I’m a Kenyan and I’m interested in the making of our books.
That’s really it, in a nutshell.
I stumbled into the publishing industry. There was a lot of luck involved. That was seven years ago. The steep learning curve was immensely valuable, and it gifted me a fascination with the book creation process that has only grown the more I’ve discovered its different facets.
Regardless of my work experience, there are many things about the Kenyan publishing industry that I still do not know, many that I do not understand as well as I’d like to. Hence, this.
My career in publishing has been a continuous discovery of all the information I would have liked to have as 16-year-old who knew only that she wanted to write and publish, no more. I didn’t know where to start, didn’t know anyone who did. This newsletter, like so many of my personal projects, is my hand stretched out to that 16-year-old.
In 2021 I wrote an article about the NBO Litfest and how Kenyan literature is doing right now, and I struggled to find well-written reportage about Kenyan publishing and reading. Most of what I found online was sensationalist complaining about how Kenyans don’t read, which… wasn’t great. Perhaps that says more about the research I could do within the timeframe that I had than it does about what good arts journalism Kenyans have actually produced, but it inflated my curiosity about the truth of how we interact with our books.
The one that started it all
In 2021 as I was doing a master’s in children’s literature I was commissioned by the now defunct gal-dem to write an article on the inaugural NBO Litfest, organised by Book Bunk. Researching and writing that artic…
What does the book publishing process in Kenya look like? Who are the different stakeholders within this industry? Where can I submit my novel or poetry collection? What literary awards do we have in Kenya? Why is the publishing process so frustrating, seemingly to everyone involved? Where should I start if I want to read more Kenyan literature? Should I just self-publish? How can I support my child who wants to become a writer?
Hopefully, these are answers I will help you find. My goal is to make Kenyan publishing and the Kenyan book industry in general a bit less mysterious and intimidating. Not just by relying on my own knowledge but by also talking to people who have knowledge to share and situating that knowledge in one place. Different perspectives are important to me, so I’m looking forward to talking to professionals from different parts of this industry, from editors to designers, to printers, to book sellers…anyone who contributes to how books are made in Kenya and how they move through the market. It is my hope that in doing this I will draw to me fellow book-lovers who share this curiosity and who have insights to offer. Community is always a thing to anticipate and welcome.
Every so often I’ll be here, sharing what I went in search of and what I learnt. I expect it will be a surprising ride, and I hope you will come with me. Welcome to The Kenyan Bookmaker.
About Michelle
Michelle Chepchumba Korir is a Kenyan writer and editor based in Nairobi. She holds a BA in Psychology, an MA in Creative Writing (specialising in Children’s and Young Adult Literature), and she trained as a therapist before pivoting to the world of books. She is the author of Tears Make a Daughter (2025), and she served on the editorial team at Storymoja Publishers for two years, at Mystery Publishers for one year, and at Lolwe literary magazine for four years. She was longlisted for the 2021 Kendeka Literature Prize and her work has appeared in When a Stranger Called (2021), I am Listening (2022), Afritondo, AFREADA, African Writer Magazine, Kalahari Review, Brittle Paper, gal-dem, Shenandoah, and elsewhere. She runs The Kenyan Bookmaker Literature Workshop for teens and the Roses and Wine Romance Book Club, which focuses on romance by African authors.
