CURRENT TRENDS IN THE BOOK PUBLISHING INDUSTRY IN CAMEROON

Abstract

Books are concrete manifestations of human memory and they play central role in shaping society but despite this wide strength, current publishing trends in Cameroon are not extensively documented as well as Cameroon’s growing digital landscape based on global trends. Reason why this study delves into this research work “Current Trends in Book Publishing in Cameroon” and has as its main objective to examine book publishing as a vital component of the creative-culture industry in Cameroon. A framework was developed to illustrate the connections between influential factors. Sociological theories employed was Cultural Industry Theory by Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer. A combination of survey and ethnographic approaches were used in this study, utilizing questionnaires and interviews to collect data. The research has as its main objective to examine and analyze the current trends of book publishing industry. A triangulation approach was used to analyze the data, cross-verifying results through multiple methods thematically using descriptive statistics and statistical tools for presentation of the findings. The area of investigation included Buea, Bamenda and Yaoundé. The study focused on key stakeholders in the publishing industry, including; writers, illustrators, publishers, literary critics, literary agents, printers, book distributors, book sellers, librarians, consumers, state authorities and agencies concerned with books in Cameroon. Findings reveal that there is increasing knowledge on e-Books, growing market for book consumption, increasing government actions, an upgrade in quality and quantity of books produced as well as increasing number of authors. Insights also show that the book industry produces different genres of (creative works); pedagogic literatures, motivational books, religious books, children’s literature and romance books. Motivational books are the most produced followed by fictional literature. Although printed books on their part dominate the quantity of books produced in Cameroon there are attempts to publish electronic books and audio forms. Conclusively, despite the enormous challenges as not enough has been done in developing local knowledge given that knowledge is power, the future of book publishing in Cameroon however looks promising with opportunities for growth, innovation, and increased accessibility. As recommendation, the book industry constitutes an ideological fight for knowledge thus this study is encouraging Africans in general and Cameroonians particularly to engage in making the book industry a reflection of Cameroonian ideas and identity.