Dear Friends,
Mvua Press, eKitabu’s imprint for adult literature, has completed our first year! Last year, we embarked on a journey to publish African authors. We are learning, getting feedback, shifting our mindsets, and building new processes. Here are some meaningful milestones we’ve reached.
- Published titles: We published our first five titles: When Love says Goodbye by Scholastica Moraa, The Unpaid Bride Price by Emmanuel Ngwainmbi, NaiRobbery Cocktail by Empress Ciku Kimani-Mwaniki, After 4.30 by David G. Maillu, and Househelp Manual by Betty Kilonzo.
- Bestseller success: Our bestselling title so far, NaiRobbery Cocktail, is approaching the significant milestone of 2,000 copies sold in its first 12 months after publication on 30th November 2024.
- Widening distribution: Our books are available in prominent bookstores, including Nuria, Text Book Centre, Halfpriced Books, Soma Nami, Kibanga, Afrireads, Lolwe, and Books and Bloom. We are also on Amazon. Several book clubs have also read our titles—and we’ve produced 13 high-quality, adult fiction audiobooks to date in our award-winning Studio KSL.
- International recognition: Some of our titles have garnered international attention, with rights acquired for translations, including an Italian edition of When Love Says Goodbye. We also won this year’s Digital Publishing Innovation Award at the Frankfurt Book Fair.
- Theatrical adaptation: We successfully adapted After 4.30 into a play with performances held at both Alliance Française and the Louis Leakey Auditorium.
- Book serialization: BooksInAfrica.eKitabu.com offers free access to excerpts of our titles before release along with commentary on literature, culture, and current affairs.
Building on Mvua Press’ momentum, we are happy to announce the launch of Maua Books, eKitabu’s dedicated children’s literature imprint. Maua Books is committed to creating accessible, high-quality, and culturally grounded books that embody African stories, languages, voices, and values. Our vision is to nurture young readers through powerful, inclusive content that inspires learning and imagination. Maua Book is building a new generation of children’s literature that is beautiful, affordable, impact-rooted in Africa, and made for the world.
We invite authors of African-centered literature to reach out to us at manuscripts@mvuapress.com.
Warmest regards,
Will