5-Part Interview Series with Book Influencers in Africa
African Book Influencers are shaping the continent. As digital platforms and social media increase literature’s accessibility, book influencing’s impact on sales is expected to grow, shaping public opinion and inspiring change. Innovative marketing strategies are now essential, with influencer marketing playing a critical role. We have interviewed prominent book influencers across Africa to gain insights into their work.
Our third conversation is with Karaobo Pebane, a reader and book reviewer from South Africa with a book club called Pages Bookclub.
How do you discover new books or authors to feature on your platform?
I receive mailers from publishers on a monthly basis which keeps me up to date with what books to look out for in the coming month/months. I choose new books either by familiarity with the authors work or interest based on what the book describes.
What formats do you prefer for book reviews (e.g., physical copies, e-books, audiobooks)?
I prefer physical copies and where possible read those but I’ve also in recent years started listening to audiobooks – these I prefer when I’m on the move or busy with work and can’t sit down to read a physical.
How do you utilise social media platforms to drive book sales and engagement?
Social media for me is where I engage with others with the hopes that they’ll in return engage with my content. Some ways to get visibility is by tagging known book engagement accounts where there is a like for like system in place. I rarely use advertising tools but the times I’ve done so have generated more follows and exposed my account to people who wouldn’t have otherwise known/realised there was a book community out there.
How do you monetize your bookstagram account, if at all? Do you consider being a bookstagrammer profitable and what opportunities or challenges have you encountered in this regard?
I’ve had independent authors reach out and discuss having their books on my platform and a couple of times (especially after they’ve seen my rate card) I’ve had independent authors featured. I’ve also had influencer companies reach out on behalf of movie giants (paid of course) to participate in movie campaigns. It is not profitable at all and speaking for the under 10k followers, the nano influencers, it’s difficult to branch out and get recognized if all you do is speak books. People (authors) are not willing to part with money to have their books advertised by an influencer.
How do you measure the success of your book promotions (e.g., engagement, sales, feedback)?
I measure it by looking at the stats which show how many accounts were reached, how many were new, and the number of times people have saved the posts.
How do you typically collaborate with publishers, and what benefits do you offer them?
Publishers give us free books in exchange for reviews. I post the books that I plan to read and give as much details as possible on the initial post followed by a review. If I didn’t like a book enough, I refrain from posting a review because most authors are sensitive to that brutal honesty of their work. I utilize all the possible tools that are at my disposal to put the book out there.
What criteria do you use to select books from publishers for review or promotion?
I use familiarity to an author, the genre, and book description
How do you ensure your content aligns with publishers marketing strategies?
Most publishers have adopted a way of informing influencers on the type of content they’d like to see and format.
How do you handle disagreements with authors/publishers?
I get myself removed from their mailer lists and just read their partner-published works if I have the coin to spare.
How can book influencers offer more support to publishers in Africa?
They’d first have to be reading books from Africa and enjoy books published in Africa by Africans. They can collaborate on campaigns to promote the books, and partner together in a way that publishers can also give some incentives to the influencers for their work. For an industry that needs a lot of individuals backing it up, it is not willing to part with any money towards influencers.
