Writers seeking platforms to showcase their work and earn some money can breathe a sigh of relief as Senegalese startup Carvi Writer has gone fully operational.
Carvi Writer which began working full time last year was launched 3 years ago to grant autonomy to writers by helping them self publish their works and also earn money.
The online platform allows authors to self-publish their writings and to benefit from the transformation of these works into films, series and documentaries.
According to the Chief Executive Officer, Alimatou Diagne “Today, self-publishing is taken with tweezers, young authors find it hard to be recognised. Moreover, publication conditions are rather restrictive. Thus it becomes difficult to achieve financial independence through writings.”
Carvi Writer looks to combat this by publishing content online, and sharing revenues with the writers. There is also the opportunity for books to be transformed into alternative forms of content, offering further chances to achieve financial independence.
“As far as competition is concerned, book publishers exist across the continent and the world, but there aren’t any that combine writing and audiovisual production,” Diagne said.
“We have a revenue sharing model with writers. It offers writers a more interesting percentage.”
The bootstrapped startup currently boasts of around 14,000 readers. However it seeks funding to expand its network.
“Today, in Africa and in Senegal, there are more and more young writers publishing on social networks,” Diagne comfirmed.
“In Africa, in the field of book publishing, everything has to be done. Indeed, more than 90 per cent of the books sold in French-speaking Africa are imported. The book market is booming.”
She also revealed that Carvi Writer currently operates mostly in Senegal, Mali and Ivory Coast, but there are plans to expand beyond Africa to European and American markets. The company generates income through book sales, audiovisual production, advertising, and services such as digital printing and proofreading.
