Delivery & refunds

Last updated: 24 September 2026

Ordering

The Synthetic Hunger is out now, released on 25 September 2026. When you order, you pay now and your copy is produced and sent as set out below.

Prices

South African orders are priced in rand (ZAR). Outside South Africa the book is priced in your own currency.

No VAT is charged. Sebastian Howarth is not a registered VAT vendor, so the price you see is the whole price and no tax invoice is issued. Delivery is shown separately before you pay.

Every order is charged in South African rand, whatever currency the price is shown in. Payment is taken by PayFast, which settles in rand, and the rand amount is converted from the price you see at the exchange rate at the moment you pay. Because that rate moves, the amount on your statement may differ slightly from the figure on screen. Your bank converts at its own rate and may add a fee of its own.

Delivery is added on top and depends on where the parcel is going; the exact amount is shown before you pay. The eBook and audiobook have no delivery, as there is nothing to post, but like the printed editions they are priced to match the currency you are buying in; what reaches the author is always converted to South African rand at the rate on the day you pay.

Delivery

Within South Africa

Printed copies for South African addresses are produced and posted by the author. Delivery is a flat R99.00 per order, however many books are in it — three copies in one parcel cost the same to post as one.

Allow roughly 3 to 7 working days after you order.

Only South African orders can be signed. They are the only ones that pass through the author's hands. If you would like an inscription, there is a box for it on the order form.

Everywhere else

Orders outside South Africa are printed by IngramSpark at whichever of their sites is nearest you — the United States, the United Kingdom or Australia — and posted locally from there. That gets the book to you faster and cheaper than shipping it from South Africa, but it means those copies cannot be signed.

Delivery is charged per order, by destination, and shown before you pay:

These are estimates for standard post, not guarantees, and they start on the day you order. Customs can add time we cannot predict.

If your country is not in the list on the order form, we have not been able to work out postage there yet. Get in touch and we will arrange it by hand.

Import duties and taxes

Any customs duty, import VAT or handling fee charged by your own country is yours to pay and is not included in the price. Because overseas copies are printed and posted domestically wherever possible, this usually does not arise.

eBooks and audiobooks

Sent by email to the address on the order. Nothing is posted and there is no delivery charge. If it does not arrive, check your spam folder first, then tell us.

The eBook is a PDF. It opens on any computer, phone or tablet without special software, and on most e-readers. It is not an EPUB or a Kindle file, so it will not reflow to your chosen font size the way a Kindle book does.

Cancelling and refunds

Before it has been sent

You can cancel any order at any time before it has been sent for a full refund, delivery included, no reason needed. Reply to your confirmation email or use the contact form, quoting your order reference.

After it has been sent

Once a book is in the post it can no longer simply be cancelled, but:

• If it arrives damaged or faulty — a printing error, pages missing, damage in transit — tell us within 14 days of it arriving and we will replace it or refund it in full, including postage both ways. A photo helps and saves you sending it back.
• If it never arrives — tell us once the delivery window above has passed and we will chase it, then replace or refund it.
• If you simply changed your mind — send it back unread and undamaged within 14 days of it arriving and we will refund the price of the book. Return postage is yours unless the book was faulty.

Your cooling-off right

Because you bought this online, section 44 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act gives you a further right to cancel within 7 days of receiving the book, without giving a reason, for a refund of the price. You pay to send it back. This is in addition to everything above, not instead of it.

Digital editions are the exception. Once an eBook or audiobook has been sent and downloaded it cannot be returned, because it cannot be given back.

How a refund is paid

Back to the card or account you paid from, through PayFast. We process it within 5 working days of agreeing the refund; how long it then takes to appear is up to your bank, usually another few days.

If something goes wrong

Tell us first — most things are quickest to fix directly. Use the contact form or reply to any email we have sent you, and quote your order reference. We aim to reply within 2 working days.

If we cannot sort it out between us, you can take it to the National Consumer Commission. Nothing here takes away rights you have under the Consumer Protection Act.