence becomes lively when he explains that he has always had a love for making films. Growing up in Limpopo with his uncle and cousins, he enjoyed the comfort that came from being immersed in stories. “Filmmaking is a part of me because I love communicating stories in a visual way,” he says. The UCT Film & Media Production graduate, who lives in Cape Town, currently juggles working for a production company and running his publishing house.

“I see the stories being adapted into beautiful films that will travel the world”

Evidence says he hopes to merge his love for filmmaking with Ready T Publishing, creating Christian films based on true stories anyone can relate to. “I don’t see it as just a publishing house. I see it going beyond that,” he says. “I see the stories being adapted into beautiful films that will travel the world.”

Even though Evidence has global dreams, for now, he feels that his investment into the world lies in the youth. Evidence believes that Christian reading material will aid in personal growth, leading to a generation of game changers.

Stay in touch with Ready T Publishing on Facebook.

Photography by Onele Liwani

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