All importantly, West-Blackwood has already indicated that the long-term ambition extends beyond English-speaking islands, to include French- and Spanish-speaking Caribbean publishers.
My choice for The Best of the Press this week goes to a post by Edward Nawotka over at Publishers Weekly.
This post draws heavily on Ed’s OP (read it here), but of course adds some additional TNPS-style background and analysis of one of the most exciting emerging publishing markets.
For decades, Caribbean literature has enjoyed an influence far greater than the size of the region that produced it. From Nobel laureates to Booker Prize winners, Caribbean writers have shaped world literature while frequently building their careers from London, New York or Toronto rather than from Kingston, Bridgetown or Port of Spain.
That paradox is at the heart of a new initiative launched by Latoya West-Blackwood director of the Jamaica Book Festival. Through the creation of the Caribbean Collective, publishers from eight English-speaking Caribbean nations hope to begin addressing one of the region’s longest-standing structural weaknesses: the absence of a sufficiently developed publishing ecosystem.
As West-Blackwood told PW, “A lot of the writers who have succeeded from our region have had to leave the Caribbean to go to places like New York or London, to get access to the whole publishing ecosystem from agents to publishers.”
Her ambition is straightforward but potentially transformative.
“My dream is to build out the Caribbean ecosystem to a point where we can have opportunities in the region, so somebody doesn’t have to leave.”
Those remarks, reported by Ed Nawotka in Publishers Weekly, resonate well beyond Jamaica.
Caribbean writing has never lacked talent
The Caribbean has produced an extraordinary literary tradition.
Authors including Derek Walcott, V. S. Naipaul, George Lamming, Jamaica Kincaid, Marlon James and Nicole Dennis-Benn have earned global recognition.
Yet many followed a familiar trajectory: international publication, overseas representation and careers centred outside their home territories.
The reasons are largely structural rather than creative.
The Caribbean comprises numerous small national markets spread across hundreds of islands and multiple languages. Individual populations are often measured in hundreds of thousands rather than millions. Freight costs remain high, inter-island distribution is expensive, and bookshops frequently depend upon educational publishing to remain commercially viable.
These are challenges that no single publisher can solve alone.
Publishing infrastructure matters
Latoya West-Blackwood’s observation that Caribbean writers often leave to access “the whole publishing ecosystem” highlights an issue increasingly recognised across international publishing.
Successful publishing industries require far more than authors.
They depend upon editors, literary agents, designers, printers, rights professionals, distributors, wholesalers, booksellers, reviewers, festival organisers, librarians, educational buyers, metadata specialists and export programmes operating together as an ecosystem.
In many Caribbean territories, these supporting industries remain comparatively thin.
While local publishers produce important work, particularly educational publishing and children’s books, the broader commercial infrastructure remains fragmented. Rights representation is limited, export channels are underdeveloped, and many publishers lack the scale needed to attend major international rights fairs independently.
That makes collective action particularly attractive.
From national publishing to regional publishing
The Caribbean Collective currently brings together publishing organisations from Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago
Rather than attempting to replace national publishing industries, the initiative creates a regional identity capable of presenting itself internationally.
Its debut collective stand at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair featured approximately 30 exhibitors, ranging from established publishers to self-published authors.
That approach mirrors strategies used successfully elsewhere.
Countries with relatively small domestic publishing industries – including the Baltic states, several Nordic nations and parts of Africa – have increasingly discovered that international visibility improves significantly when publishers exhibit collectively rather than individually.
For rights buyers, one stand offering dozens of publishers is considerably easier to discover than multiple independent exhibitors scattered across a vast exhibition hall.
Establishing a Caribbean publishing identity
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the initiative is West-Blackwood’s determination to define the Caribbean on its own terms.
As she told PW:
“One of my goals is to help the Caribbean establish its own identity in publishing circles. It is typically grouped in with Latin America, but we’re not Latin America – we’re the Caribbean.”
That distinction matters commercially as well as culturally.
International rights markets have traditionally grouped Caribbean publishing within wider Latin American programmes despite significant linguistic and historical differences.
The Caribbean encompasses English-, Spanish-, French- and Dutch-speaking nations and territories, alongside differing legal systems, colonial histories and publishing traditions.
Creating a recognisable Caribbean publishing brand could improve discoverability for rights buyers seeking literature specifically from the region.
