African Publishers Network - Accomplishments

Accomplishments

APNET can claim many concrete achievements since its formation; in general, as an evaluation of APNET states: “The formation and revitalization of many national publishers associations are a direct result of APNET’s networking activities, most consistently through person-to-person contact and the publication of the African Publishing Review”. The African Publishing Review (APR) is a bi-monthly newsletter sent out to publishers’ associations, book development councils, libraries, etc., and other subscribers. For publishers in Africa, the APR is free of charge; however, other subscribers must pay a small fee. The African Publishing Review is the only pan-African publishing journal published in Africa with news, analysis, and in-depth perspectives of African Publishing. A survey was conducted and it showed that the APR is the “second most important source of information” to publishers after the national publishers associations. A survey done by SIDA showed that the APR is the most frequently used form of APNET service. APNET has produced six other publications, including The Story of APNET, The Development Directory of Indigenous Publishing, African “Rights” Indaba, APNET Children’s Books Catalogue, the Catalogue of Agricultural Books Published in Africa, and Towards an African Publishing Institute.

The African universities lack programmes and classes for creating professional publishers: university training in this field is only available in Kenya, Uganda and South Africa, and these courses fall short of what is required. Based on the curriculum that was developed for the institute, APNET has conducted over 30 workshops in 18 countries.

Other publications of APNET include a development directory which contains 70 entries on key African book-development organizational and professional bodies; essays and reports on publishing in Africa; a resource centre which is a source of published and unpublished research on publishing in Africa.