THE ‘DIVINE ANOINTED POWER’OF PRINTED COPIES OF BOOKS- BY NKWETATANG SAMPSON

The most nightmarish experiences which dread all writers worldwide, especially African writers are the fabulous loans that they either take from banks or from individuals to print their books, hoping that the books would be sold in no time, but they remain unsold for decades and counting. The monthly payment of the interests of these loans plunge the writers into a protracted and excruciating financial stagnation which is almost paralleled with death. If you are looking for someone in this situation, you have found one. Me.

It is on very rare occasions that the sales of printed copies of books make a writer rich. Bestsellers are very few. That’s why the society holds the view that creative writing is not a full-fledged profession – especially in Africa. The reason is that it sees creative writing with mere physical eyes. It does not know what transcends in the background.

While global digital online book marketing platforms like Amazon celebrate their breakthroughs, printed copies of books or hard copies will always have their place. For example, the stone tablet with which Moses took The Ten Commandments from God will never be changed into an electronic stone tablet. Tangible commodities and intangible commodities can never compromise. They will always retain their prestige.

Despite the financial dilemma which many writers experience after taking loans to print their books, there is something divine about the print medium which no one can understand. It is a mystery. Where there is no hardship, there is no divinity. Among the bulk of your books which you print, there is always ‘a divine anointed copy’. Permit me to give you two testimonies.

FIRST TESTIMONY

In the year 2002, I printed my second book titled Initiation of the Genteel Volume 1. My expenditure on this publication reduced me to a squalor. A year later, I gave a copy of the book to a certain publisher who was so impressed with it, and employed me as the Field Marketing Officer of his company. Three years later, I bought a piece of land and built my house with the money which the company gave to me as my recompense upon my opted withdrawal from the company to continue my creative writing career.

SECOND TESTIMONY

In the rainy season of 2007, I was standing among a crowd at the Commercial Street of my town. All of a sudden, a certain pale-looking fellow came around with some copies of a book titled Letter to the Unemployed II. He was standing in the rain and saying something about the books to the crowd. Nobody was paying attention to him. I took one copy of the book, and told him that I did not have money to buy it. He replied:

“Don’t bother. I am not selling it. Just take it home.”

I thanked him and went home with it. Two years later, I found the book loitering in my collection, and that image of the author standing in the rain came to me clearly. Fortunately, there was a telephone number at the back of the book. I called him and sent him 1000 CFA Francs. He could not remember that fateful day when we met. And today, we have become brothers. He has helped me through a myriad of turbulent financial crises. I have published his recent book titled Theories and Concepts in Problem Solving (Basics of nation building).

Yesterday, I was invited to the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary celebration of a certain group called Union Members. The enrolment is 75. I donated 225 printed books of six different titles and authorships to this Union. All the books were shared to the attendance, and as you can see in this picture, there were books of one title or the other on all the tables. Imagine more than 100 people including the 75 Union Members and more than 30 invited guests going home with six titles of your books just in one evening! Imagine how many students, professionals and people of different walks of life will lay their hands on the books! Imagine how far the books will go! Imagine what ‘the divine anointed copies’ of the books will bring to the authors!

Impatience deceives us that we are frustrated, but patience delivers to us a million times the seeds which we mustered courage to sow when everyone was hungry to eat the entire harvest.

NKWETATANG SAMPSON NGUEKIE,

The Director, The Pilot Centre for the Humanities,

Bamenda, Cameroon.

Telephone/WhatsApp: +237 677 26 19 86

11th November 2024.