Just weeks after the 27th edition of the Nairobi International Book Fair, where Ken Kamoche won the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature with Clan of Warriors, concerns have emerged about the low number of entries for the prize.
Only nine entries were reportedly received in the English category, while the entries in the other categories were insufficient to warrant awards. The organisers consequently awarded the prize only in the English category.
The paucity of entries from Kenyan publishers has, in my view, been erroneously cited to discredit the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature (JKPL). First off, it is neither the fault of the Kenya Publishers Association nor that of the panel of judges that fewer entries were received than would have been desirable. The problem, for those who have been following the dynamics of publishing, is more systemic and nuanced.
Unlike in earlier times, when Kenyan publishers submitted multiple entries for the JKPL, the Wahome Mutahi Literary Prize and other literary awards, over the past few years our publishers have been too engrossed in textbook publishing to produce enough novellas, novels, plays and short-story collections that would fit the bill for these prizes.
This is not to say that mainstream publishers have totally shut their eyes to cultural productions. No, most have actually been revising older works in these categories and aligning them with the requirements of the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system. They have then been submitting these revised literary works to the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), the statutory body responsible for curriculum development and the evaluation and approval of learning materials, for possible inclusion in the Orange Book of approved course materials and, where applicable, government procurement.
That said, and to be fair to publishers, it makes perfect commercial and strategic sense to prioritise textbook publishing. If your book is procured by the government and distributed to schools countrywide, you invoice in millions. For avoidance of doubt, ask any author whose novel or play, or any editor whose anthology of short stories or poems, has been adopted as an examinable set book. They will tell you that the royalty statement quantum-leaps from a few thousand shillings to millions. Whether they actually receive the royalty cheque is a totally different matter.
Besides, publishing firms, with the exception of state-sponsored ones whose strategic purpose includes anchoring cultural growth, are businesses with shareholders to report to. Needless to say, shareholders do not attend annual general meetings to listen to stories. They only smile at the prospect of dividends.
Be that as it may, it bears repeating that publishers should not ignore cultural publishing in the rush to cash in on textbook deals. Even as they participate in the textbook boom, they need to remember that while novels, plays and anthologies of poems and short stories may move in small volumes, these small volumes are not only evergreen but also hold considerable potential.
Once in a while, someone asks for permission to reproduce a single poem, a short story or an excerpt from a novel, earning the publisher a fee equivalent to the profit from selling more than 100 copies of the entire title. They must also not forget that, as theatre comes alive, buoyed by digital marketing and ticketing, having a few more modern plays would enable them to sell adaptation rights to theatre groups, film companies and other interested parties.
Besides, many of the set books now in the market were slow-movers shortly after publication. Having more literary titles in their catalogues increases the probability of some being spotted for major deals. A book that appears commercially unpromising today may become tomorrow's set book, adaptation or translation opportunity. The challenge is that publishers cannot predict which title will enjoy such a revival. They must therefore keep producing a sufficiently diverse catalogue rather than betting almost everything on one market.
Again, as debt repayment and other fiscal pressures take their toll, we are living at a time when capitation, money owed to publishers and other budgetary allocations have been reduced or delayed. Over the past few months, the media have been awash with news of publishers seeking payment of billions in outstanding government bills, with the delays threatening preparations for the Grade 11 textbook rollout.
This means that even if a publisher lands a government tender or two, there is no guarantee that the money will hit the bank in time to keep cash flow healthy. A company may consequently have huge earnings on paper while its financial reality on the ground, to use modern Kenyan lingo, is different. The mainstream newspapers have learnt this the hard way.
That is why I think a clever balance is in order. Even as publishers chase the big deals, they must have a fallback plan that keeps growing. True, the big deals demand resources and all hands on deck, but publishers must also save for retirement, so to speak, by keeping their evergreen titles alive. A healthy catalogue is not merely a collection of books waiting to sell. It is an investment in future rights income, new readerships and opportunities that may not yet be apparent.
This will not only keep the non-textbook side of the business alive but also contribute to cultural growth. Upcoming writers are raring to go, as evidenced by the contributions of Kenyans to literary journals in the region and globally, even as our principal literary prizes struggle to attract sufficient entries.
Again, I repeat, the shortage of entries is not an indictment of the prize organisers. Nor, in the final analysis, is it necessarily an indictment of our publishers. It is, however, a symptom of a system that, by default rather than design, risks killing creativity and cultural growth in pursuit of a policy-driven market that will not remain in its current form indefinitely.
After the curriculum rollout comes a point when the exceptional demand for new learning materials may ease. There is a real possibility of a hiatus, a mortifying yawn that should jolt us all into preparing for it. And the best way to prepare for it is to acknowledge that publishers need a fallback plan beyond the curriculum overhaul.
I know, I know. After the textbook run comes the curriculum-support-material business and other opportunities that we do not begrudge the growing number of Kenyan publishers. But truth be told, they can ignore cultural publishing only at their own peril.