UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER
About African Books Collective Ltd.
About AFRICAN BOOKS COLLECTIVE LTD.
Background
ABC is a unique organization. It is not a conventional commercial distributor. It was founded in
1989 by 17 African publishers who est ablished and own the company. They were responding to
the perceived gap in the book chain: on the one hand the lack of effective distribution networks, the
inability of individual publishers to afford overseas promotion, and the lack of access to foreign e
xchange from overseas sales; and on the other, the difficulties of librarians and other book buyers
in the North acquiring African publications, even when they knew of their existence.
The publishers established ABC's offices and warehouse in the UK as th eir exclusive overseas
distributor; and the location of the operation reflects the fact that the markets we are accessing are
the English-language markets in the UK, Europe, the US and elsewhere. Further publishers have
joined since the start of trading in 1990, and the total membership is now 50 publishers from 14
sub-Saharan countries. ABC distributes the English-language titles at this time of its member
publishers only, and we currently stock some 1,700 titles - academic and scholarly monographs,
refere nce works, African literature including criticism, children's books and other multicultural
materials, and some general interest items. Stocks are sent by the publishers to the UK warehouse
on consignment terms and remain the property of the publishers unt il sold.
ABC itself is non-profit making. Twice-yearly, an average of 60% of net proceeds of sales are
remitted to member publishers in hard currency, that is in UK Pound sterling and
US dollars. Founder member publishers receive 64_%, and other members betw een 50% and
60% depending on the category of membership. The remaining approx. one-third of net sales
income is retained by ABC as a contribution towards its overheads. This obviously leaves a gap
between ABC's self-generated income, and expenditures, and this is met by donor funding. The
greatest proportion of such funding is applied to promotional expenditures. Thus the structure of
ABC - as indeed was the object of the founder publishers - ensures that the benefit of hard
currency sales is enjoyed by the publishers, helping them to survive and grow in what we all
recognise are hard times for the African book industries. Customers who buy from ABC are
directly benefitting African publishers. ABC has now exceeded one million US dollars turnover
since the st art of trading.
ABC also has a wider remit to promote the interests of African publishers, and to communicate
African culture, heritage, and scholarship, to promote intercultural understanding. This wider work
covers dissemination, facilitation and outre ach activities, resource materials, research, publishing
management advice, and liaison and collaboration with other relevant organizations.
African Books Collective Ltd.
The Jam Factory, 27 Park End Street, Oxford OX1 1HU, UK.
Telephone: +44-(0)1865-726686
Fax: +44-(0)1865-793298 or +44-(0)1993-709265,
E-mail: abc@dial.pipex.com
Academy Science Publishers, Kenya Afram Publications, Ghana Africa Christian Press Africa Community Publishing & Development Trust, Zimbabwe Baobab Books, Zimbabwe Bookcraft Ltd, Nigeria Buchu Books, South Africa Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA),
Senegal Dar es Salaam University Press, Tanzania East African Educational Publishers Ltd, Kenya Editions de l'Océan Indien, Mauritius Environmental Development Action in the Third World (ENDA), Senegal Foundation for Education with Production, Botswana Fountain Publishers, Uganda Fourth Dimension Publishing Co.Ltd,Nigeria Freedom Publications, Ghana Ghana Publishing Corporation, Ghana Ghana and African Council for Communication Education, Kenya Ghana Universities Press, Ghana Heinemann Educational Books (Nigeria) plc, Nigeria Ibadan University Press, Nigeria Institute of Southern African Studies, Lesotho Malthouse Press Ltd, Nigeria Mkuki na Nyota Publishers, Tanzania Multimedia Zambia, Zambia Nairobi University Press, Kenya New Horn Press Ltd, Nigeria New Namibia Books (Pty) Ltd, Namibia Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Nigeria Obafemi Awolowo University Press, Nigeria Sankofa Educational Publishers,Ghana Sankore Publishers, Nigeria Saros International Publishers, Nigeria Skotaville Publishers, South Africa Southern Africa Printing and Publishing House/SAPES Trust, Zimbabwe Southern African Research and Documentation Centre (SARDC), Zimbabwe Spectrum Books Ltd, Nigeria Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology, Tanzania Tanzania Publishing House, Tanzania University of Lagos Press, Nigeria University of Nigeria Press, Nigeria University of Maiduguri Press, Nigeria University of Port Harcourt Press,Nigeria University of Zimbabwe Publications, Zimbabwe University Press plc, Nigeria Woeli Publishing Services, Ghana Zimbabwe Book Publishers Association, Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Publishing House, Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Women Writers, Zimbabwe