Although there might be an impressive catalogue of Caribbean literature, much of it is not available electronically. We discuss some reasons why. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\nFor those of us who love to read, electronic (e-)books have been a godsend. While we may miss the tactile experience of handling a printed book, or the pride of owning stacks of books, or even sharing a well-loved read with others, the convenience, availability and access to e-books, especially in the Caribbean, are compelling benefits for the latter.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, in a <\/span>recent article in the Barbados Today newspaper<\/span><\/a>, local and regional publishers were accused of hindering the growth of e-books and e-textbooks in the region. According to the Project Director of the Caribbean Shared Educational Resources Service, Beverly Smith-Hinkson, <\/span><\/p>\n

…there are approximately 2,000 e-books available on the online portal and accessible in over 25 Caribbean countries, but only five per cent of that content were the work of local and regional authors…<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

…I go to Caribbean publishers and I say, \u2018may I have your books\u2019 and they say,\u2018but we don\u2019t have them as digital books as yet\u2019. They may have 300 books but [only] eight digitized, [for example]. And they are in fact holding up this revolution within schools to get textbooks…<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

(Source: <\/span>Barbados Today<\/span><\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The limited number of e-books and e-textbooks by Caribbean authors and publishers is especially worrying, as many classic Caribbean books and novels – which should be on every must-read list \u2013 have been out of print for years, and may be lost to upcoming generations of readers. A saving grace for Caribbean novels is that a few of them make the reading list in secondary schools across the region; but fewer still are mandatory reading for students preparing to sit the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examination in English Literature.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the overwhelming reasons why the back catalogue of Caribbean books has not been converted to e-books, and remain unavailable, is the cost involved, especially if there is no digital copy. Under those circumstances, a hard copy of the book would need to be scanned page by page and thereafter digitised, proof-read, and re-formatted for digital reading. Further, and if we are being honest, the market for Caribbean books and novels, outside of those those selected by secondary schools across the region, is relatively small. Hence even for e-books, publishers are unlikely to re-coup the cost of conversion, distribution and promotion.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is also important to note that when a book goes out of print, typically, the rights revert back to the author, or the author\u2019s estate. It therefore means that the author, or the managers of an author\u2019s estate, would need to still have a copy of the manuscript or the book, and would also need to be the ones to drive the effort to get those books republished in a digital format. However, many of those individuals may not have the wherewithal, nor the resources, to make their out of print books available and accessible to the current crop of readers.<\/span><\/p>\n

On another note, the current trend in electronic publishing is towards self publishing, which includes authors not only directly managing publication of their books, but also their books\u2019 promotion, distribution and sales. Consequently, traditional publishing houses are no longer the sole gatekeepers of what gets printed and into the public\u2019s hands. However, there is still considerable prestige and validation associated with getting a publishing house to print one\u2019s book. Further, many authors do not have the knowledge or resources to successfully publish and promote their book, and so rely on publishing houses for that expertise.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, it must be questioned whether Caribbean publishers have the channels, contacts, know how to properly leverage the digital space. Unlike with printed books, where they can be placed in niche, brick and mortar bookstores and the shops themselves may promote some of the books, in the digital space, a greater emphasis has to be on promotion. Promotion not only requires money, but also considerable marketing expertise, which is critical to help the public find specific books among all those available.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Image credit: \u00a0Sharon Drummond<\/a>\u00a0(flickr)<\/em><\/p>\n

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