My father gave me a book and I knew I had to meet its author

My passion for writing stories started way back between 1995 and 1996, when I was in primary school.

My teacher of English back then, Mrs. Rosemary W. Muchemi, was very supportive, insisting, that I was very good at writing essays.

When I reached class five, my father, Moses, one day brought home a book titled Writing School Compositions by Mutahi Miricho, which brought a whole new meaning to how I viewed writing in general.

By the time I joined secondary school, my life revolved around reading story books, novels and the dictionary.

The Oxford Dictionary that my parents had bought for me when I joined secondary school became my best friend.

I would find myself flipping through the pages and noting down any interesting words and phrases that I felt I could use in future.

In Form 2 in 2002, I wrote my first short story titled "Disability is not Inability". It was a story meant to encourage every child that they had potential and that if they had will power, they could achieve anything in life.

However, plunging into the publishing world, as I came to find out, is not easy. Having been brought up in a small village tucked away in the slopes of Mount Kenya, none of my folks or anybody I knew personally, knew anybody who had published a book.

When I wrote the story, I did not know how to go about getting it published. Then I remembered my favourite book in primary school, Writing School Compositions, and felt this great conviction within me that I had to meet the author who had inspired me so much.

I requested my father to find out any information he could get about the author and arrange a meeting between him and I.

It was not until two years later, when I had completed high school, that I finally got to meet Mr Mutahi Miricho.

I went to him seeing his guidance into the publishing world. By this time, I had already made up my mind that I wanted to write children’s books.

Through his mentorship, I took my first manuscript to the Jomo Kenyatta Foundation for publishing in 2005. Three months later, I received a letter from the publishing house informing me that the manuscript was worth publishing.

FINALLY GOT THE CALL

I only needed to make a few corrections, which I did and sent back, and patiently waited for that call to tell me that the book was ready for the market.

It was not until 2008 that I finally got the call. Nothing could measure the joy I felt.

Sadly, my father never got to see me become a published author. A career person who had supported me so much, he passed away in 2007.

Meanwhile, as I waited for the call from Jomo Kenyatta Foundation, I decided to further my writing skills in 2006 by undertaking a diploma course in Journalism and Mass Communication at Consolata Institute of Communication and Technology in Nyeri, where I took special interest in news and feature writing.

The fact that I was able to secure internship with the Kenya News agencies in Nairobi was a big boost to my ambitions.

I continued writing and submitting my manuscripts to various publishing houses. That same year that I joined college, Longhorn Publishers came up with a publishing focus on HIV/AIDs, targeting children in primary schools.

I decided to try my luck by submitting three different manuscripts in the various categories that they had stipulated.

Two were rejected but I was more than elated to have one published. The book titled Helping Nafula’s Mother was published in 2008.

It targets children between five and seven years, teaching them about HIV/AIDs, how it is spread, taking care of those that are infected and those that are affected.

SHORT STORIES

In 2012, I decided to approach the East African Educational Publishers with an idea that had been building up in my mind for quite some time. I met one of the editors from the publishing house, Irene Ogur, and sold my idea to her.

I wanted to do some form of translation of the subjects that are taught in schools into short stories that would help the pupils understand their subjects better.

She became interested and informed me that she would discuss the idea with the concerned authorities.

Three months later, I got a call from the lady, to submit some short stories for science subjects that they required for publishing.

Currently, the manuscripts I submitted back then are in the final stages of getting published and will soon hit the market.

Through the proceeds that I get from my books, I have been able to establish a graphic design, printing and photography business.

When I am not busy doing photography or graphic design, I undertake ghost writing projects for clients whom I have met Online. I also still write short stories that I hope to get published soon.

Once in a while, I get aspiring authors asking me questions on how to succeed in publishing. I always insist to them that patience is of paramount importance.

Sometimes, it takes years to get feedback when you submit a manuscript because most publishing houses have a huge work load already before them. Their ‘wait’ does not mean ‘give up’.

You have to be persistent and consistent. A writer must also be able to identify their target market, especially if their books are in the educative and informative category. This helps to get established and stay relevant to the market.

One also has to market their books and not just rely on the publishing house to do so. Becoming a writer is not just about talent; it should also be about creativity, relevance and information. Above all, commit your plans unto the Lord and He will establish all your work.

As told to HUGHOLIN KIMARO, [email protected].

Ms Wairimu Mwangi, is a graphic designer in Nairobi at Peerless Services. She has so far published two books while several other manuscripts are with different publishers awaiting publication