Slamming publishers not the solution to our creative woes

In Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, the main character Okonkwo laments about his son’s lack of tact and willpower. He says, “I am worried about Nwoye. A bowl of pounded yams can throw him in a wrestling match”.

Of late, there has been a lot of criticism against publishers and if some of the critics are to be believed, then Kenyan publishers are so uncreative and tactless that, like Nwoye, a bowl of pounded yams can throw them in a wrestling match.

It’s either that or some of the armchair critics are like the “armchair” bird, Nza, in the same Achebe novel. Nza is a little bird that, after a heavy meal, probably yawning or half-awake under the hot savannah sun, belches and wonders if there is any God anywhere.

Nza, in some aspects, is like the armchair critic who sits in their air-conditioned house, belches after a heavy lunch and then fires missives against publishers without having walked a single step in their shoes.

Dr Tom Odhiambo’s article, “Publishers are killing Kenya’s creative talent” (Sunday Nation, September 14), was a blend of both the “Nwoye” and “Nza” perspectives.

To state that publishers are killing creativity was populist but not entirely true. He also conjured up the ghost of the West.

READING CULTURE

As a critic aptly put it, “Readership is vast in most Western countries and the book is revered, critiqued and refreshed in varied multimedia platforms”.

The situation in Kenya is different. Since the country got its independence, there is still poverty, disease and ignorance. The kind of reading being emphasised then is the kind to “drive out” ignorance, so people read textbooks.

As the middle-class grows, the general populace begins reading for leisure. Many Kenyans have to choose between buying a book and food.

When publishers say that the numbers of those reading for pleasure hasn’t reached a critical mass to sustain local fiction, critics say publishers are uncreative and greedy.

Publishing is not charity and if you don’t break even you close shop. How many multinationals have closed shop in Kenya? Does anyone think that they closed shop whistling jovially?

UNCREATIVE PULBLISHERS
Do Kenyans read? Yes, especially for examinations. Do Kenyans read for pleasure? Yes, some do. But the numbers of people reading haven’t yet reached a critical mass.

Why are even the most creative Kenyan fiction outfits struggling or donor-funded? Why can’t they sell 200,000 of a great title in Kenya?

And why should the same title sell over 200,000 copies suddenly because it has been picked as a setbook for mandatory reading in secondary school?

How many times do we see Kenyans in waiting areas, in airports and other places where others (especially Westerners) are reading while they fold their hands, looking bored?

How many Kenyans have read Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s novels (apart from the mandatory setbooks?) Is it because Ngugi’s publisher is “uncreative”?

And because of this, there is no publisher in Kenya I know who makes enough sales through the sale of fiction (and some are quite creative) to be able to attend conferences abroad and spend days in five-star hotels unless there is some donor coin or some other source of funding.

LITERARY AGENTS

On the issue of publishers staying with manuscripts for long, it can be explained by the simple fact that we have no literary agents in Kenya.

In the West, generally, writers do not even approach publishers directly because there are literary agents. The work of literary agents is to “discover” talent and nurture it but literary agents are not in the business of baby-sitting writers.

They expect writers to hone their craft, to be top of their game. Literary agents also weed out manuscripts that do not warrant the publisher’s attention but in Kenya we receive manuscripts by the bucketfuls from everyone from university professors to primary school children.

Pray, what miracle can publishers do to speed-read all these manuscripts in record time?

Dr Odhiambo really gloried self-publishing but things are far from rosy in that realm.

Motivational speakers and pastors really do well when they self-publish books because they can sell them in the places they speak; in conferences, churches or seminars.

SELF-PIBLISHING

It is a bad idea to self-publish any work of fiction. Ayi Kwei Armah, the celebrated Ghanaian novelist, probably learnt this the hard way.

He wrote Fragments, Why are We so Blest and The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born with Heinemann (and these titles especially the third one are among the most popular world classics) then decided to self-publish.

Who has ever heard of the other titles self-published by Kwei Armah? Self-publishing is tough, just ask those doing it instead of behaving like “Nza the bird”.

If for nothing else, getting a reputable publisher of fiction gives it legitimacy and respect by readers.

Kwei Armah once said, “If you (the writer) set out to print anything on your own, the printing costs will stagger you. If you manage to print, the distribution costs will blow your mind.”

Publishing, marketing and selling of fiction is a very complex matter. It should not be oversimplified with a few jabs to publishers.

Writers and publishers should work together to do book tours, promote books and make follow-ups. Granted, publishers of fiction also need to be more energetic in marketing.

And Kenyans should also support local fiction (we love everything foreign from books, clothes, movies to watches). There are definitely many good local creative works (some of which have won international awards and acclaim).