One of the truly wonderful things about the internet is the way it puts the world’s data at your fingertips and makes research so much easier. But to avoid wasting time and suffering from information overload, you need tools that can help you home in on the most relevant information and expert sources.

While surfing, I’ve come across some very interesting sites – somewhat out of the ordinary – and I thought I should share some of them with you. For research purposes, they could be especially helpful to teachers, secondary/high school students and undergraduates.   

OneLook Dictionary Search -A search engine that provides definitions or translations of words and phrases. It quickly shuttles you to web-based dictionaries. More than 6 million words in more than 979 online dictionaries are indexed by the OneLook® search engine – http://www.onelook.com/

Voycabulary - makes the words on any webpage into links so you can look them up in a dictionary or other word reference-site of your choice, by simply clicking on the words. http://www.voycabulary.com/

National Virtual Translation Centre - provides listings of certified translation associations and translators in the United States. http://www.nvtc.gov/links.html

http://www.lingo24.com/free-language-translation-tools.html

The WWW Virtual Library 

 http://www.vlib.org/

Wikiverse - a list of the official languages of sovereign countries. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_official_languages

Ethnologue: languages of the world – an encyclopaedic reference work cataloguing all of the world’s 6,909 known living languageshttp://www.ethnologue.com/

UK Rivers Network - a guide to some the best websites on global warming. http://www.ukrivers.net/

FAIR.org - a US-based national media watch group offering well-documented criticism of media bias and censorship http://www.fair.org/

Google Earth Download

http://www.earth.google.com/download-earth.html

Smashwords founder, Mark Coker

Publishers Weekly have announced that e-book publisher Smashwords has signed a distribution deal with Shortcovers:  

 

The e-book publisher and distributor Smashwords continues to add new channels, reaching an agreement with Shortcovers for that service to sell Smashwords’ e-books beginning November 18. When the agreement begins, Smashwords will offer about 2,000 e-books for sale through Shortcovers and will quickly add to the number, founder Mark Coker said. (PW) Read more … http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6707044.html

For more info on Smashwords see my post More Empowerment for Writers: http://caribbeanbookblog.wordpress.com/2009/11/12/more-empowerment-for-writers/

Legend of the Swan Children by Maureen Marks—Mendonça, one of the books in the Island Fiction series

Maryse Condé, touted as one of the grand dames of Caribbean literature, is a Guadeloupean, French-language author of highly-acclaimed historical fiction novels. She is best known for her novel Segu (1984-1985).She was once asked about the latest book she had been working on. She replied:

“Currently, I am working on a novel for my granddaughter. She is seventeen and she doesn’t read. I am writing something that will be attractive to her and motivate her into thinking of race and origin. I want something where la forme will attract her. Her generation isn’t interested in books. So I’m hoping to find something that will bring her to the story, a story of someone like her. Caribbean writers are so serious. There’s no joking or irony. I want it to be something comic, but…” http://www.bunchecenter.ucla.edu/diaspora/research_topics/caribbean_literature.htm

That was in 1998.

Assistant Registrar (Syllabus Development) of the Caribbean Examinations Council, Cheryl Stevens

Eleven years later, Condé’s concerns are being echoed by Cheryl Stevens, the Assistant Registrar (Syllabus Development) of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC). In an interview with the Guyana Review she said the regional examinations body had been seeing signs that reading was becoming less popular among Caribbean children.

The CXC officials are not the only ones who are concerned. According to the Guyana Review, the Guyana Ministry of Education “has long conceded that reading has become a diminishing pursuit among school-aged children, and the various reading programmes that have been implemented in some schools across the country do not appear to have remedied the problem.”

It is a concern that is being echoed throughout the Caribbean as schools, education officials, parents and many others grapple with the problem and try to figure out how to deal with it.  

To try and encourage the kids to read more, the CXC has been providing teachers with suggested reading lists for secondary school students and the lists have been appended to the English syllabus, said Assistant Registrar, Cheryl Stevens.  

“The CXC as an examination board can only go so far. We can assist by making suggestions but at the end of the day it really depends on what teachers and parents do as far as exposure and encouragement are concerned … Our suggestions with regard to what is available cover novels, plays and poetry.”

Macmillan is one of the leading publishers of school text books for the Caribbean. It’s a position they’ve enjoyed for over 40 years. During that time they created the Macmillan Caribbean imprint and have published books for and about the Caribbean in all subjects and at all levels, from infant to tertiary education. They also have a Caribbean Writers Series imprint similar to one created by Heinemann and Longman. It features poetry, fiction and a wide range of general interest titles by Caribbean authors. Macmillan’s longstanding foothold in the Caribbean’s educational system means they are well placed to gauge the attitudes of the region’s young people towards reading.

Joanne Johnson and her son

In 2006 they began activating plans to launch a brand-new fiction series aimed at boys and girls aged 12 – 15. In their search for an acquisitions editor, they approached Joanne Gail Johnson, an acclaimed writer of children’s books based in Trinidad, and the founding regional advisor for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators-Caribbean South (SCBWI). They called the new imprint Island Fiction. From the outset, Macmillan Caribbean was optimistic about the series. “The Island Fiction books are guaranteed to get teenagers reading and eager for more,” they declared on the series’ website. A tall order given the concerns expressed in all quarters of the region.

Even more intriguing was their chosen genre for the series. They wanted novellas and the books had to be “dynamic” and “fast-paced” and based around fantasy/science-fiction themes and the legends and folklore of the Caribbean.

In a post on her SCBWI website www.caribbeanchildren.com Joanne Gail Johnson reiterated what sort of stories she was looking for; they had to be of the “futuristic/legend/sci-fi /fantasy” genre or any combination of the four, and have strong Caribbean themes and broad universal appeal – somewhat along the lines of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series.  

“I know when I say “a Caribbean Harry Potter”, just about everyone, everywhere knows what I’m talking about. Since I am accepting submissions from authors and aspiring authors anywhere in the world, it is a useful association,” she explained.  

By December 2008 she was ready to launch the first releases. Ten months and one season later, Island Fiction has launched 6 new titles: The Legend of the Swan Children by Maureen Marks-Mendonca (Guyana), The Chalice Project by Lisa Allen-Agostini (Trinidad), Escape from Silk Cotton Forest by Francis C. Escayg (Trinidad), Night of the Indigo by Michael Holgate (Jamaica), and Delroy in the Marog Kingdom by Billy Elm (Jamaica) and Time Swimmer by Gerald Haussman.

 Five of the 6 writers are first-time authors. They’ve pulled out all the stops in promoting their books – from media interviews and local and international tours to book trailers on YOU TUBE, to plugging their books on Face Book and on their individual web sites and blogs and visits to schools. Gerald Haussman, the author of Time Swimmer even took questions from fans at schools in North America via SKYPE.

 From reports coming out of Trinidad, the books have caught the youths’ interest and have them all excited.

 Trinidadian authors Lisa Allen Agostini (The Chalice Project), and Francis Escayg (Escape from Silk Cotton Forest) visited the St. Francois Girls School in Belmont, Trinidad for readings along with Island Fiction series editor, Joanne Johnson. All six titles in the series were put on display. 135 students from the three Form 3 classes each happily took a book home and the few left over went to the school library. Johnson and her team encouraged the girls to share their books with friends to encourage them to read the series and urged them to check out their favorite authors online via the Island Fiction community.

