Paper short abstract:

African Books Collective is an African owned distribution outlet for over 3,000 titles from Africa. By considering issues of decolonisation in relation to their acquisitions libraries can provide an increased readership for books published in Africa and further balance academic exchanges.

Paper long abstract:

African Books Collective (ABC) is an African owned, worldwide marketing and distribution outlet for over 3,000 titles from Africa. Founded, owned and governed by a group of African publishers, its participants are independent African publishers who share a common ethos of publishing from within African cultures, asserting Africa’s voice within Africa and internationally. Through ABC African publishers have new and efficient methods which creates easier access to their books and they have globalised their offerings, which no longer need to be ‘hunted down’ and ordered ‘specially’. The ball is also in the court of scholars to use and cite content produced on the African continent more; additionally librarians can highlight the availability of such content to their communities, and prioritise its purpose in the same way as they do with knowledge produced in the North. It seems there is no shortage of content being produced by new and established publishers. ABC’s lack of practical and financial barriers to market has resulted in new title numbers double that of its funded era and has opened up bookselling markets to a more diverse range of publishers and book producing organisations.