Kinyanjui Kombani (right) with John Sibi-Okumu during the ‘Writers In Conversation’ event at the Goethe Institut. PHOTO | MWIKALI LATI
What you need to know:
His book, The Last Villains of Molo, has been used as a study text in Kenyan universities which has boosted sales and built the writer’s profile.
As majority of the upcoming Kenyan writers opt for self-publishing, Kinyanjui Kombani says for any new book he writes, Longhorn Publishers will be his first choice.
They have published five of his books.
Kombani does not sit back and wait for royalties, he works hard for them. His book, The Last Villains of Molo, has been used as a study text in Kenyan universities which has boosted sales and built the writer’s profile.
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How is your latest book, ‘Den of Inequities’, doing?
It has out-sold The Last Villains of Molo. I have used social media to my advantage. Even before the launch, I already had a pre-order of 600 copies.
You go to a lot of book signings and events. What are the common questions you get?
People want to know the themes and the symbolism in my books. In The Last Villains of Molo, there is a place where the characters are passing through the slums then see a pregnant goat and someone had scrolled on it “Ask for Transport”. I was asked what the significance of that goat was. I just saw a similar goat and thought it was funny, so I added it in.
You work full-time at a bank. How do you find time to write?
I write in the evening after work. I once planned to write during a nine-hour flight and didn't manage a single word. Another time, I was in a one-hour flight and I wrote 1,500 words. I was scribbling on my notebook all the way. I think the less time I have the more I write.
On a note book? You do not use a laptop?
I find it tiring. They have a lot of distractions like pop-ups. It is also makes you conscious of your errors while writing.
How has your writing grown over the years?
When I wrote The Last Villains of Molo, I was using a dictionary. I was focused on impressing the readers and publishers with vocabulary. I wanted a build a name and now I know that simplicity is better. I have become more interested in just telling a good story.
What are you working on now?
A novel that I hope will be out next year. In the meantime, I am involved in Daystar University’s Creatives Academy workshop that takes place every Saturday at the Nairobi campus and organising the next Authors Buffet in May.