 The Island Fiction books are reportedly also poplar with teens in Jamaica and Guyana and are gradually finding their way in the other islands.  

The books have not only thrilled the children, they have caught the attention of reviewers from the region and further afield.  

 Michael Holgate’s Night of the Indigo captured a Moonbeam Children’s Book Award and has helped to place added international spotlight on the series. The novel is about a 15-year-old boy, Marassa, who is thrown into a wondrous world of natural mysticism when he tries to save the life of his dying twin brother. Guided by Kundo, the mystic warrior, he transcends time and matter into an unknown dimension called Orunda. To succeed in his lifesaving mission he has to accept his responsibility as a ‘Warrior of the Light.’

Maureen Marks-Mendonça

Legend of the Swan Children

by Maureen Marks-Mendonça is another favourite with the kids. The story revolves around Alex Springfeathe, a boy with supernatural powers who, nevertheless, can’t stop his world from crumbling when his mother vanishes without a trace, he loses his home, and his life is endangered. On the run, he is plunged into an extraordinary adventure in the heart of the rainforests of South America. Therein lies the answer to a riddle that could save his mother.

Trinidad Guardian columnist, and series editor of Macmillan’s CXC English Literature Study Companions, Debbie Jacob was full of praise for Legend of the Swan Children:
 
“Legend of the Swan Children by Maureen Marks-Mendonça has beautiful, elegant language reminiscent of good magical realism. The imagery is spectacular and the story is very inviting. This is one of my favourite books in the series because of its lilting language.”  http://guardian.co.tt/commentary/columnist/2009/07/06/my-most-important-top-ten  
in a subsequent comment on the Island Fiction Series Editor Joanne Johnson’s blog, she compared Maureen Marks—Mendonça’s style to that of Wilson Harris, one of the giants of Caribbean literature.  “… I like each book [in the series] for different reasons, but I think I am most excited about Legend of the Swan Children. The author has managed to offer young people a novel very much in the magical realist style of Wilson Harris, who is the greatest novelist to come out of the Caribbean. Very original, but very much in the tradition of Harris…” 

Some people are not happy with the Island Fiction books. Several critics have taken issue with Joanne Gail Johnson’s practice of touting the books as being in the Harry Potter vein and have asked her if she doesn’t think they promote evil and witchcraft.

Johnson has little patience with her critics and in a post on her SCBWI website http://www.caribbeanchildren.com she gave them short shrift.

“The concepts of light emerging out of darkness, of good conquering evil, of what is ‘magic’, supernatural and divine within us all, of eternal life and resurrection are archetypal. Such stories can be told and retold using different characters, locations, plots and so on. It is sad when adults so bigoted by false religion seek to separate themselves and children from a valid, creative, literary exploration of the human psyche and IMAGINATION.”  http://www.caribbeanchildren.com/article_harrypotter.html

Recently, I put it to Johnson (via email) that some of her critics may be uneasy about the books because of genuine religious convictions and she risked alienating them further by her harsh response. She was not impressed:

“I do a lot of work here with children and teens. With corporate help we distribute free book gifts of Caribbean stories. One teen returned her Island Fiction novella saying she wanted to read it but her mother would not let it into her house. I prefer to call this superstition rather than religious. That way the teen girls HEAR that there are varying view points and with the increasing autonomy of adulthood she can and will be choosing herself and will be responsible for her own choices,” she countered.

It turned out that the book the girl’s mother forced her to return was Michael Holgate’s Night of the Indigo. It was awarded a Silver Moonbeam Medal for teen spirituality/religion!

“I have been using the Island Fiction series novellas to speak here (Trinidad) on Faith and Fiction: Finding the Hero in Me. Teens here say they have never finished an entire book without pictures before and are swapping with each other to read all six,” said Johnson.

There’s no mistaking her pride in the series and her conviction that the books have the ability to excite and foster self-esteem among the Caribbean’s youth. 

“Island Fiction is for me as much a privilege as a responsibility. Beyond the folk tales, popular music styles and shared carnival and culinary cultures there is something less transient that unites us. But it is my sincere belief that we must unravel, not discard these navel strings and use them as artistic lifelines which enable, not limit our creative freedom. The more West Indian-specific and intimate our storytelling, the more universally appealing and infinite our bounty …   

“Our Island Fictions are First World fare, and now our authors are free to spin yarns of WHAT IF firsts. And so the tables, for once, have been turned; non-West Indian authors who dare to submit manuscripts for Island Fiction, (and there have been many), are held to the highest “Come good!” standards – because our Island Fiction Caribbean is not merely a backyard playground for other peoples – unless of course we choose to share our sand box beaches and turquoise pools with rum loving, invading aliens.”  http://www.islandfictionserieseditor.blogspot.com/

To some extent, Joanne Johnson and her Island Fiction team seem to be on the same wavelength with Maryse Condé who bemoaned the lack of diversity in books for Caribbean adolescents and teens. As Johnson observed:

“We have such a diversity of ethnicity in the West Indies – African, Indian, Chinese, Asian – that it’s a shame there is so little available, particularly for children. There is a hunger here that is not being filled.”  http://publishingperspectives.com/?p=1956

As things stand, the stars may be aligned in her favour. CXC Assistant Registrar, Cheryl Stevens said the CXC board is working with teachers and the various education ministries to make adjustments to the rationale and aims of the regional syllabus to bring it in line with current developments in the region.   

“We have revisited some of the teaching and learning activities and we have made some clarifications to the English A assessment component. We have also had to select new text books for the English Literature component for the next two cycles, 2012 to 2014 and 2014,” she added.   

It’s not hard to see what prompted Macmillan to place their bets on Joanne Gail Johnson. She’s very committed; she goes down in the trenches with her writers and she’s passionate about the IF series.  The big question is will Macmillan keep the faith and stay the course or  will the accountants eventually move in and stop the party on the perennial pretext – not enough Caribbean people read.  That remains to be seen. Meanwhile, Johnson and her writers have their work cut out for them.

Stabroek News: Thirty years on the Caribbean Examinations Council prides itself in meeting the intellectual needs of the region… But the loss of the reading habit remains a worry:  http://www.stabroeknews.com/2009/guyana-review/08/20/thirty-years-on-the-caribbean-examinations-council-prides-itself-in-meeting-the-intellectual-needs-of-the-region%E2%80%A6-but-the-loss-of-the-reading-habit-remains-a-worry/

Introducing the 1st Annual
MyAfricanDiaspora.com
SHORT STORY COMPETITION

In our ongoing effort to promote positive images that reflect people of African descent, the website that connects the African Diaspora is pleased to announce our first annual Short Story contest.

We’re looking for fiction that is unique, stories with characters that we’ll remember, plots that leave us thinking. The contest is open to anyone, any race, any country, any continent. The only caveat; the main character must be of African descent.

RULES

1. The contest runs from October 1 – December 31, 2009. The winner will be announced February 1, 2010.
2. Entries must be 1500 words or less.
3. The entry fee is US$10 (via Paypal or money order payable to DreamDeep LLC.

