Lausanne World Pulse – International Publishing – Satisfying Africa’s Hunger for the Written Word

By Lawrence Darmani
May 2011  

Another advantage is the popularity of the authors. According to one publisher in Kenya, whose annual list includes eighty percent foreign titles, “The more famous the author, the higher the sales.” As a result, local authors are overlooked. This imbalance is a great cause for concern. Even publishers who rely upon foreign rights recognize the need to develop and publish local authors.

“It’s now our policy to reserve up to twenty percent of our titles for local authors, and this will increase with time,” one publisher asserted, evidencing an encouraging attitude. However, in order to create more effective and lasting advances in locally-produced literature, Africa requires training of writers, editors, and publishers, as well as advocacy to influence government policy.

Barriers to Locally-Produced Reads
Publishers in Africa face additional obstacles. When a young publisher in Kenya considered Christian publishing as a vocation, he was warned that it wouldn’t be viable due to the poor reading culture in Africa. Not intimidated, the publisher surveyed major bookshops and discovered that, indeed, Africans do read. They simply want value for their money and are willing to buy well-produced books. And this is what he set out to do.

Content is just as important as marketing technique to attract readers. “When you scratch where people itch, they will respond,” a publisher of motivational books asserted when discussing fast-moving books. He debunked the notion that Africans don’t read, arguing that when a book addresses the felt needs of people, people will read it.

Admittedly, mediocrity has been the bane of some publishing houses in Africa; however, this trend, like the so-called poor reading culture, is changing. At a workshop in Ethiopia last year, several participating publishers resolved that quality publishing—in content, printing, packaging, and presentation—was the way to sustain Christian publishing in Africa.

Also, many African publishers grapple with marketing and selling the books they produce. “Books are published for readers in the marketplace, not for warehouses,” one publisher lamented. “But our books move rather slowly.” This challenge of distribution is not insurmountable, however, as African publishers are embarking on book launches and community outreaches and utilizing modern technology to increase book sales. “Keep no stone unturned,” one publisher urges, “for no success is easy to achieve.”

On the financial side, rising costs of printing materials and services prevent some publishers from going to press with books that are ready for publishing. It is the same reason they’re unable to accept good manuscripts, thus frustrating authors. As a result, subsidy or self-publishing is prevalent. “Now that I publish my own books, I make profits and don’t have to wait to have my books published,” a marriage counselor in Ethiopia said. 

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Lawrence Darmani is the CEO of Step Publishers and Media Associate International’s Africa regional trainer. Although he combines publishing and editing in his day-to-day activities, he sees his calling and passion in Christian writing. He has authored over fiction and nonfiction books. He lives in Accra with his wife, Comfort, and two daughters.