Fiction Reads

How to open an Amazon Kindle Publishing Account in Kenya

To open an Amazon Kindle Publishing account, follow these steps:

Go to the Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) website at https://kdp.amazon.com and click on the “Sign up” button.
Sign in to your Amazon account. If you don’t have an Amazon account, you’ll need to create one.
Enter your name, email address, and password for your KDP account.
Provide your tax information, including your tax identification number and any necessary forms.
Fill in your bank account information: If you have a bank account in the US/UK etc, include your account number and routing number, so that you can receive payments for your book sales. If you don’t, choose the payment by check option.
Complete the Tax Interview with your tax information.
Once you have completed the registration process, you can start creating your book on KDP. Upload your manuscript, cover image, and any other relevant files.
Set your book’s pricing, royalties, and other details.

Can I publish a book on Amazon if I'm Kenyan?

Our Kdrama Fix this January 2023

Our kdrama fix this January 2023 includes five interesting kdramas you can watch on Netflix Kenya.

Under The Queen’s Umbrella

A spirited queen tries to rein in her rowdy sons in order to make one of them the next king of Joseon, while her competitors vie to snatch the throne.

Watch it if you love historical kdrama, funny scenes, and some court plots to keep everyone on their toes.

Available on Netflix Kenya

The Glory

A young woman, bullied to the point of deciding to drop out of school, plans the best way to get revenge. After becoming a primary school teacher, she takes in the son of the man who tormented her the most to enact her vengeance.

This one is not an easy watch, but it is really good. Glory tackles bullying in schools. It is about how one girl survives a harrowing experience and plots her revenge. The next part is available on Netflix Kenya on March 10.

Available on Netflix Kenya

Alchemy of Souls

A powerful sorceress in a blind woman’s body encounters a man from a prestigious family, who wants her help to change his destiny.

If you love fantasy, romance, and cute moments, this one is for you. The last part aired this January.

Available on Netflix

Our Beloved Summer

Years after filming a viral documentary in high school, two former lovers get pulled back in front of the camera and into each other’s lives.

This show is the easiest drama to watch. I loved every moment of it. It’s a coming off age story with a twist. I love that they unfold a story that happened ten years ago, during high school and graduation, while exploring the pressures of daily life ten years later. Either way, nothing beats Ung spraying water at Yeong-Su after they meet ten years later.

Available on Netflix Kenya

Twenty-Five, Twenty-One

n a time when dreams seem out of reach, a teenage fencer pursues big ambitions and meets a hardworking young man who seeks to rebuild his life.

Na Hee-Do’s determination to be the best fencer in the country is so inspiring to watch, I can only call it epic. Along the journey of training to be the best, she meets Back Yi-Jin who becomes her first love. The ending aside, this is a great story to watch just for the wins and highs.

Available on Netflix Kenya

Can I Publish a Book on Amazon if I’m Kenyan?

Can I publish a book on Amazon if I’m Kenyan?

Answer: Yes, you can publish a book on Amazon if you’re Kenyan.

What you need:

Register a publishing account on Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing.
Amazon will ask you to set up your account so they can determine how you get paid. You need the following details: Business type (Individual/Corporation), Date of Birth, Country or Region, Legal Name, Address, City, Postal Code, and Phone number.
On the Getting Paid Section – Kenyans can only use the Check Payments option. Amazon does not allow our region to connect Kenyan Bank Accounts. You will be paid in multiple currencies from different regions. The payment threshold is set at $100 dollars for each marketplace.
Complete the Tax Interview. The likely result of the interview is that you will be applicable for a 30% withholding tax rate. This is because Kenya has not signed any treaties on this matter with the US. If you’re able to use any of the options provided during the tax interview, do so. Please note you will have to provide sufficient information for approval.
Once your account is set up, go to the Bookshelf and upload your title. You can publish an e-book or a printed book. You can publish both. There is no limitation. Follow KDP’s guidelines when it comes to formatting.

How To Copyright Your Comic in Kenya

Are you a comic book creator? Are you wondering how to copyright your comic in Kenya?

The Kenyan Copyright Board has created an e-copyright registration platform. The link is here: Copyright Registration.

A Comic Book creator should have the following information to register for a comic book copyright in Kenya:

1. Your Personal Details for registration on the platform, that is, Your Name, National Identification Number, KRA Pin, email address, and phone number registered to you.

2. Copyright Work Details: These include the Title of the Comic Book, and an Abstract (or Description). The accepted file formats are PDFs/ JPEG/PNG/TIFF/PSD.

3. You will have to indicate if the comic book is commissioned or not. Include collaborating artists.

4. Upload any supporting documents of ownership you may have. These include but are not limited to contracts, split sheets, engagement letters, etc.

5. There is a registration charge of Kshs. 100 paid to the copyright board’s Pay Bill Number. Follow the instructions to get through the payment process.

6. Once cleared, the system will send you a confirmation message and alert you when your certificate is available. It will also let you know if there are any issues with the registration process.

Important takeaways:

1. Remember to include collaborating artists if there is more than one. Also, if the work is commissioned, do pay attention to the contract or terms of the commission before you register for copyright. You may also engage a lawyer to help you understand how commissioned work can be copyrighted.

2. The Copyright Board empowers you to protect your work. They help you emphasize that the work belongs to you. Otherwise, ownership of a comic begins from the moment you draw the first line on paper or screen and bring it to life.

3. Read the Kenya Copyright Board Regulations. You will find them here. Download them, read them, and ask questions if you need help understanding your legal standing. There is no reason why you cannot copyright your work!

The Lost Sisters – Book Review

The Lost Sisters by Holly Black

Sometimes the difference between a love story and a horror story is where the ending comes…

While Jude fought for power in the Court of Elfhame against the cruel Prince Cardan, her sister Taryn began to fall in love with the trickster, Locke.

Half-apology and half-explanation, it turns out that Taryn has some secrets of her own to reveal.

The Lost Sisters is a companion e-novella to the New York Times bestselling novel The Cruel Prince by master writer Holly Black.

Book Reviews

Fav Quote by Cardan to Taryn. “You’re awful.” He said it as though he was delighted. “And the worst part is that you believe otherwise.”

So, The Lost Sisters is an apology or an explanation Taryn gives to her twin sister Jude. There are terrible happenings that occur between the two. A betrayal that Taryn does her absolute best to explain in this book. In the end, I consider her a victim of circumstance and desire. The fight to fit in is hard to ignore. The difference in how people approach this fight is what defines a person.

Taryn is this, “Once upon a time, there was a girl named Taryn. She suffered many indignities at the hands of the magical people called the Folk, yet she never was anything but kind, no matter how they despised her. Then one day, a fox-haired faerie boy looked upon her and saw her virtue and her loveliness, so he took her to be his bride. And on his arm, dressed in a gown as bright as the stars, the other Folk saw her for the first time. They knew they’d misjudged her and…” But she treated her sister poorly to get there.

This is a side story from the main one. Read it after The Cruel Prince and before The Wicked King.