Address

DreamDeep LLC
9360 W. Flamingo Rd.
#110-117
Las Vegas, NV 89147

1. Main character must be of African descent.
2. Story must be previously unpublished.
3. Submit entries to info@myafricandiaspora.com, with the words “Short Story Contest: (input name of your short story and genre)” in the subject line. Ex. Short Story Contest: Mystery My Story.. Copy & Paste into the body of the email. No attachments.
4. Be sure to include your contact information and word count with submissions.
5. There will be one overall winner and one winner from each of the following genres: Literary, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Mystery, Romance (we prefer stories without gratuitous sex or violence).

Prizes

1. First Place: $500 Genre Winners: $25 Borders Gift Card
2. Each winner will have their story and a feature article published on myafricandiaspora.com
3. The winners and top three entries in each genre will have their short stories published in a short story collection at the end of the year.

**Contest fee will help defray publication costs

The MyAfricanDiaspora Team

http://www.myafricaandiaspora.com/

http://www.zazzle.com/kindredgear

info@myafricandiaspora.com

 

As recently as two years ago, the name Mark Coker would hardly have rung a bell in the US publishing industry.

Smashwords founder, Mark Coker

Originally from California, he’s a longtime * angel investor and an advisor to technology and media startups. A technology-savvy innovator with an evident bold, go-getter streak, Wall Street first got a taste of his chutzpah when he forced companies and investors to sit up and take notice after he got riled up by the policy adopted by publicly-traded companies of denying individual investors access to their conference calls

“One of the companies I owned denied me access to their earnings conference call because I was an individual investor. They said their call was only open to analysts. I did a little research and learned that at the time, 80% of all public companies had a policy of excluding individual investors from their call – even the replays,” Coker disclosed

In frustration, he sold his shares in the company and used the profits to create a website called BestCalls.com that showcased the earnings conference calls of companies that welcomed investors. His ultimate goal was to open up conference calls to investors, large and small. Today, the majority of public companies in the US provide all investors access to their conference calls. Coker’s work as a campaigner for fair disclosure was a catalyst for the SEC’s ground breaking Regulation FD.   In 2003 BestCalls was sold, by which time it had become a profitable business with over 50,ooo members. It’s now owned and operated by the Nasdaq Stock Exchange. http://www.bestcalls.com/dyn/show.cfm?o=qa

Coker’s reenactment of the David vs Goliath tussle might have ended there, except that, once again, he got pissed off, this time by the publishing industry.  He and his wife recently colluded on a novel entitled Book Tube that explores the dark side of Hollywood from the perspective of the cast and crew of a fictional soap opera. Their agent, Dystel & Goderich struggled for two years to sell the book but couldn’t get any of the major commercial women’s fiction publishers to take it up. They questioned its commercial potential.

“ You can imagine how frustrated and disappointed we were, after having spent thousands of hours researching, writing and revising our book, only to be denied the opportunity to reach our audience,” said Coker.

A friend advised him to try the route of self-publishing.  

“I decided to take his suggestion several steps further.  While I respect the need for publishers to vet titles for commercial potential, there’s something inherently broken about a system that rejects titles through this narrow lens.  What about brilliant long-tail works with potential audiences of only 100 or 500?  The publishing industry can’t support these.  Publishers also cannot accurately predict which titles will become huge hits, and which will flop, so they routinely overlook great works.”

Coker expressed frustration with the centuries’ old publishing system which he said allows too much power to be “concentrated in the hands of too few people whose business interests don’t always align with the interests of authors and readers.”

So he put his money where his mouth is and got set to take on the system. In May, 2008 he created Smashwords, an ebook publishing and distribution platform. https://www.smashwords.com/about/team

“Since I come from Silicon Valley, and we’re raised from birth to believe technology can solve virtually any challenge, I decided to tackle the publishing problem. 

“I envisioned a free online publishing platform that would allow any author, anywhere in the world, to publish their work online in seconds. We’d eliminate the gatekeepers and let the readers decide the value of the author’s work.  Such a system would hold the author fully accountable for the quality.  If the author was too lazy or incompetent to invest the necessary effort to produce a quality book, their book would quickly disappear into irrelevance, as it should.  If their book was truly a work of value, they’d have a fair shot at connecting with a readership.” 

The Smashwords platform allows authors and publishers to publish, promote, distribute and sell their books online as multi-format ebooks. All Smashwords’ services are available free of charge. The books can be read online using Smashwords’ online readers, or they can be downloaded to other reading devices such as the the iPhone, iPod Touch, Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader or IRex Iliad, or to other ereading devices.

They can be sold in the Smashwords.com bookstore, and are also distributed via multiple online channels, including major online retailers such as Barnes & Noble. Smashwords books are also promoted via a growing network of Smashwords affiliates and, according to Coker, they will be made compatible with more reading devices in the future.

Authors do their own document formatting using any word processor that outputs Word-compatible files. You simply follow the instructions spelled out in The Smashwords Style Guide. The document is then uploaded, usually in .doc format, into the Smashwords file conversion system and is automatically converted into an array of different e-book formats.  These then appear on the book’s sales page. Authors also receive their own individual webpage in the Smashbooks catalog cost-free, along with reference links to their other books within the catalog. The site offers tools for search, discovery and personal library-building when you register, and new features are added continuously based on feedback from members.

Essentially, authors are responsible for doing their own editing, cover design, and marketing. Smashwords organizes the distribution end. They have an alliance with Wordclay, a print-on-demand publisher, to cover the print end of publication.  They also have distribution deals with the Sony Reader store and Barnes & Noble who are now in a head-on fight with Amazon for control of the ebook market. Arrangements are being made to allow sales of the printed version of books from the Smashwords catalog. 

You can use the Smashwords site to publish and promote novels, short fiction, poetry, personal memoirs, monographs, non-fiction, research reports, essays and, according to Coker, “other written forms that haven’t even been invented yet.”

The participating authors and publishers are given complete control over the sampling, pricing and marketing of their written works. They also retain full control over how their works are published, sampled, priced and sold.

Smashwords encourages its authors to allow potential buyers to read sample portions of their work free before committing to purchases. Readers can also create digital libraries of purchased and sampled works, publish reviews (including YouTube video book reviews) and bookmark their favorite authors, publishers and works.

Coker says over one thousand “serious writers” publish on Smartwords, including many who have been previously published in print through mainstream publishers, or have had their works published in well-respected literary journals. In May 2009, the Smashwords platform was expanded to support publishers who want to publish and centrally manage two or more authors. They simply upload their books as Microsoft Word .doc or .RTF files and the system converts them into multiple e-book formats ready for immediate sale online at a price set by the publisher. Coker says dozens of publishers use the Smashwords system.

 “A primary mission at Smashwords is to help make publishing more rewarding for the world’s indie authors and publishers, and more affordable to the world’s readers … There are no hidden fees. We earn our revenue by taking a cut of all net sales on the site. The cut is 15% of the net for sales at Smashwords.com or on Stanza, and 18.5% for sales that were originated by affiliate marketers.”

All author contracts with Smashwords are non-exclusive. The author retains all ownership rights to their works, and is still free to publish their work elsewhere if they choose. They can remove their works from the site at any time but cannot take back works that have already been purchased or sampled by readers.

