Everyone in Nation Media Group's got a Sunny Bindra book

It is perhaps the first firm in the country to do this: The Nation Media Group just bought each of its 1,000-plus employees a copy of Sunny Bindra's 'Crown your Customer'.

Those in the know say NMG is currently promoting customer care as a key feature of its 'New Culture' where "enablers" (Customer care, professionalism, clear career path etc) are promoted while "disablers" (back stabbing, favouritism etc) are being discouraged, or done away with.

To the extent that NMG is promoting customer care, Bindra’s book is seen as a fitting reading material – and what a read it is.

What is of note is that the firm actually bought its employees BOOKS. It didn't take the easier route of buying a few copies and dumping them in the library for those wishing to read to borrow; Or, better still, invite Mr Bindra to conduct a training on customer care.

Not even the 30-plus publishing houses in Kenya have bought a book for each of their employees. (Imagine if each of the editors in the publishing houses bought at least one locally published book a month…)

This is not only a vote of confidence in Bindra's writing and expertise (after all he is a columnist with Sunday Nation) but also a boost to the local publishing industry. It also encourages Muthoni Garland’s StoryMoja initiative.

But buying the books and giving them to the employees is just one step. The next step is to have the employees read the book … then apply the concepts so learnt.

Well done NMG.

Books everywhere but ...

Is it just me or is everyone suddenly into books?
We have Kwani? - flush with cash but mean as hell, never mind that is more of a clique of I-know-you-you-know-me-the-rest-are-idiots-let's-write fellas; Storymoja - still can't figure out how to describe Muthoni Garland's outfit past the word 'awesome' ... and dozens of other book related events like the recent book signing at Nakumatt Junction where about 7 authors featured.
Oh, and just today read of this couple that is offering an e-bookshop - you order your book online and pay via m-pesa then the book is delivered to you.
I'm aware Books First has such a service too. Midiwo's sister's Legacy bookshop at Yaya Centre and Sarit Centre has such a service too, I mean online purchase. Legacy is not your common kind of bookshop though - it mostly caters for NGOs and 'development' minded individuals.
Still on my rant about this outbreak of books, I must salute Nairobi Star - now known simply as The Star - for their pioneering way of marketing books. Every day they would offer a free book to a lucky reader. All the reader had to do was to write to them and say whta section of the paper they liked ... and they would get a book.
The Star also deserves praise for their relentless marketing of Michela Wrong's It's Our Turn to Eat, a book that no bookshop would touch for fear of being sued by our untouchable billionaire-shilling thieves. The book wouldn't stand much scrutiny, really. I mean, it's more of John Githongo and his sneaky ways at a Kikuyucentric State House than anything else.
Every other day a book is being launched or serialised somewhere in Kenya. Every hour, someone is blogging about a book or an editor is assessing a manuscript or some politician is engaging a writer for a biography ...
It's a books galore people. Don't be left behind.