THE second edition of the Business of Books (BOB) Conference is set to to be held tomorrow at The Venue in Avondale, Harare.
It will run under the theme Beyond the Margins: Homegrown Digital Publishing Solutions for African Authors and will be held in partnership with Akello Library.
Building on valuable discussions from the first edition, BOB 2024 edition aims to address key lessons learned about the African publishing ecosystem.
Local literature plays a crucial role in nation-building and cultural preservation, and there is a strong need for ongoing dialogue among stakeholders.
Collaborations among literary players and institutions in education, ICT, business, and finance are essential for supporting local content creators.
This year’s conference is powered by Akello Library, an emerging online education platform rapidly building one of Africa’s largest digital libraries.
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Akello’s innovative approach caters to the unique needs of the African market, offering digital access to a wide range of up-to-date, carefully curated, academic and non-academic books targeted towards primary and secondary learners as well as avid readers.
Said Akello chief operations officer Musa Muleya: “Our goal is to bridge the gap between content creators and the vast potential of digital distribution, ensuring that African voices are not only heard but celebrated globally.”
The African publishing landscape is characterised by fragmentation, with authors often facing significant barriers, including limited access to global audiences and economic constraints.
While some regions have developed robust creative economies, others still depend on self-publishing or traditional models that overlook the richness of local literary works.
BOB Edition 2024 aims to address these challenges by fostering dialogues exploring homegrown digital distribution solutions.
This approach is designed to provide African authors with a competitive edge in the global market while simultaneously revitalising the publishing business across the continent.
The conference will focus on several key objectives: empowering African authors by providing practical education on leveraging homegrown publishing solutions, fostering partnerships among authors, publishers, and technology providers, and showcasing successful case studies in innovative publishing practices.
Sapientia Bachi, of Thando Channel, said: “We believe that empowering local authors with the right tools and knowledge is essential for fostering a vibrant literary culture in Africa.”
Thando Channel is an online community and video-on-demand platform focused on celebrating African female storytelling.
The channel believes that amplifying women’s voices is crucial for fostering a complete and empowered identity in society.
The BOB Conference 2024 promises to be a pivotal platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration among African authors and industry stakeholders.