Some users have suggested that the Smashwords site could do with more graphics and the book covers could be better displayed. Coker who is open to suggestions has demonstrated that he is quick to take them on board and make adjustments as needed. He has promised to have the covers featured more prominently in the future.  He said he’s also working to bring artists into the Smashwords fold and forge a connection between them and the writers.

By and large, bloggers and literary commentators are full of praise for Smashwords  

 “Finally, someone has figured out how to bring all of the pieces of the puzzle together into a publishing platform that substantially meets the needs of writers.  Smashwords has established an important model for future book publication and sales … With this remarkable array of features, Smashwords certainly ranks as one of the most important developments in publishing in recent years,” says Thomas B. Colvin, a writer, former History and English teacher and ex-Information Officer at the Asian Development Bank, on his blog Becoming a Writer – Seriously.  http://becoming-a-writer-seriously.com/wordpress/2009/03/16/smashwords-the-essential-piece-of-the-puzzle/

“Smashwords launched with one of the most author-friendly electronic publishing platforms in all of the world,” gushed the ‘Fiction Matters’ website.

But inasmuch as Smashwords provides authors with a useful and unquestionably dynamic vehicle for marketing and selling their work, the million-dollar question is, can they make a lot of sales and generate some meaningful returns using the system? Coker is quite candid in his response. 

“Probably not. How’s that for an honest answer? Although ebooks are the fastest growing segment of the book industry, they still only represent about two percent of overall book sales. Authors should publish their books on Smashwords not because they’ll make a lot of sales today, but as a long term investment in their writing career, and at the same time they should also self-publish in print,” said Coker.  eBook authors face the same marketing challenges all authors have always faced. By publishing digitally on Smashwords, however, authors and publishers can expand their potential readership by leveraging the power of viral marketing to reach more potential readers with less effort.”  

Coker has grand ambitions.

“With Smashwords, I’ve set my sights much higher. I want to change the future of book publishing. I want to help create a future where every author can be published, where every author is given a fair chance to reach their audience, and where every author becomes the captain of their own destiny. I want to expand cross-cultural literacy and bring all the world’s indie authors together in one giant online bookstore. And in the process, I want to build Smashwords to become a large and profitable business.

“We’re creating a digital publishing platform that can one day serve hundreds of thousands if not millions of authors around the world … Our success won’t happen overnight. Our revenues are laughably small now.”

Smashwords and similar self-publishing community sites are intriguing on two fronts. They allow writers to come together in a centralized and focused space from where they can make their work easily accessible to the public, assuming that readers can be induced to visit the site regularly. It can also be a budding ground for new and aspiring writers and gives them the opportunity to attract the attention of readers, providing their work is up to scratch and of very high quality.

Regardless of whether writers go the royalty or self-published route or employ the print or ebook format – especially new writers – getting their books off the shelves and into the hands of readers is guaranteed to be an uphill task, except if they’ve already made it into the bestseller league.  

Ultimately, as many writers and book editors have attested, word-of-mouth is the touchstone; it’s what helps to grease the wheels of literary progress.

It’s hard to resist pondering whether a literary “space” such as that offered by Smashwords could serve the interest of Caribbean and other marginalized writers – especially considering that using it costs virtually nothing (at least for now) and it gives writers, at the very least, some level of visibility.

However, there’s something else to consider. Although Smashwords offers writers several valuable tools and solutions, one service they do not offer is editing – a function that is crucial if a book is to have a fair shot at success. Granted some badly-edited and even unedited books have managed to break out and gain impressive sales. But no writer who is seriously seeking success – literary or commercial – can afford to underestimate the importance of proofreading and editing. As Peepal Tree Press’ marketing manager, Hannah Bannister observed in an interview with Caribbean Book Blog (the preceding post) “… sometimes new writers are in too much of a hurry for publication.”

Book Oven founder, Hugh McGuire

Hugh McGuire, the creator of Book Oven, another community resource website for writers, factored in the need for editing when he developed the site. Users can upload their work to the site and have other members of the community proofread, edit, or comment on it. Book Oven was built for writers, editors, designers and small presses and the services if offers are free. Hugh McGuire is a former engineer and the founder of LibriVox.org, a maker of free public domain audiobooks.  LibriVox is one of the world’s most prolific audiobook publishers, with a catalog of over 2,500 works in 29 languages, and the venture is run entirely by volunteers. If nothing else, the Book Oven proofreading/editing system may well be an indication of where literary community websites are heading.  http://blog.bookoven.com/2009/08/04/opening-the-book-oven/ Also see http://itc.conversationsnetwork.org/shows/detail4239.html  

With physical books still accounting for the majority of book sales, print publishing still remains the preferred path for most writers. Increasingly, though, the trend is for writers to try and get a foot in both the print and ebook camps and make the best of both worlds. Like it or not, the book trade is evolving and ebooks and digital self-publishing are here to stay.  They will continue to grow side by side with regular print publishing.  

More info about Smashwords:

 http://www.gumbowriters.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=279:an-interview-with-mark-coker-from-smashwordscom&catid=4:interviews&Itemid=3

 http://www.teleread.org/2009/02/26/the-digitizers-how-smashwords-helps-indie-writers-bypass-a-broken-system/

http://www.selfpublishingreview.com/2009/02/01/interview-mark-coker-founder-of-smashwords/

*An angel investor (also known as a business angel or informal investor) is an affluent individual who provides capital for a business start-up, usually in exchange for convertible debt or ownership equity. Wikipedia

Hannah Bannister, Peepal Tree marketing manager and managing editor, Jeremie Poynting

Twenty-five years after opening its doors in Leeds, England, Peepal Tree Press continues to hold its own and stands tall as the world’s leading publisher of Caribbean literature. With well over 160 titles in print, many of them fiction and poetry, Peepal Tree is an indispensible lifeline to poets and writers based in the Caribbean who have limited publishing opportunities at home and find it increasingly difficult to attract the attention of publishers outside of the region.   

The caliber of Peepal Tree’s writers speaks volumes about their determination to ferret out the Caribbean’s best talents and provide them with a platform to showcase their work to the world. They include eye-catching names like Martin Carter, Samuel Selvon, Kamau Brathwaite, David Dabydeen, Ian McDonald, Rachel Manley, Beryl Gilroy, and more recently Geoffrey Philps, Kwame Dawes, Jacqueline Bishop, Robert Lee and many more. They’ve also reintroduced a number of Caribbean Classics, making them accessible to new generations of readers for the first time.

But in the rough-and-tumble of global publishing, what has it been like for Peepal Tree Press? How have they been faring in their drive to capture the attention of readers, and keep Caribbean literature in the spotlight?

Meet Hannah Bannister, Peepal Tree’s marketing manager. Hannah spoke with Caribbean Book Blog about her experiences and the challenges Peepal Tree faces, as well as the successes they’ve enjoyed, over the years.  

How long have you been with Peepal Tree Press and what do you enjoy most about your work?

Hannah:  I have been with Peepal Tree for 15 years. Someone once said that being a publisher is a bit like being a midwife and I think that’s true, but I also have the privilege of supporting the books right through to their old age.
 
What is a regular day like for you at the office?

Hannah: Very varied! I keep in touch with authors, overseeing contracts, designing covers. I tell people about our new books; update the website, facebook and now twitter, liaise with our UK and US distributors, handle press/review/general enquiries, design and produce catalogs, manage the production of new books, process orders, pay the bills; and very, very occasionally do the washing up and tidy up the office!
 
