Reading Kenya: Sinners
By Sarah Haluwa, not Ryan Coogler.
I worked with Sarah Haluwa for the first time editing her children’s books in 2019, one of which won the 2021 Jomo Kenyatta Literary Prize for children’s books in English. Then in 2023, she was ready to publish a book for adults. And when I say adults, I mean it. This book is about grown women doing grown women things in ways society secretly understands but publicly denounces.
Since I started this little hobby, I have wanted to know what her journey with the book Sinners has been like since it left my hands and went out into the world. I loved working on these stories; as the irreverent often is, they are truly such fun. I wanted to know whether reading Kenyans enjoyed it as much as I did, and so I asked her to share with the class.
Below, she so graciously does.
It’s been about a year and a half since your book Sinners came out. What has the experience been like overall?
It’s honestly been such a ride. When Sinners first came I wasn’t quite sure how people would receive it, especially given the running theme (sex) and the pretentious society we live in where people would prefer to keep such topics hush-hush.
But the response blew me away. The kind of feedback I’ve been receiving has been incredible. Women are out here telling me how much they relate to some of the characters and stories in the book, and men are admitting they’ve had some serious eye-openers about things they might be doing wrong in bed. It’s been such a beautiful and humbling experience seeing the book come alive in book club discussions and on social media. I’m honestly loving it!
What was the easiest part of the publishing process and what was the most difficult?
You might think the most difficult part would be writing and editing the damn book. Wrong! That’s actually the easiest part. To be honest, everything up to printing is a breeze if you have the money. But what comes after that is not for the faint-hearted.
Marketing and trying to get your book into well-known bookstores will have you pulling your hair out. Friends will disappoint you and the very people who once told you, “Wow, you should write a book!” suddenly stop returning your calls when the time comes.
There were moments in the first month when I genuinely considered burning my entire pile of books and moving on with my life. But somehow in the end, things started to fall into place.
Once the book is a physical thing in your hands, the hurdles of marketing, sales, and distribution come front and centre. How did you go about this? What strategies and channels did you use and how effective have they been for you?
As an introvert, marketing was a nightmare but I started with what I had—social media. I posted snippets of the book, reader feedback, anything I could to build curiosity. But here’s the thing: you can’t just post once and relax. Marketing your book in Kenya is a full-time job. You have to be hungry and go hard at it. Attend literary festivals, join book clubs, show up at other authors' events—basically, make sure your name is out there.
Second, I reached out to Nuria Bookstore, who were incredibly supportive. Nuria doesn’t ask questions—if you’re an author and you have a book, their doors are open. Over time, other bookstores started reaching out to me, asking to stock Sinners, which helped ease the load.
Newspaper reviews also go a long way in building credibility.
But I think my real breakthrough came when Text Book Centre finally accepted my submission after a few months of back and forth. It brought a whole new demographic on my doorstep. With that kind of visibility, I can finally exhale a little and not carry the full weight of marketing on my own shoulders. I have even been able to take a social media break from January and I still register good sales.
You are going to publish your next book soon. What do you think you will do differently this time? What will you do the same?
This time around, I think I might finally surrender and hire someone to handle the marketing part of it. I’ve realized I suck at it. I want to focus more on the creative side while someone else handles the constant social media posting. I’ve seen a couple of tech-savvy Gen Zs creating really catchy book content on TikTok and other video platforms and I think I might get myself one of those.
What I’ll definitely do the same is stick with the team I worked with for Sinners 1. My editor, cover designer, and printer. We had great chemistry, they respected my vision, and they delivered.
(See that, authors who might potentially work with me? Great chemistry! Respected her vision! Delivered!)
What are the biggest lessons you have learnt about the book industry in Kenya from your self-publishing journey?
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learnt is that Kenyans do read. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. You just have to give them something worth reading. A good story will find its way into the right hands.
But here’s the thing, if you want people to take your book seriously, you have to take it seriously first. Invest in it. Hire the best editors and designers you can afford. Get a cover that slaps. Pick a catchy title that makes people stop and say, “Wait, what’s this about?” And finally, talk about your book. Often. Loudly. Shamelessly. (I couldn’t, but you should 😀)
Another thing, when negative reviews come, remember they are just that—opinions. Think of all the times you’ve hated a movie, only to go online and find people gushing over it. Or the times you’ve fallen in love with a song, then scrolled through YouTube comments only to see people calling it shitty. Not everyone will love what you do, and that’s okay. Don’t take it personally. Don’t let it get to you. Take what’s helpful, leave the rest, and keep it moving.
Self-publishing in Kenya is tough, no sugar-coating that. But it’s also doable if you treat your book like a business and not just a hobby.
Respect your craft, readers will too.
You can find Sinners in local bookshops. Soma Nami. Kibanga. Nuria. TBC. And you can find and follow Sarah Haluwa under her name on Facebook.
Other things to read and watch: