A former banker is giving self-published African authors a voice

Conrad Onyango, bird story agency

By rights, Abdullahi Bulle should be in a banking hall making financial transactions and providing financial advice to banking clients. Instead, he’s seated at his desk at Nuria Books, in Nairobi’s Central Business District, advising would-be authors and book buyers, many of whom are buying Nuria’s books online, for the first time.

Bulle guides each customer, asking for a preferred delivery location or sharing a mobile money platform where the customer can make their purchase. As one call ends, another begins, with clients placing orders or asking about specific titles. Some calls are from would-be authors, asking advice on how to self-publish their books with support from Nuria’s online store.

Meanwhile, walk-in clients stream into the down-town store. Visiting authors, too, eager to market their books or see them in print, can be found here. They take photos with their books and share them on their social media accounts and those of the store, while the hard copies remain on the shelves for walk-in customers to browse. Nuria Books has become a highly instragrammable location.

This is the life Bulle chose when he left his eight-and-a-half year-old banking career to follow his passion.

In 2015, Bulle launched Nuria Stores as an online bookstore, initially as a Facebook page. It has since grown to become known as the “Home of African Books.”

Within a year of starting the online bookshop, the former banker realised that ordinary Kenyan authors were often overlooked by traditional bookstores, which typically favour politicians or well-known figures. The gap in the market inspired him to create a solution that continues to thrive today.

“I saw an opportunity there. Since then, we have been onboarding both Kenyan authors and those from other African countries. Now, we have 1,800 self-published authors,” Bulle explains.

Almost 80% of these authors, approximately 1,500, come from East Africa, including Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, Ethiopia, Somalia, and South Sudan.

The remaining 300 authors hail from Ghana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Nigeria, and some Africans currently residing outside the continent.

Bulle’s mission goes beyond selling books; he aims to give African authors a voice. He provides them with a platform to take control of their work, empowering them to sell their content and showcase their talents to the world.

Nuria Store has developed a decentralized system allowing individuals with a manuscript or digital book to bypass mainstream publishers for publishing and marketing. The platform connects authors with independent editors, book designers, and printers, enabling writing enthusiasts to explore self-publishing, which is rapidly becoming a multi-billion-dollar industry.

Bulle began by supporting five authors, providing them with a platform to sell their books online and in physical spaces.

“I believe we have made a significant impact in this area by giving a voice to self-published authors. Many of them have struggled with traditional publishing or selling to bookstores,” he says.

Empress Ciku Kimani Mwaniki, a four-time self-published author of the Cocktail series, confirmed the notable rise in self-publishing since 2014.

More authors, she affirmed are joining the movement both in Kenya and across Africa, and the quality of self-published books has significantly improved over the period, even rivaling traditional publishers.

“When I started self-publishing in 2014, I only knew one other person who had done it. I think I was the second. But now, there are so many; you can’t even count them,” Mwaniki said, while taking pictures of herself and her book at the store.

“There’s a strong push for quality because the quantity is overwhelming. Readers are spoiled for choice and won’t settle for just anything. Additionally, there’s much more exposure now. People are more informed about self-publishing. When I was starting, there were hardly any resources available,” she explained.

A report from the British Council, called Publishing Futures: A Study of the Publishing Landscapes in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, reveals a growing market for non-traditional publishing methods, including digital books and self-publishing, in these countries.

Self-publishing, the report says, is rapidly expanding and becoming an accessible option for many writers, thanks to widespread access to computers and the internet.

“Across the six countries studied, the opportunities for authors seeking to invest in publishing their work without relying on established publishing houses have grown tremendously, as publishing consultants enter the market,” according to the report.

In addition to Nuria Stores, the report highlights several entities that support self-publishing. These include ZAAZ Press, an East African-based creative and general writing business registered in Uganda and Kenya, which offers writing, editorial, and publishing consultancy services to authors and businesses.

In Zimbabwe, Ngano Hub Consultants assists authors looking to self-publish by providing personalized services to help them achieve their publishing goals.

In South Africa, Boutique Books also facilitates self-publishing for both new and established authors.

Book lovers in Nairobi also highlighted the growth of self-published African authors, who are helping to showcase local histories and narratives that resonate with Kenyans, providing practical solutions and insights.