Do you have difficulties getting bookstores in the UK to stock your books?

Hannah: It’s an uphill struggle. You will still find one or two copies of the newest Peepal Tree Press books in the high street chains, but once they’re gone they don’t tend to be re-ordered. Essentially we are never going to make as much money for a store as the latest Dan Brown! The independent booksellers, notably the excellent New Beacon Bookshop, are much more adventurous. This month we have an event for John Lyons’s new Cook-up in a Trini Kitchen at Topping & Company Bookseller in Ely.
 
What about the Caribbean bookstores? Also, have you done book launches in the region?

Hannah: As there isn’t an established pan-Caribbean book distributor, we work directly with Caribbean booksellers, which is rewarding and much more personal. The Caribbean book market is definitely growing, with stores becoming much more exciting, varied and supportive in promoting Caribbean books and authors. We all work hard to bury the old chestnut ‘you can’t sell a Trini book in Barbados’. The last major Peepal Tree Press launch tour was in 2005. It was a fantastic celebration as we caught up with friends old and new, and the authors came together for some truly memorable performances in Barbados, Guyana and Trinidad. The next one is pencilled in for April/May 2010, so watch this space…
 
How important is publicity and marketing for writers?

Hannah: Hugely. Writers need readers and followers, and engaging in dialogue with other people about writing, whether that’s blogging, attending conferences and events, publishing in magazines, all help to develop skills as a writer, whilst helping to build a profile.
 
How involved should writers be in promoting their work?

Hannah: As much as they can bear! A writer making themselves available through a blog allows an ongoing dialogue with readers. Writers can’t afford to be shy about promoting themselves and their work.
 
Peepal Tree has been very welcoming and supportive of new voices. Is it difficult to market new writers?

Hannah: It’s never easy, as readers/booksellers/reviewers do tend to trust established names, but Caribbean writing is an incredibly fertile area, and new voices generate excitement. In 2010 we’re publishing a debut collection by Christian Campbell, who has been publishing in journals and performing at events to huge acclaim for a number of years, building a reputation as one of the most exciting of the younger group of emerging Caribbean poets. He has delayed publication until he was sure that he had reached a level of consistent excellence. I think sometimes new writers are in too much of a hurry for publication.
 
Do you find the Internet to be an effective marketing tool?

Hannah: It’s a continually evolving, and vital tool, I think we’re only just starting to scratch the surface in terms of connecting up the global diaspora of writers and readers of Caribbean books. We send a monthly e-mail newsletter which is a great way of keeping people in touch with what’s happening.
 
Does Peepal Tree have plans to enhance your Internet presence?

Hannah: We are working on a new website at the moment. Soon users will have the opportunity to review titles, engage in forums and dialogue with authors, and post your own profile to network with other Caribbean literature lovers. We’re also totally revamping the shopping experience. Our current site dates back six years, which is a lifetime in cyberspace!
 
In your view, what does the future look like for small presses?

Hannah: I think it’s pretty good. The internet means that books and readers will find each other more easily, but that interest will still need to be converted into meaningful book sales. Retailers like Amazon are now used to such large discounts that sales through them can actually result in a loss, and that’s no future! Buying books from small presses direct is the best way to ensure that your money does something positive for Caribbean writers, rather than making a multinational corporation even richer.
 
Do you think Caribbean writers have reason to be hopeful about the future?

Hannah: I really do think it’s a bright future, and I hope we’ll start to see more entrepreneurs setting up Caribbean publishing companies – there’s room for more, judging by the volume and quality of the submissions we receive.
 
Congratulations to Peepal Tree for reintroducing the canon of Caribbean Classics to new generations of readers! What has been the public response so far to the series?

Hannah: It’s been fantastic to find that books that first seized the imagination in the 50s and 60s, have not lost their power to disturb, and provoke reverberations of thought into the 21st century. When we get the new website up it’ll be great to be able to get some discussions going and read people’s reviews.
 
Finally, what do you do for relaxation?

Hannah: I have two football mad children, so I spend a lot of time shivering in fields in West Yorkshire! I have just begun learning to play the piano, and I get to a yoga class at least once a week.

Michael Holgate, author of Night of the Indigo

The Caribbean sci-fi novel Night of the Indigo by author Michael Holgate has won a Moonbeam Award. Read more …. http://islandfictionserieseditor.blogspot.com/2009/11/island-fiction-title-wins-moon-beam.html

Artist, Nikhil Singh

This week Caribbean Book Blog featured the story of Nikhil Singh, an artist from South Africa who was denied entry into the UK after the Home Office rejected his application for the renewal of his visa to allow him to continue working as an artist in the UK (see preceding post). Singh is the illustrator of the newly-launched graphic gothic-fantasy novel Salem Brownstone: All Along the Watchtowers which has been receiving rave reviews in the media. He was advised that he had been denied leave to remain in the UK because he did not qualify for a ‘highly skilled’ migrant visa due to “lack of education”.

In an interview with Caribbean Book Blog, Singh speaks about his ordeal and how he has been coping with the experience.

You’re a book illustrator and you’ve also worked as a journalist. Tell us a bit about your work experience.

Nikhil Singh: My journalistic experience was small, mostly London night-life reviews for an American website (www.socialight.com) and some illustrative work. I’m not an illustrator at all actually, as illustrators work to briefs and their profession is clearly demarcated. Salem Brownstone was a creative collaboration between a writer (John Harris Dunning) and an artist (myself). We created the book as a personal project based on our mutual love of mystery stories and retro English comics. I had been drawing comics and creating pen and ink drawings for a number of years and this was also John’s first novel. We are both pleasantly surprised at the reception which our book has had and will no doubt create more work in our chosen spheres. However I would say that the title ‘illustrator’ certainly doesn’t befit the type of work I have been generating, which is quite free-form and does not conform to a set of professional practices.

As far as you know, what is the Home Office’s rationale for not renewing your visa?

Nikhil: I was on an artist’s visa which no longer exists. When it came time to renew my visa I was deferred to a TIER ONE GENERAL highly skilled worker’s visa – which is points based. My application was refused due to ‘a lack of education’ and I entered a lengthy appeal process which took over six months, in which I was kept on tenterhooks about whether I could stay or whether I could go. When the appeal was refused I was forced to return to South Africa. I have subsequently reapplied for two other visas, one a short term holiday visa to attend my book launch, another an unmarried partnership visa to rejoin my girlfriend of seven years who still resides in the UK. Both were also refused

How did you feel when you learnt that they turned down your reapplication to live and work in the UK, considering you had been a legal resident there for 3 years?

Nikhil: Well, I hadn’t broken any laws, wasn’t using public funds and was in the process of publishing a book which was quite rooted in Hampstead, London. So overall I felt it was a trifle absurd.

 During the time that you lived in the UK did you know of other immigrant illustrators and artists who faced a predicament similar to yours? How do they feel about it?

Nikhil: There were quite a few cases documented on the Manifesto Club’s website http://www.manifestoclub.com/visitingartists  Although I had heard of other cases similar to my own, I did not know the people personally and was not fully aware of the details of their circumstances.

How has your not being able to return to the UK to work affected you financially and personally?

