"Although the retail book trade in Africa face problems and obstacles of equal magnitude as their publishing colleagues, bookselling in Africa has perhaps received less attention and support than the more “glamorous” area of publishing, but as is rightly pointed out in the foreword of this guide ... , booksellers have an important role to play in book development in Africa, and they have the capacity to nurture a culture of reading within the local community. This excellent guide is edited by two highly experienced African booksellers, and it also contains contributions by several successful booksellers from around the continent. Attractively designed and laid out in landscape format, the guide aims to assist both novice booksellers as well those with established businesses. Two introductory chapters set out bookselling in an African context and the role of the bookseller in the book chain, followed by seven themed chapters. These cover the establishment of a bookshop (and examining what opportunities exist for those new to the book trade), business planning and management, training staff, dealing with customers, and maintaining and expanding a bookselling business. They are supported by a number of case studies presenting real-life examples of successes, or failures. A final chapter deals with non-traditional methods of selling books, such as mobile bookselling, book clubs, street vendors, market book stalls, as well as online bookselling. Each chapter contains a wealth of practical, hard-nosed advice, not only on the day-to-day management of a bookshop, but also on all the finer aspects of running a successful retail operation. Additionally, the book includes a number of model guidelines and forms, and other documentation that provide examples of good practice, and good housekeeping. A series of appendices include resources for booksellers, listings of book trade organizations, associations, journals, and useful Web sites." (Hans M. Zell, Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 2008, nr. 2482) more

"Produced in landscape format and attractively designed, this is a valuable practical marketing manual that aims to assist small publishers to make sense of the publishing world, particularly NGOs with publishing activities, but where publishing is not the core function. The manual will guide them t ... hrough the principles and processes of effective marketing, and linking the capabilities of a publishing company to the needs of the customer. The author was formerly Marketing and Managing Director of David Philip Publishers in Cape Town, and is well known for a series of successful marketing workshops she has conducted during each year’s Zimbabwe International Book Fair. Those that are struggling with their marketing will find a wealth of practical, hard-nosed advice in this guide, which covers these topics: (1) Defining your Market, (2) What is Marketing? (3) The Marketing Plan, (4) Sales and Selling, (5) Distribution, Co-operative Publishing and Rights, (6) Publishing, Marketing and Finance, (7) Development Agencies, Donors and Commercial Publishers, and (8) Strategic Planning. Interspersed with the text are a number of practical exercises, and there are also reproductions of flyers and other publicity material as illustrative examples of good practice." (Hans M. Zell, Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 2008, nr. 2458) more