Aimé Badjam
The book, before arriving in the hands of the reader, traverses a long process. This is called the book chain. This chain includes a series of actors and stages, each playing a crucial role in the birth, production, distribution, and valorisation of a work. It is essential that authors, publishers, librarians, readers, and literature enthusiasts understand this mechanism so as to optimise each link in the chain. The following analysis is contextualised in the Chadian reality, where the book chain is still to be developed.
1. The author: the starting point in the chain
Everything starts with the author – the person who writes the text. It might be a novel, an essay, a collection of poems, a manual, or a dictionary. The author is both the creator of content and the bearer of meaning. In Chad, many authors publish at their own expense, because of a lack of structured publishers.
2. The publisher: selection, preparation, support
The publisher plays a fundamental role: selection and reviewing of manuscripts, editing, typesetting, managing printing. In Chad this function is often provided by modest sized publishing houses, or occasionally by the author himself.
3. The printer: the maker of the book
The printer transforms the manuscript into a physical book. In Chad, the quality of printing is a challenge, and many serious authors are critical of the quality offered by local printers. They prefer to print abroad (in Cameroon on Benin) for a better outcome at a competitive cost.
4. The marketeer and the distributor: book logistics
The marketeer is responsible for book promotion up to the point of sale; the distributor manages the logistics. These functions are not formalised in Chad. Some writers disseminate their own books through social networks, book fairs and literary events.
5. The bookshop: point of contact with the reader
The number of bookshops is still very low in Chad, notably outside of N’Djamena. The only bookshop conforming to international norms remains ‘La librairie la source’. Most are referred to as bookshops of the street because they survive thanks to piracy. This limits access to the book. Solutions are emerging: community libraries, mobile sales points (such as the case of the Chadian Agency for the Promotion of Writers), and digital libraries on WhatsApp and Facebook.
6. The reader: the end and the start of the chain
The reader is both the destination and the motor of the chain. Now, reading levels are low in Chad, because of illiteracy, the high cost of books, and the lack of national policies that support reading. Sensitisation campaigns and the creation of literary events are essential to develop the readership.
7. The new digital chain
Online platforms like Amazon KDP, YouScribe and Facebook are offering new outlets. Some Chadian authors are using these tools to publish online, reach the diaspora, and create reading communities. However, weak digital infrastructure is a large-scale impediment.
The book chain in Chad is being constructed. It faces structural, economic and cultural challenges. But it also offers wonderful opportunities for creators, publishers and cultural actors. To reinforce each link in this chain is to contribute to making the book a true lever of development, education and emancipation.
Translated from French by Stephanie Kitchen
A French version of this article is available here: La chaîne du livre : comprendre les étapes de la création à la lecture au Tchad