Submissions are now open for Ibua Publishing’s new manuscript project. If you are based in East Africa and in the process of writing a novel or have a draft manuscript ready, consider applying for this opportunity.

Ibua Journal is a quarterly online magazine offering literary and social commentary on African lives. Ibua is committed to the East African novel and its place in documenting our heritage and experience of life in East Africa.

The Ibua Manuscript project finds inspiration in the works of authors like Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, Rebecca Njau, Nurrudin Farah, and contemporary voices such as Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi, Arthur Gakwandi, and Yvonne Adhiambo Owour. These writers tell stories that reclaim our historical contributions to the world and trace the interconnectedness of our lives across a vast canvas of situations, localities, cultures, and experiences.

Through this manuscript project, applicants will get an opportunity to complete their novel with the support of renowned editors and writers, and see it in print. Selected writers will work with a team of mentors from Saseni! led by writer, editor and teacher Billy Kahora, to hone their writing, and to develop and finish their novels. The three best manuscripts will be published by Ibua Publishing.

Submission Guidelines

  1. Writers must be residents of East Africa and must be a citizen of an East African Community member (Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo).
  2. Writers can only submit adult fiction in English, unpublished, and original work. (And if formerly published, it shouldn’t have sold more than 500 copies).
  3. Writers must submit a PDF of part or whole of their manuscript, which should not exceed 300 pages (50,000 words).
  4. Manuscripts should be formatted in Times New Roman, size 12, with 1.5 line spacing.
  5. A synopsis of the manuscript, not exceeding 500 words, along with a short bio and current contact details (name, email, phone number, and place of residence) should be included.
  6. A timeline you are working with for completion of the full manuscript should be included.
  7. The subject line of the submission email should be “Ibua Manuscript Project 2024”.

Deadline: January 26, 2024

To submit, send an email with the required information to [email protected].

Successful candidates will be contacted by April 8. For further enquiries, contact the Editorial Team.

Good luck to all applicants!