African journals offer writers a sure path toward literary fame

Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie speaks during the Sharjah International Book Fair in the United Arab Emirates on November 10, 2025. [Caroline Chebet, Standard]

One of the major accusations against African publishing giants has been that they favour only established writers. I almost shared that view until I found myself on the other side and realised how difficult it really is to identify new writers, publish good works, and, at the end of the day, stay afloat in the publishing business.

To start off, it goes without saying that educational books are the holy grail of African publishing. Besides publishing textbooks, opportunities often arise to produce literary works for the school market, mainly set books and government-approved class readers. Needless to say it would be foolhardy and self-defeatist to ignore such openings.