The recession, reductions in school budgets and the loss of a number of major independent black bookstores has resulted in some changes at Africa World Press and Red Sea Press, but owner Kassahun Checole emphasized that the Trenton, N.J., houses remain committed to publishing a wide variety of titles on the history, culture and politics of Africa and the African diaspora. The house also specializes in international fiction from Africa, and releases about 100 titles annually, with a strong focus on academic and library markets as well as international sales.
Cuts in classrooms and school systems has hurt AWP/RSP sales to that market, while the closure of black independent stores means not only losing sales outlets but, because bookstores often serve as community hubs, losing the benefit of that word-of-mouth buzz as well. Previously a distributor as well as a publisher, the company has in recent years withdrawn from that part of the business and now focuses solely on its own list.
Checole said AWP/RSP, a privately financed company, hasn't grown as fast as he would have liked in recent years. However, technology has allowed for more economical staffing—the house has about 14 full-time and part-time staffers—and now most editorial and production work is outsourced. “What's critical,” he said, “is that we have a network of people—editors, designers, indexers—that we can use at any moment.”
The press focuses on international sales opportunities and works to reach global customers directly, rather than concentrating just on the major bookstore chains. “Our books do much better in Europe and Africa than in the U.S.,” Checole said. The house is also known for a backlist that includes classic works on African-American and African diasporan history. Among its bestselling titles are Carter G. Woodson's The Mis-education of the Negro and Stolen Legacy by George G.M. James.
AWP/RSP hasn't yet taken advantage of social media marketing utilities like Facebook and Twitter, although Checole plan to move in that direction. Most of the company's marketing dollars go to academic conferences and literary/publishing conventions.
Recent AWP/RSP titles include American Crucible by Clarence J. Munford, a history of American civilization that's linked to the history of racism, and Land, Food, Freedom by Leigh Brownhill, which looks at women's struggles during the Mau Mau war in Kenya.
Although Checole suffers from a long-term illness, he continues to be heavily involved in the day-to-day operations of the company. “I'm doing very well,” he said. “There's still work to be done, and my health hasn't slowed me down yet.” In the future, the press looks to increase its international and academic customer base and to produce more books that straddle academic and popular writing. “We don't want to be in the trade so much,” Checole said, “but we're going to expand our list as much as possible.”
