Publisher’s view on what it takes to write

Writer and publisher Malkiat Singh (R) with Longhorn Publishers Managing Director Musyoki Muli at a past event. DIANA NGILA 

By Mwikali Lati

In Summary

• There is nothing wrong with borrowing somebody’s style as long as you can express yourself creatively.
• I have committed myself as an African publisher to promote African writing.

As the managing director of Longhorn Publishers, Musyoki Muli has a lot to say on what Kenyans read.

From textbooks to creative works, Mr Muli has spent 20 years with books. He talked to the Business Daily about Longhorn’s plan to promote a reading culture, his favourite authors and gives advice to young and aspiring writers.

What attracted you to publishing?

It began with the passion to teach. When I did my KCE, precursor to KCSE, exam my dream was to be a university lecturer. I first pursued history, religious studies and English, but dropped them to study linguistics and literature instead.

In 1992, politics came into academia when I was raving to go as a lecturer. At the time I was working as a contract tutorial fellow at Kenyatta University. I was also working as a consultant to publishers; reviewing, editing and giving opinions on their books.

This was training in editing and when I saw an ad in the paper for an English position at Longhorn, I fitted the bill. Since 1995 I have been a publisher.

How do you hope to promote the reading culture?

We (Longhorn) have been doing a lot of book donations to school libraries. However, that has not ignited the proper reading culture because we just avail the books and hope the students will read. We are now thinking of changing the tide and beginning a programme where children tell us what they have read and reward them.

Who are your favourite authors?

I read everything that Henry ole Kulet and Kinyanjui Kombani write (both Longhorn authors). Right now, I am reading motivational books written by Stephen Covey as well as his brother John.

There is a guy who writes well and people do not know him, Dr Wale Akinyemi. I’m actually reading one of his books now, “Why do some dream of success while others wake up to achieve it?” In the business world, sometimes you doubt whether the decision you are making is the right one.

You also face a few dilemmas, and you need to read about a few precedents to understand how the situation could be best handled.

What kind of writing appeals to you?

Well written African literature. Why I read African literature (even what the competition has published) is because the trend in Africa is that people are reading western novels and very few read the African expression. I have committed myself as an African publisher to promote African writing.

What advice would you give to young writers?

Budding writers should as much as possible avoid copying the western style especially the shallow depiction of improbable setting. Reading as much as possible will refine their expressions and how they handle their setting and characters. They have got to relate to the setting and character well for people to see that the characters are real and alive.

They can also publish online. I know of people who have switched from online to hard copy.

When you say the best, what do you mean?

We (Longhorn) look at the expression, basically the command of the language and the thematic flow. The first page will tell you whether a writer is refined in the language they are using to express themselves. Beyond that we see whether this writer has a depth in characterisations.

The characters have got to be rounded, relate with the reader and provide inherent reason to behave the way they do in the full context from the writing.

The writer has to know the setting. Even if it is a fictitious setting, the writer must have a full command of it so that the reader can understand how the environment influences the cultural, social and commercial life of the characters.

Apart from language, we look at the themes covered and how they relate to current issues.

Lastly, how creative is this writer or are they imitating other writers? There is nothing wrong with borrowing somebody’s style as long as you can express yourself creatively.

mwikalilati@gmail.com