Publishing
By Nyatichi Verity One thing a publisher will tell you is that the first six months after a book is launched are often the most critical in determining its market performance. During this period, books either gain momentum through sales,…
By Lucy Atieno A colleague of mine in the publishing industry recently shared a story while we were comparing notes on book sales, and it perfectly illustrates the crisis facing many new writers. “Two years ago, an aspiring author rang…
By Lee Kamutu The Kenyan publishing industry is steadily opening up. Thanks to technology, aspiring authors no longer have to toil over rare typewriters or draft long manuscripts by hand. Today, personal computers allow authors to compose materials on the…
By Jane Odeny To the general public, authors often seem exceptionally accomplished. They publish books, contribute ideas to public discourse, and draw readers into stories born from their imagination. Behind the scenes, however, many authors grapple with significant self-doubt and…
By Risper Atieno Many aspiring authors imagine that once they click “send” on their manuscript, the hard work is over. They assume that the book is going to be printed and soon appear on bookstore shelves. While this is comforting,…
By Jane Odeny Publishing a book involves far more than writing a compelling manuscript. Once the final draft is complete, authors must navigate a range of legal and publishing requirements that help protect their work, establish ownership, and make their…
By David Onyango One of the most common questions aspiring authors ask is how long it may take to publish a book in Kenya. The honest answer is that publishing timelines vary depending on the type of project, the quality…
By Miriam Nyandika One of the most common challenges we encounter as publishers is assessing manuscripts without a clear synopsis. As a publishing house, we process numerous inquiries from aspiring authors every week, ranging from children’s stories and memoirs to…
By Elijah Mbalaria Victor Hugo, a former French author, once faced a problem familiar to countless writers today: a looming deadline and a manuscript that was not moving fast enough. Determined to finish The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, he took the…
For many aspiring writers with dreams of seeing their books published, one important question often arises before approaching a publisher: Is my manuscript truly ready for submission? First-time authors often send unfinished or poorly prepared manuscripts to book publishing companies,…