Don Harps is reshaping the publishing sector for long-term sustainability

on May 23, 2022

Samuel Okere, Associate Professor of Publishing & Media Studies Department of Mass Communication, Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, has stated that repositioning is required for the publishing business to remain viable.

Prof Okere made this statement on the second day of the just ended Nigeria International Book Fair (NIBF) 2022. Speaking on the topic of "Publishing in Nigeria: The Imperative of Change, Growth, and Sustainability," he praised publishing as a noble profession and academic field that promotes individual growth and national development, emphasizing that it must never perish.

Okere, who is also the Director of Babcock University Press, believes that members of the Nigerian Publishers Association (NPA) must engage in innovative book publishing management, maximize opportunities for e-publishing, particularly for people with disabilities, and leverage social media in book promotion.

He also established nine indices for repositioning the publishing industry: numerical strength, self-preservation, generic product creation, visibility, emerging technology, corporate social responsibility, inclusivity, professionalism, and reference point input.

In addition, he emphasized the importance of professionalizing publishing, saying that "if we don't think professionalism, then we are not advancing, and that is quackery."

He highlighted that publishing thrives on ideas, and publishers have ideas, while simultaneously pointing out that technology is pushing change and changing the narrative.

We live in a changing world, and every form of production and social interactions is changing, so we must not let publication perish, he said emphatically.