All importantly, West-Blackwood has already indicated that the long-term ambition extends beyond English-speaking islands, to include French- and Spanish-speaking Caribbean publishers.
Jamaica’s growing leadership role
Although regional in ambition, the initiative naturally reflects Jamaica’s comparatively mature publishing landscape.
According to West-Blackwood, Jamaica currently hosts the largest concentration of active publishers among participating countries.
The country’s literary reputation is already well established internationally, while events such as the Calabash International Literary Festival have long attracted global attention.
The newer Jamaica Book Festival deliberately serves a different purpose.
Rather than focusing primarily on international literary tourism, it prioritises Jamaican and Caribbean authors while taking programming beyond Kingston into communities across the island.
Its inclusion of children’s programming and school engagement also reflects an understanding that publishing industries ultimately depend upon readers as much as writers.
Building links with Africa
Another notable development is the festival’s Africa-Caribbean Literary Exchange, supported by the African Export-Import Bank.
This reflects wider cultural and commercial efforts to strengthen publishing relationships across the Global South rather than relying exclusively upon traditional North Atlantic markets.
Such partnerships recognise shared histories while potentially opening new rights markets for Caribbean publishers.
Literary exchange increasingly sits alongside broader conversations about creative industries, cultural exports and economic development.
Children’s publishing as a strategic opportunity
Several titles highlighted by West-Blackwood suggest another important strategic direction.
Children’s publishing offers advantages for emerging publishing industries because successful books can generate multiple revenue streams through schools, libraries, licensing and international rights.
Her own publishing programme includes accessible trade publishing and innovative educational formats, including sign-language supported children’s content.
Meanwhile, Ready, Set, Hatch, published by Trinidad and Tobago’s Bright Eyed, demonstrates ambitions extending beyond traditional publishing into licensing and merchandising.
Those are increasingly important considerations as publishers diversify income sources.
Persistent structural challenges
West-Blackwood is careful not to underestimate the scale of the task ahead.
Independent bookshops remain under pressure following the pandemic.
Outside major urban centres, e-commerce infrastructure remains inconsistent.
Distribution across island nations continues to present logistical and financial obstacles.
Meanwhile, comprehensive publishing data remains elusive.
West-Blackwood notes that Jamaica’s National Library issues more than 150 ISBNs annually from fewer than 50 publishers, while acknowledging that the true volume of publishing is almost certainly higher because many independent authors publish through Amazon’s ebook and print-on-demand services without appearing in national publishing statistics.
That reflects a challenge faced in many developing publishing markets worldwide: traditional industry metrics increasingly fail to capture significant portions of publishing activity. That of course also applies to the mature markets.
International visibility versus local sustainability
Participation in international book fairs including Bologna and the Beijing International Book Fair represents an important first step.
However, international exposure alone cannot sustain a regional publishing ecosystem.
Long-term success will depend equally upon strengthening local book buying, improving distribution between Caribbean markets, expanding professional training, attracting investment and encouraging governments to view publishing as part of the creative economy rather than solely an educational service.
Several international organisations – including UNESCO, the International Publishers Association and regional publishing associations – have repeatedly emphasised that publishing industries contribute not only to literacy but also to economic development, cultural preservation and export earnings.
The Caribbean Collective appears aligned with that broader philosophy.
A significant moment for Caribbean publishing
Characteristically, West-Blackwood concludes Publishers Weekly‘s interview with an optimism grounded in practical ambition.
“We know there are so many writers and people who want to publish here if they have the opportunity, and what we’re striving to do is create opportunities for them to showcase their work, to sell it both locally and to the world.”
She adds:
“We know there’s more than just potential here – there’s talent.”
Few would dispute that assessment.
The Caribbean has supplied world literature with remarkable writers for generations.
The greater challenge has always been ensuring that publishing itself – not simply authorship – can flourish within the region.
If the Caribbean Collective succeeds in creating stronger professional networks, expanding international rights opportunities and encouraging publishers to think regionally as well as nationally, it may help shift the conversation from exporting Caribbean talent to building Caribbean publishing.
For an industry increasingly interested in bibliodiversity, regional voices and publishing ecosystems beyond traditional centres of power, that would represent a development worth watching closely.
A reminder to check out Ed Nawotka’s original post for Publishers Weekly for more insights into this exciting regional market arena.
This post first appeared in the TNPS LinkedIn Analysis Newsletter.
