We are a premier Pan African author-focused independent publisher of choice with a strong bias to African speculative and pop fiction. Based in Kenya, our mission is to create opportunities for New-Age African Writers and to foster a passion for reading by partnering with authors to help create stories and communicate ideas that inform, entertain, and inspire.
We are launching Afrika Redefined Indie Book Prize for quality, independently published books (fiction, poetry, and non-fiction) by Kenyan authors.
About the Prize. The Afrika Redefined Indie Book Prize is an annual prize managed by Mystery Publishers, a Kenyan premier pan-African independent publisher with a bias to African speculative fiction and genre/pop literature stories. The winner is awarded Ksh.20,000.
GUIDELINES
- Eligibility. The Prize is open to Kenyan authors. A Kenyan is a citizen by birth if on the day of the person’s birth, whether or not the person is born in Kenya, either the mother or father of the person is a citizen or through naturalisation.
- Books Eligible
- Print (hard copies) and eBooks (PDF only).
- Books submitted should be published in English.
- Not more than three (3) years since publication.
- Traditionally published books are not eligible.
- eBooks should not be a gift to download from Amazon. This is because the gift goes to just one person. Because of the judging process, the ebook may need to be read by multiple people.
- We will not accept invitations to download files from websites.
- Theme. Books submitted should tell an extraordinary story about the present or future Africa (Afro-currency and Afro-futurism).
- Submission Fee
- Print books – Ksh.2000 per title.
- eBooks – Ksh.1,000 per title.
- Submission
- Five (5) hard copy books for every title submitted to be dropped at/sent to Nuria Bookstore, Moi Avenue, Nairobi, addressed as follows:
To Mystery Publishers Limited
Tel: +254 718 429 184
Book Prize Submission
By [Your Name and Contact Details]
Or
Mailed to:
Mystery Publishers Limited
Book Prize Submission
P O Box 18016 – 20100, Nakuru, Kenya
Once you mail your books to the postal address or drop them at Nuria Bookstore, please let us know via email at prize@mysterypublisherslimited.com
- eBook submissions should be through email (prize@mysterypublisherslimited.com) as follows:
- subject heading: ‘Afrika Redefined Indie Book Prize submission by YOUR NAME’;
- Cover email and the eBook attached.
PRIZE CRITERIA
- Selection of submitted books by Mystery Publishers. We look for professionally published books (whether a book is well presented—cover, pictures [if relevant] and layout) following industry standards.
- The selected books are forwarded to a judges’ panel comprising beta readers, editors, authors, and publishers. They are given Book Score Sheets to complete for every book received. In general terms, the most important aspects they will be looking for are: whether a book is well written (including structure and style), and Afro-currency and Afro-futurism in the themes.
- Books nominated by the judges are then taken through public voting, where readers vote for the book with the most extraordinary story.
- The winning book is announced at an award ceremony at Alliance Francaise de Nairobi, and the winner is awarded the prize money.
2022 PRIZE
The 2022 Prize is open to Mystery Publishers books and authors, for books published in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Books published from 2019 automatically qualify; thus, the authors will not need to submit their books.
- Public voting of the shortlisted books: 10 August to 30 September 2022.
- Consolidating and publishing public voting results – 01 October 2022.
- Prize award ceremony: 08 October 2022.
