Renowned author and self publisher Malkiat Singh earned the right to a prime spot in Kenya’s history books; he literally wrote his way there, one book at a time.
The mention of Singh’s name elicits emotions for generations of Kenyans, including nostalgia about the good old school days and gratitude for how his books helped shape formative years.
However, Singh, who has written more than 100 books in 30 years, lived a quiet life, preferring to dodge the spotlight that normally tags onto prolific writers.
His claim to fame includes 24 books endorsed by Kenya’s government for use in primary schools – the most celebrated being the “Improve Your” series.
The 75-year-old’s pseudo-anonymous character was momentarily shelved last week when he stood on a podium in a Nairobi hotel and, in a carefully-worded, emotional speech, said, “Today, I confirm the handing over of 41 titles of ‘Improve’ to Longhorn Publishers.” AFKInsider was there.
“I hand over to Longhorn 41 nuggets of wisdom; wisdom is like a baobab tree, no one individually can embrace it,” Singh said.
He relinquished rights to 43 books to Nairobi-based Longhorn Publishers which will pay him 12 percent in royalties on books sales.
Longhorn expects to earn approximately $2.3 million annually from the series – more than 20 percent of sales.
The company intends to market the books in Kenya as well as the regional markets of Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Malawi, South Sudan, Tanzania and Ghana.
AFKInsider caught up with Singh and asked him about publishing in Kenya and whether the business strategy he adopted can be replicated elsewhere in Africa.
Singh: I started publishing school books in the 70s and my first book was titled “English Language Practice for Schools.” I did not think that so many years down the line, it would be a full time job. Since then, through hard work and perseverance, I have served the Kenyan learners with dedication, producing numerous books, especially at the primary school level, which have contributed a lot towards the growth of the education sector and excellent academic performance by a majority of the learners.
I did this to make revision of the syllabus easy for the learner while at the same time availing in great detail and clarity aspects of any content area that every learner needed to be acquainted with before sitting for their exams.
I had and still have a passion to see the Kenyan learner excel.
Singh: The African market is ready for publishers – it already has been. However, I’m not so sure about self publishing. If you look at the picture of self publishing versus major publishers, self publishing has no chance to succeed in today’s cut-throat competition.
Self-publishing is an extremely expensive venture. One must choose a publishing option wisely and be aware that the returns are not immediate.
Singh: While my products have all been in great demand, the scope of their marketing has been limited. It is with this realization that after careful thought and consideration, I decided to make my “Improve Your” Series more accessible to the Kenyan learners, and where possible, to the learners in the Eastern Africa region.
Singh: Luck plays its part, of course, but you have to be to hard working to establish your name and to keep it in circulation. My faith has been the secret strength that has carried me through so much in life.
Singh: School books are written in strict conformity with the laid-down syllabus. Nowadays, one has to infuse such emerging issues as environmental and civic education and gender issues. All this is easier said than done.
To write, you must read, and read everything and anything that will advance your understanding in the areas of your interest.
I’m not too sure whether I have been just lucky or hard working or both, but I feel I have contributed to the enhancement of pupils’ knowledge through my books, going by the responses I have been receiving from my published work.
Singh: I chose Longhorn Publishers for these products because of its sustained business efficiency; its firm focus on customer satisfaction, its commitment to continuous quality management and its vision to consolidate its presence in Africa. The firm has continued to produce top-notch and wholesome reading materials that have helped in producing highly effective individuals in the marketplace. Huge firms such as Longhorn have the means to market the books aggressively.
Singh: I’m no more a publisher, which means I am no longer engaged in publishing books. However, I just finished developing a book on English idioms. I did not see such a book on the bookshelves and that is why I decided to write one. I planned it to be one book but it is up to Longhorn to decide what to do with it, whether to stick to one book or split it into two. Chances are that the book will be in the market early next year.
Singh: It was a very emotional experience for me since this is the life I have know for many years. Getting older affects me and my body needs more rest that normal and it was increasingly becoming difficult to keep up the one-man publishing show.
But I feel I have run a very competitive marathon and I have run it well.
Singh: I have two daughters who are living and working in England and one of them is my co-worker. She is a secondary school teacher in London teaching mathematics. The other daughter is a science student and is working in a hospital but is also a part-time TV presenter on Sony TV talking about health issues. I think they are quite settled in what they are doing right now.
