In Senegal, the second edition of the International Children's Book Fair was held in mid-November. Publishers from Senegal and all over Africa came to present their works to an audience of families and schools in Dakar. The sector is in full development, but the question arises of production costs for small structures that are starting out.
From our correspondent in Dakar,
Giving children a love of reading is one of the objectives of the Children's Book Fair. The tastes of little Dakar residents that day are varied. “ I like comics, stories from Dakar ! »
Alpha Diallo, from the Senegalese publishing house Les Classiques de la Teranga, has been observing the market for several decades. “ We have a lot of publishers, especially people who have recently arrived in the publishing industry and who publish mainly in the children's niche. These are the tales where we talk about African stories that sell best. »
Expensive printing in France
Arielle Anchandie and her cousin Wilfrida understood this well. All smiles in front of their stand, these two passionate Gabonese students have been self-publishing beautiful youth albums of African legends for two years. A family project. “ My grandmother writes, my famous aunt and I do sales », explains Arielle, who has her Books printed in Francebecause she did not find the printing quality she was looking for in Libreville.
Transport represents a very significant cost: 150,000 CFA francs to bring thirty books, and this is reflected in the price of the albums, which she sells for 15,000 CFA francs each. “ Our prices are the most expensive because we are self-publishing. We don't have the opulence of having partners, of having printing directly in publishing, etc… “. Arielle and Wilfrida managed to place their four books in bookstores in Libreville. The show allows them to make contacts with new partners on the continent.
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School clientele is not enough
For other housesedition like Les Classiques de la Teranga, the majority of customers remain schools. “ Many schools have libraries, underlines Alpha Diallo. Schools, where children have an hour or two of library time per week, really buy a lot. »
Children's books need broader support, believes the organizer of the fair, of which this is the second edition, in the heart of the Senegalese capital. “ The market must also be supplied, supported by the State of Senegalby African States, byAfrican Unionargues Alassane Cissé, who also runs the house Baobab éditions, so that there are more children's and children's books. So that children and young people can cultivate themselves and travel through the book. »
A fund ofhelp to the publishing sector exists in Senegal, which allows certain large publishing houses to offer affordable prices, starting at 1,500 CFA francs per book.
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