Nikhil: I have missed out on work opportunities which have arisen out of Salem Brownstone because I have not been in town to attend meetings and work on localized projects. Also, I have not seen my girlfriend or close friends for some time, so my social life has understandably been disrupted rather severely.

You were asked to take an English language test, despite being proficient in the language. You had also done a bit of journalism. Did the Home Office explain why they thought this was necessary and how do you feel about it?

Nikhil: I felt vaguely offended, because the process was costly and took up to two days. The Home Office did not explain the necessity, only that it was a requirement for people from countries which were not ‘English Majority’. There are many languages in South Africa but the standard of English is rather high and I felt that the system did not take this into account. It was almost as if a particular stigma had been attached to those from ‘Third World Countries’

Your subsequent attempts to appeal the decision have been turned down. Do you have any other recourse?

Nikhil:  I lodged an appeal for my Tier One visa. When that was refused I attempted to obtain a short term holiday visa so that I could attend my book launch and then return to South Africa to put together documents for a more long-term visa. The problem is compounded by the Immigration Office wanting only original documents. This was not helped by the fact that they managed to lose all my original documents from my previous appeal – Documents which included my original publishing contract, which to date has not been returned. When the short-term visa was refused, my girlfriend discovered that I was eligible for a common-law unmarried partnership visa, which necessitates living together for a period of two years. We gathered together evidence but this visa was refused because the months we have been separated due to my previous refusals mean that we have not ’spent the last two years together’. I am planning a possible reapplication for this visa with more detailed evidence, but all these applications are extremely costly and I shall have to weigh the practicalities carefully.

Did you give consideration to returning to the UK on a Visitor’s Visa so you could at least attend the launch of ‘Salem Brownstone: All Along the Watchtowers?

Nikhil: Yes. I attempted to obtain a short term visitor’s visa to attend my book launch and was refused. The immigration official handling my case suggested that that I might break the law and remain illegally in the country even though I have broken no laws in the past.

 Do you plan to get a degree to try and reapply again for a visa at a later date?

Nikhil: I am proud of the fact that I have managed to achieve what I have without a formal education. Also, I have much work to do and simply do not have the time to spare on pursuing cosmetic degrees?

What next for Nikhil Singh?

Nikhil: The US launch for Salem Brownstone is next year in summer so I shall have to prepare for that, as well as tend to other projects throughout the year. Though I hope to return to the UK to rejoin my girlfriend and pursue opportunities which have arisen from the positive reception of Salem.

 

Book jacket for the graphic gothic-fantasy novel Salem Brownstone: All Along the Watchtowers featuring illustrations by artist Nikhil Singh

When it comes to the visual arts Britain is said to be at the forefront of creative and design excellence.  Not surprising, considering the high-levels of government and private-sector investments that have been pumped into the British creative industries over the years, allowing the population to enjoy the arts in their various forms. The sector continues to be vibrant, although the forecast for UK businesses remains gloomy as a result of the recession. 

Adam Woodhouse is typical of the sort of up-and-coming artistic wonders who are helping to invigorate the UK art scene. He is skilled in 3D and 2D art and motion graphics. He is a featured artist on the Adobe Design Gallery and has worked for some major international brands.

“I didn’t go to university or college to study graphic design; I don’t regret this, although it has taken a little bit of time and patience to get to the level I am at now,” Adam told the online art magazine Digital Arts.

Brett Wilkinson is another artist who is moving up in the UK creative industry. His work has been recognised by Amelia’s Magazine and Computer Arts. Bret has done work for the Big Chill Festival and Panasonic and has exhibited his art internationally. His work has been featured in several publications, including Taschen, Idn, Page One and Ginco and he directs annual design events at Inkthis. Digital Arts have pegged both artists as being among the “hottest new illustrators for 2009”.      

Apart from their love for art, Adam and Brett have something in common. They’re both self taught talents. There are lots of brilliant self-taught artists all over the UK and they happen to be in illustrious company, including George Cruikshank, the gifted etcher, artist and caricaturist; artist and book illustrator Paul Doré; Scottish artist Jack Vettriano; Irish painter and illustrator, James O’Connor; Italian artist, Matania and many more.

Peculiarly, however, the UK Home Office recently took the decision to restrict the entry of a foreign artist into the UK on the grounds that he does not have a university degree.

He is Nikhil Singh, an artist from South Africa and the illustrator of the recently-launched graphic gothic-fantasy novel Salem Brownstone: All Along the Watchtowers (Walker Books). His work has received rave reviews in numerous quarters, including the Metro, Financial Times and Sunday Express. It was also praised by comic legend Alan Moore, author of Watchmen and V for Vendetta and a man cited by the BBC as a comic book writer that is “revered across the world as being one of the most creative forces in the industry.”  

Comic artist, Alan Moore

 ”A wonderfully imaginative and stylish piece of work and a perfect example of the adventurous new directions that comic books should be taking in the future,” says Moore.  

“A beautiful-looking graphic novel… The artwork is gorgeous; intricate and stylised, with flowing Art Nouveau lines reminiscent of Aubrey Beardsley and Alphonse Mucha” raved the science-fiction, fantasy and horror magazine SFX.  

But despite all the praise being heaped on Singh, the Home Office has steadfastly rejected his appeals for the renewal of his visa to allow him to continue working in the UK.

It turns out that Britain has begun implementing its new points-based immigration system in place of the previous regulations. On June 30, 2008 provisions for leave to enter and leave to remain were discontinued for 5 immigrant categories; business persons, innovators, investors, writers, composers and artists and self-employed lawyers. According to the UK Immigration Directorate Instructions (IDIs) “While it is no longer possible for individuals to apply for leave to enter or remain in any of these categories, it is still possible for those who have sufficient leave in these categories to apply for indefinite leave to remain.”

To facilitate this, five new categories have been introduced under the new points-based system:

• Tier 1: Highly skilled migrants, entrepreneurs, and innovators
• Tier 2: Skilled workers with a job offer to fill shortages in the labor market
• Tier 3: Low-skilled workers needed to fill temporary labour shortages
• Tier 4: Students
• Tier 5: Temporary workers and young people covered by the Youth Mobility Scheme, who are allowed to work in the UK for a limited time to satisfy primarily non-economic objectives

Writers, artists and composers seeking leave to enter or remain in the UK to work are now required to apply under the Tier 1 category of ‘highly skilled migrants, entrepreneurs, and innovators’.  

Nikhil Singh applied accordingly for leave to remain but was informed that he does not qualify for a ‘highly skilled’ migrant visa because of “lack of education”. He was even made to take an English language test although he is quite proficient in the language.

Presently, he is in South Africa where, for the past 6 months he has been suffering agonizingly through the Home Office application process. He couldn’t even attend his book launch, a sell-out event at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London held on 24th October – all because he has been deemed “under-qualified.” He had attempted to obtain a short-term holiday visa so that he could attend the book launch and then return to South Africa to put together documents for a more long-term visa, but his request was denied. Meantime, Singh has lost his London apartment and has not seen his girlfriend of seven years for the past five months. To date he has spent over £2,000 appealing the Home Office application process, but so far his reapplications have been rebuffed.

