I made this presentation at the Digital Camp on 7 November in Naivasha, Kenya. The camp was organised by Bloggers Association of Kenya, and in attendance were content creators.

1. Publishing in
Kenya
Using social
media to build a
brand / sell books
Masterclass by Kinyanjui Kombani
A.K.A ‘The banker who writes’

2. About Kinyanjui Kombani
Learning Facilitator, East Africa,
Standard Chartered Bank
'The Banker who Writes'
Director (Strategy),
Old Gold Solutions Ltd.
*Winner, Enablis Launchpad 2010

3. ‘The Banker who writes’
Study text at
Daystar University
Study text at
Daystar University
1st
print run sold
out in Day 1 after a
social media
campaign
1st
print run sold
out in Day 1 after a
social media
campaign
Recommended for teaching in schools by
KICD (Kenya Institute of Curriculum
Development
Recommended for teaching in schools by
KICD (Kenya Institute of Curriculum
Development
Sold in Uganda onlySold in Uganda only
Sold in Rwanda onlySold in Rwanda only
Study text at 4
Kenyan & 1
German
University
Mentioned in
PostGraduate
work at Harvard
& Uni. Of
Sussex, UK
Study text at 4
Kenyan & 1
German
University
Mentioned in
PostGraduate
work at Harvard
& Uni. Of
Sussex, UK

4. The publishing environment in KE
Traditional Publishing
Use a traditional publisher
who takes care of the
publishing process: Editing,
typesetting, design, printing,
storage, distribution,
marketing etc
You take care of the
entire/part of the publishing
process: Editing,
typesetting, design, printing,
storage, distribution,
marketing etc
Self Publishing

5. The publishing environment in KE
Traditional Publishing Self Publishing
- The publisher takes care of the risk (the risk
of not selling a single book is a reality)
- The publisher has the experience, resources
& network to manage the process
- You can let the experts deal with the book as
you do your core business : Writing
Pros
- You can take advantage of your own
networks to guarantee sales.
- You are in charge of the entire
process, so the publishing is done at
your own pace
- You take 100% of the income!
Pros
- You are at the mercy of the publisher’s
calendar, resources and priorities
- Some publishers are not very straightforward
and may understate sales
- Some publishers are not very strong in
marketing books / have too many authors
- The royalties you get are much lower than you
expect
Cons
- It’s a heavy risk, and can lead to heavy
losses/dead stock if you cannot clear
the books you’ve printed
- Publishing requires skills in sales,
negotiation, design etc which can lead
to failure if not perfected
- Quality may be compromised (typos
and poor printing work)
Cons

6. The publishing environment in KE
Emerging trends in Publishing
You can liaise with
publishers to co-
publish/share costs and
revenue
(‘smaller’ publishers are
more flexible)
Online publishing
Useful links:
1.www.alexandernderitu.com
2.http://www.masterpublishing.co.ke

7. Using to build a brand/
sell books

8. Disclaimer:
I do not claim to be a social media expert. Like
many other writers, I am still learning 
In the next slides I only try to share my lessons
learnt. Feel free to engage me on
kinyanjui@kinyanjuikombani.com

9. Why do
writers need to
have a social
media
presence?

10. Leverage on your network
The many social media
platforms available give you a
head start when spreading the
word about your work.
Why do writers need to have a social media presence?
Social media helps you to:
Be Where your readers are
With billions on social media
networks, if you do not have a
presence there ‘you do not
exist.’
Grow your brand
Social media gives you a
relatively cost effective* way
of making your brand and
work known to the rest of the
world.
Note: Not free

11. How do we go
about it?

12. Approach
Source:
https://www.newbrandanalytics.com/blog/2013/11/how-to-create-a-social-media-strategy/
What are your followers
saying?
What do you want to
say/do/achieve?
How will you know
you are succeeding?
Where will you get more
value?
Talk with, not
to, your
audience
Best times to post, etc

13. Prioritise
With scores of platforms
available, you have to identify
what works for you. You may
not afford to be everywhere
(I am still trying to figure out Instagram and I feel like a
socialite – my last post had a whopping 18 likes  )
I get 90% of my sales and engagement from Twitter and
Facebook, so I dedicate my efforts there.
Not 100% utilising the benefits of LinkedIn. Work in
Progress
Good for presentations. I haven't seen this translating to
sales. But it has potential

14. Your online brand
Create a consistent online presence that reflects your writer brand:
Good quality
photo for
avatar
Cover page that promotes you/your work
(resist the temptation to use your (low
resolution photo of yourself chasing
chickens at home)

15. Your online brand
Your bio
should be
succinct and
relevant.
Create a consistent online presence that reflects your writer brand:

16. How I do it
Product
placement?
Cover page
Because I write about social issues, I find
this photo to be a good representation of
society.
I sometimes change this when I have an
event. I rarely put family photos here no
matter the temptation, even if it is Day 1 of
school.
Bio that talks
about things
I am
passionate
about

17. Metrics I look at
How am I benchmarked against
others in the industry?
Am I doing the right thing?
Attracting the right
connections?
This is by no means exhaustive. There are many other metrics that social media platforms give:
locations, demographics, devices used to access your content etc

18. Let your readers do the talking for you
Do not blow your own trumpet. If your work is good enough, your readers
will talk about it….
Twitter posts + Review on her blog
that attracted other reviews
Twitter + Facebook posts + an
interview on national TV and Radio

19. Let your readers do the talking for you
Some of them will be influencers….
420K followers
560K followers
Industry experts
with CLOUT
The days after these
tweets, the book sold
out at bookshops

20. What is the
impact of
social media
on my book
sales?

21. ‘Den of Inequities’ has sold 3 times
more books in one year than ‘The Last
Villains of Molo’ has sold in 7 years’
By the time ‘Den of Inequities’ was
launched, we had sold over 1,000
copies via Pre-orders on twitter (what
LVoM sold in 3 yrs)
‘Den’ is arguably one of the most
reviewed books in 2014, featuring in
major dailies and no less than 10
blogs.
Launched via a Christmas campaign on Facebook,
‘Lost But Found’ sold out before it was released.
Impact of social media on book sales

22. Other things I have learnt
Promote work by other
authors as well.
They will also become
your ambassadors.
Plus you are helping
improve the reading
culture
See, sale done!
(Now Ken Walibora
owes me  )

23. Other things I have learnt
80/20 rule
Talk about other people’s
work 80% of the time
Talk to stakeholders
Get involved in literary
events
Go to bookshops and
engage sales people
(The shop attendant is
your biggest
ambassador. You can’t
believe how many people
walk to a bookshop and
simply ask for a ‘good
Kenyan book’

24. Other things I have learnt
Social media
engagement is only
one aspect.
You have to be ready
to direct readers to
where they can get
your books. If they
cannot go to a
bookshop, find ways to
deliver.
Most readers don’t
mind paying extra for
postage

25. Kinyanjui Kombani
www.kinyanjuikombani.com
kinyanjui@kinyanjuikombani.com
kombanithewriter
https://ke.linkedin.com/in/kombani
@kkombani @kkombani (I hope..)
http://www.slideshare.net/Kombani