"This article is a sequel, and update, to a two-part article published in Logos. Journal of the World Publishing Community in 2008/09, which analysed the state of the book industries in sub-Saharan Africa thirty-five years after the major conference on ‘Publishing & Book Development in Africa’ t ... hat was held at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), Nigeria, in 1973 [...] Part One examines the persistent failure of African governments to support their book industries in a tangible and positive fashion, and their lack of support of public libraries. I review the current status of book development councils in Africa, and the unsatisfactory progress that has been made in establishing national book policies; examine the challenges of generating book industry data; and look at the opportunities now available to African publishers by the new digital environment. In Part Two I offer a number of reflections and recommendations on the way forward, particularly as it relates to capacity and skills building, training for book industry personnel, strengthening book professional associations, South-South linkages and knowledge sharing, encouraging international collaboration, the need for ongoing research and documentation, as well as issues as they relate to African books in the global market place, and the important but neglected area of publishing in African indigenous languages. more

"This is the fourth in a series of annual reviews of select new literature in English that has appeared on the topic of publishing and the book sector in sub-Saharan Africa [...] Extensively annotated and/or with abstracts, the present list brings together new literature published during the course ... of 2018, a total of 141 records. Also included are a small number of articles and other documents published in 2017 or earlier, which have not hitherto been included in previous annual literature reviews, or in the Publishing, Books & Reading in SubSaharan Africa online database. The literature review covers books, chapters in books and edited collections, journal articles, Internet documents and reports, theses and dissertations, interviews, audio/video recordings and podcasts, as well as a number of blog postings, with their posting dates indicated." (Page 1) more

"This literature survey is an attempt to bring together some of the literature on an important and challenging, and one could well say neglected aspect of the African book sector, that of publishing in African languages, an area that greatly impacts literary production in many ways. It aims to make ... a small contribution to the ongoing debate about publishing of indigenous language materials, how the profile of indigenous language publishing might be enhanced—and how publishing in African languages could be conducted as a societally beneficial, sustainable, and profitable commercial activity. Following an introductory overview of current publishing in African languages – and a discussion of its many barriers to success – it lists a total of 170 records, covering the literature (in English) published since the 1970s and through to early 2018. Fully annotated and/or with abstracts, it includes books, chapters in books and edited collections, reports, journal articles, Internet documents, theses and dissertations, as well as a number of blog postings. As is evident from the literature survey, the topic of publishing in African languages still amounts to a relatively modest body of literature, although it has been growing in recent years. There have been a good number of significant, indeed even ground-breaking studies and investigations about multilingual publishing in Africa, but the literature review also demonstrates that many African countries are still poorly served in terms of research on publishing in indigenous languages." (https://www.academia.edu) more

"The third in a series of annual reviews of select new literature in English that has appeared on the topic of publishing and the book sector in sub-Saharan Africa. Extensively annotated and/or with abstracts, the present list brings together new literature published during the course of 2017, a tot ... al of 157 records." (Academia.edu) more

"This is the second in a series of annual reviews of select new literature in English that has appeared on the topic of publishing and book development in sub-Saharan Africa. Extensively annotated and/or with abstracts, the present list brings together new literature published during the course of 2 ... 016, a total of 164 items. The literature review covers books, chapters in books and edited collections, journal articles, Internet documents and reports, theses and dissertations, interviews, audio/video recordings and podcasts, as well as a number of blog postings, Records are grouped under a range of regional/country and topic-specific headings." (Academia.edu) more

"A review of select new literature in English that has appeared on the topic of publishing and book development in Africa published during the course of 2015. It covers books, papers in edited collections, journal articles, Internet documents and reports, interviews, as well as a number of blog post ... ings. Records are grouped under a range of regional/country and topic-specific headings." (Academia.edu) more

"This investigation attempts to shed more light on current book donation practices, and provides an overview and profiles of the work of the principal book aid organizations active in the English-speaking parts of sub-Saharan Africa; describing how they differ in their approach and strategies, donat ... ion philosophy, selection policies, their methods of shipping and local distribution, the quantities of books they are shipping annually, as well as their processes of monitoring and evaluation. A total of 12 of the leading book donation organizations – in the UK, the Netherlands, the USA, and in South Africa – are individually profiled. (Organizations in Belgium and in France, operating in the francophone countries of Africa, are analysed by Raphaël Thierry in part II of this study.) A number of small-scale book donation and library support projects are reviewed separately, as are digital donations in the form of e-reading devices preloaded with e-books. The article aims to provide a balanced account, presenting a variety of viewpoints about both the benefits and the potential negative consequences of book aid. In particular, the study seeks to find out how many African-published books are included in current donation schemes. As part of a review of the recent literature on the topic, I examine the ongoing debate between the proponents of book donation schemes, and those who disapprove of the programmes; who maintain that they are not meeting the needs of the recipients and the target countries for the most part, and have an adverse impact on the local publishing industries and the book trade. The article also questions why large scale book donation programmes should continue to be necessary today, after millions of books have been shipped and donated to African libraries, schools and other recipients every year over the last three decades or more. It examines the status and role of chronically under-resourced African libraries and, in the absence of adequate government support, their continuing dependence on book donation programmes and other external assistance." (Introduction) more