The Home Office ruling in the Nikhil Singh case has serious implications for professional international artists seeking to work in the UK, particularly those from poor and developing countries. Those whose visas have expired are now required to reapply for a Tier One ‘highly skilled migrant’ visa which, evidently, cannot be obtained without a degree or similar proof of tertiary education – never mind how skilled they are or that they have distinguished themselves in the art world. If they hadn’t been aware of it, by now they should be getting the message loud and clear; in the UK some artists are more equal than others.

Not surprisingly, Singh’s predicament has caused outrage in art and literary circles.

Paul Gravett, Director of Comica Festival and author of Graphic Novels: Stories to Change Your Life said: “The refusal of Nikhil Singh’s application for a Highly Skilled Worker Visa, resulting in his being unable to attend his own book launch at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, is short-sighted and prejudiced towards the graphic novel medium, and plainly ignores his exceptional merits. One look at the extraordinary craftsmanship of his illustrative contributions to the acclaimed graphic novel Salem Brownstone: All Along the Watchtowers would convince anyone that Nikhil is not only “highly skilled” but a truly visionary artist of international standing.”

Nikhil Singh himself is equally chagrinned. “This new legislature speaks poorly of a country previously renowned as an international nexus of arts and culture. The fact that so many academics and artists are being refused entry for such petty reasons only weakens England’s cultural backbone. The new immigration laws have insinuated an atmosphere of creative policing that is entirely out of character with the various professions it has effected; trades whose universal spirit of free thinking, regardless of nationality, have now been subtly degraded by the very powers which should be nurturing it,” said Singh.  

On Sunday 6th September Cristina Winsor, a US citizen and artist arrived in London to visit friends and take part in a free five-day art festival dubbed The Meaning of Art held at The Foundry in East London.  She was detained for 9 hours in a detention centre at Heathrow airport and subsequently escorted on an outbound plane back to New York by armed security guards. She was kicked out because she was carrying two small paintings under her arm, which she planned to exhibit at the festival and also hoped to sell. She had offered to leave the paintings at the airport, to no avail.

“The immigration officials told me that selling my work was illegal without a business visa, and took me to the detention centre for further questioning,” Winsor told British comic news magazine downthetubes.net http://downthetubescomics.blogspot.com/2009/09/visiting-artist-expelled-from-uk.html

The Manifesto Club has, meanwhile, joined in the protest against the Home Office’s treatment of Nikhil Singh. It’s a UK-based group whose members have dedicated themselves to campaigning against attempts by governments to unfairly restrict “free movement across borders, free expression and free association”. http://www.manifestoclub.com/ They recently launched a petition against the Home Office’s restrictions with a letter in the Observer and an article in the Guardian. The group has also documented hundreds of cases where the new immigration regulations have caused arts events to be cancelled. 

According to The Manifesto Club, “The Home Office recently introduced new restrictions on international artists and academics visiting the UK for talks, temporary exhibitions, concerts or artists’ residencies. Visitors now have to submit to a series of arduous and expensive procedures to get their visas, and then more bureaucratic controls when they are in the UK. Already a series of concerts and residencies have been cancelled … Together we call for these parochial and suspicious regulations to be reconsidered, and affirm the vital contribution made by global artists and scholars to UK cultural and intellectual life.”

The club’s campaign has reportedly won support from artists, musicians, gallery directors, academics and students from all around the world.

According to the UK Home Office, “our points-based system for migration and our plans for earned citizenship are making our immigration policy fairer, more transparent and more effective”. Moreover, they say, it’s an “objective system which enables potential migrants to assess their likelihood of making a successful application” and will “help to reduce the number of failed applications.”

Judging by the stipulations for obtaining “highly-skilled” migrant visas (excerpt below) the process looks fairly straightforward. Except that Nikhil Singh’s troubles show that there’s a lot more in the mortar than the pestle, and the road ahead promises to be very rough indeed for international artists  – people driven by the same urges that propelled millions of British migrants to leave their homeland to colonize India, China, Africa, the Caribbean, the North American mainland, Australia, New Zealand; almost half of the globe –the desire for a new life and new opportunities and the chance to realize their dreams.   

Writers and composers take note. The going may well get rough for you too.  

Don’t miss my interview with Nikhil Singh in my next post!

* Requirements for leave to enter the United Kingdom as a writer, composer or artist http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/

232. The requirements to be met by a person seeking leave to enter the United Kingdom as a writer, composer or artist are that he:

(i) has established himself outside the United Kingdom as a writer, composer or artist primarily engaged in producing original work which has been published (other than exclusively in newspapers or magazines), performed or exhibited for its literary, musical or artistic merit; and

(ii) does not intend to work except as related to his self employment as a writer, composer or artist; and

(iii) has for the preceding year been able to maintain and accommodate himself and any dependants from his own resources without working except as a writer, composer or artist; and

(iv) will be able to maintain and accommodate himself and any dependants from his own resources without working except as a writer, composer or artist and without recourse to public funds; and

(v) holds a valid United Kingdom entry clearance for entry in this capacity.

Leave to enter as a writer, composer or artist

233. A person seeking leave to enter the United Kingdom as a writer, composer or artist may be admitted for a period not exceeding 2 years, subject to a condition restricting his freedom to take employment, provided he is able to produce to the Immigration Officer, on arrival, a valid United Kingdom entry clearance for entry in this capacity.

Requirements for an extension of stay as a writer, composer or artist

235. The requirements for an extension of stay as a writer, composer or artist are that the
applicant:

(i) entered the United Kingdom with a valid United Kingdom entry clearance as a writer, composer or artist; and

(ii) meets the requirements of paragraph 232 (ii)-(iv).

Extension of stay as a writer, composer or artist

236. An extension of stay as a writer, composer or artist may be granted for a period not exceeding 3 years with a restriction on his freedom to take employment, provided the Secretary of State is satisfied that each of the requirements of paragraph 235 is met.

Living not too far from me is a young Rastafarian named Isaiah (affectionately known as Ras I) who works as an occasional carpenter and joiner. His real passion, though, is sculpturing and other forms of art and craft, including basketry. He sells his creations primarily to tourists. Two months ago he opened a savings account at a local credit union after trying unsuccessfully to start one at a bank in the city centre. Like most people in St Lucia who apply to open savings accounts at banks, he was asked to provide a letter of employment, his passport and national ID, and copies of two utility bills bearing his name.  He was also required to fill out a lengthy application form providing, among other things, details about his monthly salary and disclosure of whether he was involved any form of illegal activities, including terrorism.

The problem is Ras I does not have a steady job so he couldn’t get an employment letter. He lives in a rented house but the utility accounts are not in his name.  Nevertheless, he’s adamant that he needs to have a bank account and access to other banking services such as a credit card so he can shop online for good deals on materials and equipment he uses in his craft work. He also wants to create an online store to sell his work to customers outside of the local tourism market. He even believes that an online art-and-craft store as he envisions it could create opportunities for other local artistes to sell their work to internet shoppers. He feels very strongly about it.

“The credit union is good but it does not me give the kind of financial flexibility I need. I have some good contacts in Miami and the UK who’re willing to help with marketing but first I need to get the online business up and running,” says Ras.   

