Why new publishers need to spread their bets and tread carefully

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In the long run, a healthy publishing industry is one that serves both the classroom and the bookshop, both the examination candidate and the leisure reader. [iStockphoto]

One of the most beautiful things about a curriculum change is not just that it aligns learning with the emerging realities of a new world. A curriculum change is also an opportunity for publishers to reposition themselves in the market by tapping into the school curriculum market.

For publishers, especially in East Africa, governments remain the single biggest customer, whether directly or indirectly. I know big publishers that have made major turnarounds – or burned their fingers – courtesy of curriculum changes.

Besides earning profits for publishers whose books are selected as curriculum support materials or set books, a curriculum review sees new authors emerging, as editors commission scripts for submission and review as possible textbooks or set books. Needless to say, those whose books end up being bought and distributed to schools by the government end up smiling all the way to the bank.