25/03/2026
Yesterday 24th March ZARRSO had the pleasure of taking part in an authors conference that was put together by Platinum Communications Limited. Representing us was the Board Chairperson Mrs Maliya M. Sililo who was on a panel discussion that focused on the issues surrounding the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) in Zambia. In the discussion Mrs Sililo highlighted importance of the proper administration of the ISBN and how it is relevant to the work of ZARRSO.
We were also represented by the CEO Ms Ruth Simujayangombe who was part of a panel discussion that focused on how copyright law would protect authors in the age of AI. In her submissions she gave reference to the importance of a strong copyright law as the founda for author protection while mentioning the work that the RRO community has embarked on through the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organizations (IFRRO) by putting together an AI tool kit which will serve as a guide for policy makers and various stakeholders. The tool kit will be launched on 29th March 2026 and it focuses on responsible use of AI where copyright should be respected as a fundamental element of AI training models.
Below we share a summary of the proceedings of the meeting that was put together by the organizers.
Writers and government agencies discussed solutions to challenges in the book industry during the second Platinum Authors Conference on 24 March at Mulungushi International Conference Centre.
“We must ensure that books are not at the back end when we talk about development in Zambia,” said Dr Dora Siliya, convenor of the conference. “We must approach books as business instead of charity.”
Bookworld Zambia Limited affirmed its support for Zambian writers, and emphasized the importance of local stories that carry national identity.
“When we build a nation of readers, we are building a nation of thinkers, creators, and leaders,” said Dika Phiri, the area manager of Bookworld.
Abdullahi Bulle, the founder of Kenya’s NuriaStore, encouraged Bookworld to increase the number of African books sold in its shops.
“60% of the books sold at NuriaStore in Kenya are African,” Mr Bulle said. “To sell more African books, we need authors who create original content. That’s a challenge because Africa imports everything. Our colonial education system made us consumers, and we were never taught how to make use of what was under our soil. In 2023, Africa imported books worth $597 million while exporting books to the value of $81 million.”
The NuriaStore founder, who travelled from Nairobi to participate in Dr Siliya’s conference, noted that African books do not reach all readers because publishing systems are Western-controlled, prices are high, piracy prevails, and distribution platforms are limited. To overcome these barriers, industry players must build and sustain structures.
“Kenya has its own International Standard Book Numbers issued by the Kenya National Library,” Mr Bulle shared. “A self-published author can get an ISBN from the library for $11. Libraries are key for the book industry to function, and we should all support them. NuriaStore is now building the Museum of African Books to serve as a continental repository.”
Thereafter, Tapiwa Ngoma moderated a panel discussion on investment in the book industry featuring Great North Road Academy, Myaambo Publishing House, Kulanda House, Bold Ambition Books, LukumoNtambo Foundation, and 6 Light Media.
Patricia Kalwani Chibinga, the general manager of Great North Road Academy, asked authors to donate their books to schools.
“Schools struggle to have Zambian books at a large scale, and we feel that Government should fund authors and publishers,” said Ms Chibinga. “Authors can donate books to our schools so that pupils can read Zambian books. As Great North Road, we purchase textbooks but we don’t have funds to purchase all the genres that children need such as novels, poetry, and story books.”
The suggestion to donate books surprised some authors.
“Printing books is expensive for authors, and it is impossible for us to donate books to all schools,” said Mwanza Changala of LukumoNtambo Foundation.
Hilda Chintu of 6 Light Media explained why publications are expensive in Zambia.
“Local books are expensive since all printing consumables come from outside the country,” said Ms Chintu. “Zambian books look disappointing because professional machinery is not available. However, no one will buy expensive industrial equipment for 50 writers. Investors will purchase professional machines when there are more authors to use them.”
Jacob Kabwe of Myaambo Publishing House admitted that the book industry does not appeal to private investors.
“Any funding that enters a sector must be sustainable,” Mr Kabwe said. “The literary industry is small, and private funders will be hesitant until we prove that we can provide returns. Until then, the government has to fund some aspects as a public service.”
Kapampa Mwape, the CEO of Kulanda House, offered an alternative investment approach.
“The book sector is not unattractive, it is misunderstood,” Ms Mwape corrected. “An investor needs to understand that it is not enough to fund a single book. Investors will need to support careers in the publishing ecosystem. Writing, editing, typesetting, literary criticism, book marketing, and bookselling are careers that need to be supported.”