By contrast, another young man named Paul who lives a quarter mile away in a suburban area returned home 12 months ago from studying economics and got employed with an upscale firm. He’s now thriving. He had no problems opening a bank account and to the extent that he’s able to afford them, he has free access to the various banking services. Paul is part of the burgeoning upper-middle-class who has easy access to a host of banking services, including credit and debit cards, current accounts and mortgage loans.  He has no trouble buying goods from online stores like Amazon or E-bay. If his credit cards are turned down by the stores (as sometimes happens if the card holders are not based in the USA) or they don’t ship merchandise outside of the US, he has other options. He can utilise Paypal for payments, or use companies like MyUS.com or Shipito that offer package and mail-forwarding services and access to US mailboxes and telephone numbers.        

The two men are not strangers to each other. Paul has bought a couple of small sculptures from Ras I. But unlike Paul, Ras and many others aren’t able to access the sort of banking services that professionals like Paul take for granted. The two men live a 15-minutes drive away from of each other yet inhabit separate worlds, divided by access to cash and credit.  

Paul has a number of friends who have hardly ever done a legitimate day’s work in their lives yet they live in upscale neighbourhoods and can afford fast, expensive cars and furnished homes built on laundered cash and the infamous white powder. But he is keeping his distance. He insists he wants to get ahead in life by legal means.   

His plight was brought to mind by one of Caribbean Book Blog’s readers who made an insightful comment on my earlier piece “The Caribbean Faces an IT Revolution.” It dealt with the recent launch of BookServer, an open platform designed to allow publishers, booksellers, libraries, and authors to make their books available directly to readers through their laptops, phones and dedicated reading devices

“I can’t help thinking that this is likely to make things rather worse for readers in the Caribbean. Although there are a growing number of internet users, how will the majority of people pay for these services? There are a lot of people who do not have credit cards, Paypal etc. Will these people be excluded from taking advantage of these new services?” noted Jamaican writer Claudette Beckford-Brady and her observation is correct.    

As luck would have it, there are developments looming on the horizon which may offer a solution – one that has the potential to transform the economies of the Caribbean and other developing states. It’s mobile money transfers (one of the inherent features of mobile banking) and in the countries of East Africa where it has taken root, the economic impact has been phenomenal, all because of its convenience and ability to tap the un-banked population.

Fundamo, one of the companies piloting the mobile banking revolution in Africa, markets solutions and supporting services  that enable person-to-person payments, payments for deliveries, airtime purchases, bill payments, retail payments and payments for virtual content through mobile phones. Currently they operate in South Africa, Kenya, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Celpay, another company involved in the mobile banking business, is a mobile payment facilitator operating in Zambia and the DRC. They offer mobile phone-based virtual bank accounts with advanced features similar to many normal bank accounts that facilitate account transfers, bill payments, cash deposits and withdrawals and prepaid airtime vending, all supported with real-time clearing.

“Africa is a cash-based society, and while the Western world views m-banking as almost exclusively about credit card transactions, African companies are proving that it can better be used as a tool to facilitate virtually any form of payment directly from a mobile phone,” says Hannes van Rensburg, CEO at Fundamo. “To people unable to always make it to the nearest town or transaction point at the drop of a hat, m-banking offers banking to virtually all.” 

There are plans among the telecom operators involved in the mobile money-transfer business in East Africa to develop a regional platform to increase the efficiency of the service, especially if the East African Common Market takes shape.

Chief Technology Officer of the communications software company Redknee Solutions Inc., Bohdan Zabawskyj is a strong proponent of mobile banking. In his article “The Mobile Money Opportunity” on the Redknee website http://www.redknee.com/news_events/newsletter/32?PHPSESSID… Zabawskyj said:

“People in emerging economies can easily interact, collaborate and exchange money because they have access to mobile networks and handsets that are declining in cost. Recognizing the growth of migrant worker populations at all levels of the economy, service providers are introducing new packaged micro-banking offerings for workers, family members and entrepreneurs. These offerings can provide users with the same financial services found in urban banks.”

He says that because mobile banking offers a variety of valuable financial transaction capabilities, it is ideal for developing market economies. “Because it generally operates on a credit or pre-paid basis, bad debt is not an issue. It can be augmented further with links to financial institutions to facilitate funds transfer to and from traditional non-mobile accounts, as well as to merchants for purchasing digital or physical goods.”

CGAP is an independent policy and research centre dedicated to advancing financial access for the world’s poor. http://www.cgap.org/ They too recommend mobile banking as one of the means of addressing the perennial problem of inaccessibility to banking services suffered by the economically disadvantaged in poor and developing countries. 

In an article entitled “Mobile Banking for the Unbanked: CGAP” the telecommunications website Developing Telecoms reports that CGAP “has been releasing new research and data to encourage telecom operators, financial institutions and governments to see the business potential in expanding access to financial services for poor people in developing markets … CGAP estimates that 150 million poor people around the world receive regular social welfare payments from their governments. Yet fewer than 25% of beneficiaries receive their benefits into a bank account through which they could save, make payments and build assets.” http://www.developingtelecoms.com/  

Mobile banking has also come to the Caribbean. Telecommunications operator Lime, a subsidiary of the British-based company Cable & Wireless, has partnered with ECIC Holdings, a private company owned by 10 Caribbean-based banks, to launch a mobile banking service in Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia and Turks and Caicos. For now, the service allows consumers to use their mobile phones to view their account balances and transaction history, pay bills, and receive alerts and information. Funds transfers are available via the phones’ WAP/internet browser.  However, the general consensus among financial and telecommunications experts is that mobile  banking can be made more flexible to allow for transactions that do not require initial access to tools like credit and debit cards, or even bank accounts, to make and receive payments.

In the meantime, the ACP Group of States and the European Commission are embarking on a study to explore the legislative and regulatory environment in Europe related to the establishment of mobile and other types of money transfers between Europe and the Caribbean. Thirty stakeholders from the OECS region were among those who attended a workshop held on April 7 – 8, 2009 aimed at building a common understanding of the issues to be addressed and ensure close alignment in terms of expectations, outputs and methodology.

For ambitious youths like Ras I, the global push to make money transfers and mobile banking services more accessible is like a light shining on a hill in the dark. Although the way forward is still not quite clear, there is that glimmer of hope.

On the heels of these developments, the Inter-American Development Bank and Microsoft on October 13 agreed to extend their joint investment in projects that promote the sustainable social and economic advancement of countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The two institutions want to make it easier for small and medium-size companies and related financial intermediaries to access technology solutions and skills that would help to make them more competitive. They say they also want to facilitate the development of technology and innovation research and promote projects that would encourage people to make better use of technology in education. Their hope is that this would help to reduce the digital divide, particularly among rural and low-income youth. http://iadb.org/ (Search:Microsoft And The IDB Extend Joint Projects In Latin America And Caribbean)

These are all hopeful signs. It remains to be seen where it all leads. For what it’s worth, Ras I’s ambitions make you wonder whether the time has come for the initiation of programs to encourage young and not-so-young would-be entrepreneurs in the Caribbean to explore the possibilities of launching online ventures rather than focusing predominantly on traditional brick-and-mortar businesses that target the local, or at best, regional market. Likewise, would-be writers and publishing houses from the region may want to consider those options.  

The trick in it, though, is that for the whole thing to come together the Caribbean governments need to get their act together and provide the enabling environment, and the financial and telecom sectors must position themselves to take advantage of these opportunities. That is the catch.