Sub-Saharan Africa’s dearth of cash, political will and a reliable supply of electricity are preventing the “digital revolution” from making large-scale changes in the way Africans read. By Tolu Ogunlesi The Namibian government has a goal of installing computers in every school and every community library in the country by 2014. This is one of the key objectives of the …
Will E-books Raise or Lower the Total Value of Publishing?
By Edward Nawotka Today’s feature story discusses the effort to determine the total value of the global book industry. Statistical analysis initially suggests that sum is €80 billion. With the increasing adoption of e-books by readers in the coming years, do you anticipate this will inflate or depress the total sum? On one hand e-books are priced significantly lower than …
Q: What is Global Publishing Worth? A: €80 Billion
Ruediger Wischenbart is seeking to undertake an unprecedented project -– the compilation of a comprehensive database of global publishing statistics. By Tolu Ogunlesi LONDON: Publishing — including STM, Educational and Trade material -– is currently estimated at being worth €80 billion and is the second largest creative industry in the world, after television; and is currently bigger than the music …
Book Review: Open City by Teju Cole (Nigeria)
By Gwendolyn Dawson From the very first paragraph, Teju Cole’s debut novel announces itself as the tale of a wanderer: “And so when I began to go on evening walks last fall, I found Morningside Heights an easy place from which to set out into the city … These walks, a counterpoint to my busy days at the hospital, steadily …
How Can E-Books Revolutionize Literacy and Publishing in Africa?
E-books can reach people in Africa who might otherwise never get books. Some even say the Internet represents “Africa’s Gutenberg Moment.” By Edward Nawotka Today’s editorial by Tolu Ogunlesi looks at a recent literacy campaign in Nigeria to inspire more people to read. The government led campaign is the latest in a long line of similar campaigns, many of which …
Can You “Bring Back the Book” to a Country That Can’t Afford to Read?
Nigeria’s President launched a campaign to inspire reading that was part-election, part-Facebook festival and part-magical thinking. Editorial by Tolu Ogunlesi LAGOS: Nigeria has no national funding for the arts, no government-run grants-awarding body to support the production of books, and no National Book Policy. In place of a proper publishing industry, the country is awash with book printers, supporting a flourishing …
2011 Cape Town Book Fair Canceled
By Hannah Johnson Organizers of the Cape Town Book Fair (CTBF) announced today that the fair will not take place in 2011. However, the fair is scheduled to relaunch in 2012 to coincide with the scheduled IPA Congress in Cape Town. Claudia Kaiser, the director of the CTBF and VP of Business Development for the Frankfurt Book Fair released the …
Hay Festival Hosts Events in the Maldives, Kenya, Kerala
By Edward Nawotka The Hay Festival folks have been busy this month, hosting festivals in both the Maldives and Kenya, with yet another planned for Kerala in November. The Maldives has been a multi-party democracy for only two years and the country’s president has set his country a target of becoming carbon neutral within ten years. Accordingly, the event in …
“I’m a Writer, Not a Spokesperson” says Nigerian Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
By Edward Nawotka This weekend is the 15th annual Texas Book Festival in Austin, the highlight of the literary calendar here in Texas where I live. I had the privilege to serve in 2004 as the fellow who booked the 200+ authors for the event that year. It was an unforgettable experience that gave me real insight and appreciation for …
Unraveling the Mysteries of Nordic Publishing in Göteborg
• The Göteborg Book Fair, Scandinavia’s largest book event, starts this Friday, with Africa as the featured region, with more than 70 writers from the continent attending. • Scandinavian writers are hot all over the world and the fair’s timing just prior to Frankfurt offers a preview what’s likely to be featured from the Nordic countries at the big show. …