“It’s very rare to find African books, especially those authored by Kenyans, in the country. Since Nuria opened, we’ve been discovering more Kenyan-authored books, which is a significant change. The market was previously dominated by European titles, so this is a breath of fresh air as we can promote our own,” said Lulu Mandi.

Jane Wambui, who is beginning to embrace a reading culture focused on financial literacy, is taking advantage of works by Kenyan authors to share local and practical knowledge with her children and relatives.

“I want my six-year-old son to start learning about money as early as possible. I am thrilled that we now have African authors, especially Kenyan writers, who are emerging to share their wisdom with us,” said Wambui.

In the conventional publishing system, authors must go through a publisher who serves as the main distributor. In this arrangement, the publisher collects the money and pays the authors annually or semi-annually. In contrast, self-publishing allows authors to receive payments monthly or weekly based on their book sales.

Most self-published authors are writing a variety of books, including political works, autobiographies, cultural pieces, fiction, self-help, business, children’s literature, spiritual texts, and religious books, many of which are topping sales charts.

There is also a growing trend of authors focusing on real estate, law, engineering, and theories of circular structure. Books on construction have gained traction as well.

“There are now more authors who have the courage to write since they have platforms where they can sell their books. Anyone with an idea, story, or expertise in a particular field can now write and publish their work. Initially, many didn’t know how to start,” explains a source.

Nuria Stores operates on a pay-as-you-sell model. Today, when a shop sells a book, authors can access their earnings in an hour or less. The store takes a 30% commission and pays the remaining 70% directly to the authors’ bank accounts or mobile money accounts, enabling real-time transactions.

“We are even faster than Amazon when it comes to payment. Actually, we are the fastest paymaster in Kenya for our suppliers,” says Bulle.

The self-publishing initiative has also revolutionized the book publishing and printing industry, with many printers now welcoming self-published authors for printing agreements.

Previously, most printers focused on brochures and billboards, and did not cater to book printing. With the rise of many authors, printers are now offering print-on-demand services, which address the challenges faced by authors who only want to publish a small number of copies due to costs.

Many printers used to require a minimum order of 500, 1,000, or more copies, making it prohibitively expensive.

“Nowadays, print-on-demand means you can print as few as 10, 20, or 50 copies. With US$ 387.30 or US$ 154.92 (Ksh 50,000, or Ksh 20,000), you can get your book out there,” Bulle explains.

The cost of self-publishing has become more affordable, depending on the size of the book, the number of pages, and whether the book is ready for publication or still a manuscript.

“It’s essential to have someone skilled in editing review your work. You need a second set of eyes to provide guidance, correct errors, and ensure the story flows well. Once you have your draft, engaging an expert editor is critical. Editors in Kenya typically charge between US$0.0039 to US$0.023 (Ksh 0.5 to Ksh 3) per page. This is an initial cost, and some may have friends who can assist without charge,” says Bulle.

However, he stresses that it’s important to work with a qualified editor who understands the craft. The other significant cost is book design, which includes the layout. While there are AI technologies available for design, it is generally not expensive. The printing cost can be higher because of economies of scale; printing larger quantities generally reduces the cost per unit. Depending on the book’s size, it might cost between US$1.94(Ksh.250) to US$3.10 (Ksh 400) per copy.

“I believe that in the coming years, printing will continue to become cheaper, and the quality of paper and printing will significantly improve. Many changes are taking place in this industry, and we take pride in our contributions to this progress,” Bulle says.

As Nuria Store aims to place more African books on the global stage, it seeks to foster a strong reading culture in Kenya and other African countries, ensuring that local authors receive a return on their investments in self-publishing.

“Our goal is to help more authors, sell more stories, encourage more Kenyans to write books, and inspire more readers to engage with literature. While readership is increasing year by year, the numbers are still not sufficient,” said Bulle.

Currently, Nuria Store has a monthly readership of over 5,000.

“For a country of 50 million, achieving a monthly readership of 50,000 or 100,000 would make a significant difference in the lives of authors, as well as motivate us to write more.”

Nuria has partnered with major publishers like Oxford to distribute their books and is also distributing works from other publishers under a distributorship arrangement, including Spotlight, Moran, Mountain View, and Queenex.

“We assist many publishers in selling general books because our strength lies in that area, rather than academic books. We are exploring how we can breathe life into the titles they offer,” says Bulle.

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