The Sunday Mail
Andrew Moyo : Beyond the cover
MOST young writers who are still trying to establish themselves in the literary industry have found the going tough, with the major obstacle being the hustle of finding publishers. However, there are other young individuals who have not given up but rather used these obstacles as stepping stones for furthering their aspirations.Tatenda Charles Munyuki is a name that might not instantly ring a bell but this young man has been making huge strides in contributing to the development of local literature.
After failing to get the attention of any local publisher while trying to release his work, he decided to start his own publishing company, TCMPub, which has published over 20 books from upcoming writers to date.
One of the books published under this company, “One Way Ticket to UK”, written by Mkhululi Mpofu, won a ZIMAA UK award for Best Literature Novel in 2014.
Besides giving other writers the opportunity to shine in the literary world, he has been displaying his abilities with the pen in his own books.
This week I take a look at his weekly book serials “NACH”, “The Monte Chicks”, “Battle of Sexes” and “Pushers”.
The books caters for all age groups.
Each of these books is written in the format of a series, whereby an edition for each title is released every Friday. This means the writer has been releasing four books every Friday, which is a rarity on the local literary landscape.
Each release will be a continuation of the previous edition with an average of 40 pages per publication. These books are a significant step towards cultivating the reading culture in Zimbabwe because as readers get hooked to a series, they will be on the lookout for the next edition, just like what people do when following television series.
“NACH” (Nathan Amanda Chenai Hama) is a children’s adventure series which explores the lives of four kids from various schools as they venture into the world of grown-ups.
The series reflects on the various aspects of life for children who are growing into adolescence. The writer has already released seven editions with different subtitles and each edition costs just a dollar.
A group of five lower six students at Monte Carron Mission are the central characters in “The Monte Chicks”, a series that is laden with scandals and notorious behaviour characteristic of high school students.
The target readership are teenagers who will learn a lot from various episodes that make up the series. Eighteen editions have already been released with more being published every Friday.
“The Battle of Sexes”, which is now in its 15th edition, focuses on the lives of three couples dealing with issues of intense relationships, scandals, emotional degradation and life threatening situations, among other things.
The last series is “Pushers”, which centres on the complex lifestyle of a family involved in the illegal distribution of drugs and running brothels, among other illegal activities. The fast paced series, which gives readers a glimpse into the Zimbabwean underworld, is now on episode 12.
While many writers would rather release a single novel, Munyuki has taken a totally different approach by releasing the books in a series format, thereby prolonging the storylines. The reasonable price of makes accessibility mush easier.
Having gone through some of the episodes in the “Pushers” title, I was impressed by the author’s imagination and his ability to weave the storyline in a captivate way.
The writer has taken advantage of the current social media frenzy by making use of the various platforms to market his work.
