“Worldreader, the non-profit that distributes e-readers to developing countries to improve literacy, has struck a deal with Amazon and African publishers. They are digitizing and offering African analog books for sale as e-books.
The first of thousands of books by African writers and from African publishers are available now at the Amazon Kindle store. The prices for all books are under $5.00 US. The profits will be split between Worldreader’s program to provide e-readers to students in Ghana and the publishers themselves, who now have a worldwide market.
One of the questions facing the non-profit, which was started by a former Amazon executive, was how the distribution of Western-made e-readers would help the local and regional economies where they were used.
Encouraging the viability of the African publishing trade is not solely an ethical stance, but an economic one. If African publishers, like Ghana-based EPP, Sam Woode, and Woeli, can thrive, readers will have more to read, which will increase demand. Conversely, if African youth become voracious readers, African publishers will be insured a market. . . “Read the rest at 365Online.
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This is welcome news. A great development.