A Review of the Major Developments and Issues of Concern on Book Marketing in Africa

This chapter reviews some of the major developments witnessed in the area of book marketing in Africa, as well as the challenges and problems that African countries still face today. The scope of marketing is so wide that achieving balanced coverage of every aspect of book marketing in Africa is a daunting task. However, this chapter attempts to highlight a few initiatives considered among the most important in advancing book marketing in Africa. These initiatives include the emergence of book development councils and other lobby groups in some countries; the inception of the African Books Collective (ABC); the establishment of the African Publishers Network (APNET); the enactment of the Florence Agreement and Protocol; and the hosting of major regional book fairs such as the Zimbabwe International Book Fair (Zimbabwe), the Cape Town International Book Fair (South Africa), the Dakar International Book Fair (Senegal), the Ghana International Book Fair (Ghana), the Ife International Book Fair (Nigeria), the Cairo International Book Fair (Egypt), and the Nairobi International Book Fair (Kenya). The chapter also lists some of the challenges in marketing books in Africa and provides a brief section on the way forward to overcome these problems. Where possible, country-specific examples are included to support explanations of the themes explored.