While the US and UK—with their massive multinational publishing houses—remain the largest markets for African literature, publishing on the African continent is still largely the domain of small, independent presses. Despite considerable challenges, these presses are thriving across Africa. And the 2024 African Small Publishers Catalogue is here to celebrate them.
For years, the catalogue edited by Colleen Higgs, Cassandra Scheepers, and Jessie Cooper, has provided a platform for these independent publishers to shine. The sixth edition of the catalogue is now available and features over 60 publishers from across the continent and beyond, representing countries such as Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Senegal, Nigeria, Togo, Mauritius, and many more.
The catalogue’s mission is to connect African publishers with global audiences and foster networks within the continent. It has become a meeting place for publishers, booksellers, librarians, and educators seeking to collaborate. There are also listings for professionals across the book trade—editors, proofreaders, audiobook platforms, specialist libraries, booksellers, and printers.
Some of the featured publishing platforms include Ghana’s AkooBooks Audio, West Africa’s first dedicated audiobook publisher that produces works in multiple languages with indigenous narrators. South Africa’s Modjaji Books champions feminist literature by publishing works by southern African women writers. Pelmo Book Publishers in South Africa focuses on works in indigenous languages, while Mozambique’s Editora Trinta Zero Nove publishers literary translations. Other presses specialize in specific genres, from speculative fiction at South Africa’s Mirari Press to children’s storybooks at Nigeria’s Khaloza Books. South Africa’s Book Dash fosters book ownership for young African children by creating free, open-license books.
The 2024 edition is not just a directory. It contains essays on small publishers in Africa, from Charlene Smith’s witty exploration of self-publishing to Joel Cabrita’s reflection on her conversations with African women publishers and Karen Jennings onThe Island Prize.
As the editors note, each publisher listed represents “a gateway to a world of stories, ideas, and perspectives that might otherwise remain undiscovered.” By supporting these publishers, readers and industry professionals contribute to the flourishing of African writing and literary culture.
Buy catalogue: African books Collective: here | Modjaji Books: here
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