During the plenary, stakeholders said Zambian books should be more appealing. Coaches and mentors are needed to empower authors. Furthermore, stakeholders noted that self-publishing lacks scale, and traditional publishers are required to distribute books around the world.
“There is a difference between printing and publishing,” Sampa Kangwa-Wilkie shared. “Big publishers in the UK, US, and Australia do not print books in their own countries. They print in Asia where it is cheaper. I used to invest thousands of dollars in the Kalemba Short Story Prize, but I stopped when I saw that authors were using AI to generate stories. As an investor, I am not interested in funding AI literature with my own money.”
Moderated by Chelsea Chomba, the second panel discussion tackled International Standard Book Numbers. Dr Sydney Muponda explained that ISBN is a unique number given to every published book. It helps identify the country where a book comes from, the organization that published it, the author, exact title, and edition.
Mwiche Chikungu, Deputy Director of the National Arts Council, added that all creative work, including books, rely on metadata systems to provide proper identification. For writers, this system is especially important as it ensures their work is recognised, tracked and distributed correctly.
The panellists recounted that the University of Zambia was in charge of ISBN issuance until 2015, when the university admitted that providing numbers to authors around the country was beyond its scope of work. That is how the mandate to issue ISBNs was given to the Booksellers and Publishers Association of Zambia (BPAZ), a private network of presses and bookshops.
However, BPAZ failed to upload metadata and accrued debts with the global regulator of book numbers. This international agency deregistered BPAZ, leaving Zambia without its own ISBNs. In 2026, the international ISBN agency identified Namibia as an external agent country to assist with issuing ISBNs for Zambia.
“Metadata from the past 7 years needs to be updated, and all ISBNs issued in that period must be verified,” the National Arts Council said.
Maliya Mzyece Sililo, the Chairperson of the Zambian Reprographic Rights Society, pointed out that Zambia is in this dilemma because International Standard Book Numbers ought to be managed by national libraries. Ms Sililo suggested that the National Archives of Zambia is the next best option since Zambia does not have a national library.
Chileshe Lusale-Musukuma, director of the National Archives of Zambia, revealed that her institution is ready to integrate ISBN through a legal framework.
“As National Archives, we have already begun the process of incorporating International Standard Book Numbers, and we have sent a bill to the Cabinet Office,” Ms Lusale-Musukuma said.
After lunch, Samba Yonga gave a keynote address on indigenous libraries.
“Our ancestors had libraries before Europeans came to Africa,” Samba Yonga said in her keynote address. “Knowledge was inscribed on objects that we now use as decorations in our homes. These objects carried instructions, values, history, and cosmology. Our libraries were alive with wisdom hidden in symbols. When we shift our understanding of the library, we can appreciate this knowledge.”
Ms Yonga clarified that cave drawings, rainmaking rituals, pottery, and baskets were organized systems of thought with symbols that people interpreted through the guidance of a higher authority. However, these practices were demonised and renamed by colonialists.
“Africa’s living libraries became curio under colonialism,” she said. “But we can regain access to these libraries by reading our own cultural practices as knowledge rather than heritage.”
Moderated by Mukandi Siame, the third panel discussion reflected on the role of copyright law to protect authors. Chewe Chilufya, Deputy Registrar of the Patents and Companies Registration Authority (PACRA), advised authors to obtain copyright certificates.
“You pay K500 to register copyright with PACRA so that you can provide proof of ownership in case there is a dispute,” Mr Chilufya said. “We provide a certificate to show that you are the copyright owner of a work, but we do not police or enforce rights on your behalf. PACRA does not condone piracy, and we work with the Intellectual Property Unit of the Zambia Police.”
Ruth Simujayangombe, CEO of the Zambian Reprographic Rights Society (ZARRSO), encouraged authors to understand that copyright is an automatic right.
“Copyright is an intellectual property law that protects creators,” Ms Simujayangombe said. “Copyright is not granted by registration. You are protected immediately when you create a work, and no one can copy this work without your permission. When people make copies of your work, you are entitled to remuneration under copyright law. As ZARRSO, we pursue secondary reproduction to ensure that authors receive royalties. Copyright only protects creations of the mind, and that is why AI cannot be protected by copyright law.”
Dr Dora Siliya closed the event by thanking partners and announcing that the third Platinum Authors Conference will take place next year. She hinted that the next edition would be held on a Saturday to include children, families, and more readers.
“By connecting authors and government agencies, we developed solutions today that will help create jobs in the book industry,” Dr Siliya affirmed.
Photo credit: Platinum Communications Ltd
