A little more on Pacesetters

If you’ve read my posts both here and on FWoWA’s Yahoo! Group, you may think I have a bit of a fixation with the Pacesetters series. I do. It's my easiest reference for the kind of talent we have, which I think we're letting go to waste instead of nurturing.

In my previous post I mentioned that the publishers may have had a problem with the quantity of submissions they received from authors across the continent. I also believe that one of the things impeding our progress is the lack of information. While published authors may have had access to the relevant editors, it would be my guess that aspirants were in the dark about how to get the proverbial foot in the door.

In those days, we didn’t have the Internet, which complicated things. Now we have a vast source of information. Even the publishers are getting closer to authors through their website and blogs.

Speaking of websites and information ... guess what! I found a website dedicated to the Pacesetters series. I was a little surprised to discover that only 130 titles were published in the time the series was active (over 16 years, which means an average of just about 8 books a year = less than a book per month)

Find this and more on Pacesetters here. If you wish, you can just go straight to the site's novel catalog, which is complete with cover pics of the books. It seems you can buy available copies, but I can't advocate for the legitimacy of that aspect (if anyone has purchased books from the site, kindly let us know). 

Wikipedia, has a list of established African writers, grouped by country. Where were they? What are they working on? How much money are they making for their publishers and more importantly for themselves. Most do not even have websites...

Before I sign off, check  out my blog for an interesting post on how much a New York Times best-selling author actually makes.

Empi

Writing for Leisure Readers

I called Heinemann a few years back to inquire about submission guidelines for their Pacesetters series. What I learnt was that the series had been discontinued, and they now only publish educational books from African writers. I was devastated, because I remember the first time I read one (The President's Son by Kwasi Koranteng). What a rush, to read a suspense story based in contemporary Ghana. Before then all books that I knew of by African writers were used for Literature in school. Looks like we are back to that ...

Now, don't get me wrong; having a book being used for Literature is one of my dreams, but the books that make money aren't those being treated in school. Seriously, how many people read Shakespeare for fun? They either had to read it in school or they watched a movie or got inspired in some other way to read it. They don't go to a bookstore and think, "Oh, Hamlet. Sounds, interesting. One copy, please."

On the other hand, people pre-book Dan Brown's novels and read it just for pure pleasure and in the case of novels like The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown is able to challenge the very core of people's beliefs. It will be interesting to do this for Literature, don't you think?

Let's get back on tract. I'm talking about leisure books--the type you'll read on the plane, or on the bus or in the park. I'm talking about those books you want to read, not because you need to write an exam or take notes. Where are West African stories in this genre of fiction?

I have a feeling one of the reasons Heinemann discontinued the Pacesetters line was due to not receiving enough submissions from African writers and also not getting enough profit from their sales. In this second point, African writers erred in the fact that they didn't self-promote their works. As a marketing person, I'll bet my last cent on this: if there is money to be made, Heinemann or someone else will create an imprint for African fiction other than those designed for classroom use.

How can we get our children reading when they don't have material other than those they are forced to read in school? Our counterparts in the US and Europe start their 'reading careers' with books like Nancy Drew and The Famous Five. Once that love for reading is acquired then you can interest them in the more serious material.

I'd like to see the day Avon or Harlequin publishes an African story, aspiring writers from West Africa giving serious competition to author's across the world for the attention of these large and established publishers. Why should any publisher set up in India and not Ghana or Nigeria? Why should they think only of South Africa when they consider Africa? Let's bring the publishing business home to West Africa.

It can be done!

Next week, I'll start a series about the many little steps we need to take to get ourselves shoulder-to-shoulder with the rest of the world.

Empi

Akwaaba!

Wole Soyinka, Ama Ata Aidoo, Buchi Emecheta, Chinua Achebe ... isn’t it odd--and a little sad--that the list of top writers from West Africa hasn’t changed in the past decade? Are there no talented writers in West Africa? No one wanting to join this crop of distinguished and respected writers?

Where are the breakout novelists? Where are the books that will earn our authors millions? Why are East and Southern Africans receiving international acclaim over West African authors? Why are our books only used in secondary schools for Literature?

We are blessed to exist in a period where the world is hungry for new voices and new stories, and our own citizens are becoming increasingly patriotic. While regions like Asia and South America, and even some other parts of Africa, are coming up strongly, it looks like West Africa is going into obscurity. Our aspiring authors choose alternate goals in life, because they are not sure how to fulfil their writing dreams.

Enter Fiction Writers of West Africa.

FWoWA is a group set up to bring aspiring and published writers of West Africa together to share and encourage one another in our pursuance of the writing profession. This blog is about helping West African writers to become the best writers they can be so our stories can be told all over the world.

Please join the site and share your stories. Tell us where your interests lie, where you've reached in your writing career, what your goals are for the coming year (or five years time, you decide). Where in West Africa are you located? If you aren’t located in West Africa, tell us where you are joining us from. And if neither option applies to you, but you simply love West Africa and would like to help get our voices out there, you are definitely welcome to join the group.

You can also join our Yahoo! Group here

Empi