Creative Writer and editor Nyarinda Maureen writes about the economic growth of Storymoja publishers in an ever-changing Kenyan literary industry.
Storymoja was founded by a collective of writers passionate about African books and growing the publishing industry in Kenya. In the first years of operation, producing adult literature books, terrible losses were made. Severe enough to almost bankrupt this passion project eager to put African writers on the map. Muthoni Garland, one of the founders, occasionally tells of how she published thousands of copies of Tracking the Scent of My Mother, a story shortlisted for the AKO Caine Prize, thinking it would be a best seller with that notable mention, and she would make money. The story ends with thousands of copies of the book stacked in her home because the market was not receptive.
The lessons from this tough beginning helped the founders diversify the business into what would sell in the Kenyan market. Books for children; picture books, and novellas. But with the influx of books by other established publishers in the market, the book sales did not match the sales projections. This, a huge blow for writers who thought they’d get rich from their creative pursuit and everyone in the pipeline working on books, and an organisation struggling with increasing debt.
After thorough market research, Storymoja added to their catalogue curriculum books; a new venture that brought with it success, thanks to the Ministry of Education Kenya, changing the curriculum. (Huge loss to other publishers with stock of bestselling books). The business model, without losing the essence of the creative pursuit, brought some major breakthroughs as course books are compulsory learning material in Kenyan schools. We set up a sales and marketing team, besides the editorial team to keep the production going. And as we worked on building a catalogue of 400+ books, we developed programs to promote literacy and reading. Our efforts in storytelling, incubating the Start A Library Trust which has 289 libraries to date, and a vibrant sales team has ensured that our focus on making, selling and promoting books never dimmed.
The business model, without losing the essence of the creative pursuit, brought some major breakthroughs as course books are compulsory learning material in Kenyan schools.
We have been training literature professionals through the Storymoja Editorial Graduate Program since 2017, where we give to society, editors, writers and illustrators ready to work in publishing. Recent graduates from diverse fields join the free program, and get paid as they learn the skills and insights of the publishing industry. This program is funded by our sponsors interested in building a literature ecosystem in Africa that we can be proud of. Investing in the creative business is our core business, and we are held accountable by our Founders dreams, to see authors and readers flourish and build a future for people interested in this space, just as they did in the years when the Storymoja Festival, the biggest literary event in Africa, was live.
Our business model gives writers a percentage of royalties for their published works. This system was threatened by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to schools being closed for about 2 school years. The impact caused by the pandemic, and an inability to pay writers their dues since books were cold in the warehouse jolted our minds. How can we ensure we are still in business, pay literature professionals and survive all circumstances? We are constantly thinking about reproducing books into different formats to complement writers’ earnings. We have produced audiobooks and recently developed an app for learners and educators to access books through games and audiobooks through a subscription plan. Should this pick, as we project it would, our writers can be guaranteed more payment.
Is it possible for a fiction writer in Kenya to make $10,000 as the major African prizes offer, for sales on one book in the first year of release? Yes, it is possible. However, we must consider the number of people in the production process who work to keep the book in circulation and their cut as well, the cost of getting books approved by the respective government agencies and the type of market we have to supply the books to. Piracy of highly successful books is an issue we deal with—writers and publishers lose money—despite putting in measures to safeguard the books. We hope that we can get to that glorious day and do seek opportunities for institutions and philanthropists to fund book development and sales through our distribution networks. We are also seeking opportunities to scale up through selling of rights, with author involvement, to have the books produced in different languages globally. With the rise of social media and digital marketing, the money can be made, on top of traditional publishing and sales avenues. Only through these efforts, can we sit back and watch our literature professionals eat and enjoy the monetary compensation that matches their expertise, education and skills.
Nyarinda Maureen is a creative writer and editor who believes in the transformative power of storytelling. Her work centres African narratives, feminist rhetoric and contemporary art and culture. She has contributed to magazines in Africa such as Brittle Paper, Sisi Afrika Magazine and She Leads Africa. She works as a Publishing Manager at Storymoja Africa, spearheading the development of groundbreaking stories by African authors. Nyarinda’s work involves author commissioning and training, book development, editing and marketing. At Storymoja, she also facilitates a 6 months Graduates Editorial Trainee Program, shaping the next generation of publishing professionals. She aspires to work with others in the industry to amplify African literary voices through the Storymoja Redhot Internation.
The International Literature Exchange is a partnership project by National Centre for Writing and British Council, supported by Arts Council England.
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