The publishing industry prides itself on being a custodian of knowledge, culture and intellectual integrity. It presents itself as a noble space where ideas are refined, authors are nurtured, and learning materials are curated for the good of society. Yet beneath this polished surface lies an uncomfortable reality that many insiders whisper about but few are willing to confront openly. A significant number of senior managers working for mainstream publishing firms quietly run their own publishing outfits on the side. These operations are rarely declared. They are concealed behind proxies, relatives or shell companies, creating a murky ecosystem where loyalty is divided, and ethics are routinely compromised.
At the heart of the problem is a conflict of interest. A senior manager at a major publishing house holds immense trust and power. Such an individual has access to confidential information, including manuscripts under consideration, marketing strategies, pricing structures, distribution channels, reviewer networks, and procurement timelines. When the same person secretly owns or controls a competing publishing firm, their conscience is inevitably torn. Every decision they make raises a fundamental question: Am I acting in my employer’s best interests, or am I quietly advancing my own enterprise?
This conflict does not remain theoretical. It manifests in very practical and damaging ways. Some managers sneak in their own titles for vetting alongside those of their employer, using insider influence to fast-track approval, soften scrutiny or shape evaluation criteria. Others subtly manipulate editorial meetings to delay or frustrate competing manuscripts while ensuring their own books receive favourable attention. In environments where textbook approval or institutional adoption determines commercial success, such manoeuvres can make or break a title. The playing field is no longer level; it is tilted sharply in favour of the insider.
Marketing is another battleground where divided loyalty wreaks havoc. Senior managers oversee marketing budgets, sales teams and promotional priorities. When they have personal titles to push, temptation becomes opportunity. Sales representatives may be quietly encouraged to promote the manager’s “side” books first. Prime exhibition space at book fairs may be allocated to the smaller, secretly owned firm.
Institutional visits may conveniently include a pitch for these personal titles, while the employer’s books receive lukewarm support. Over time, the employer bleeds market share without fully understanding why its own senior staff seem strangely unenthusiastic about flagship products.
The damage goes beyond individual companies. The entire industry becomes polluted. Authors lose trust in publishers, often correctly suspecting that decisions are not made purely on merit. Genuine small publishers without insider connections are crowded out by those riding on the backs of mainstream firms. Quality suffers as shortcuts replace rigorous editorial standards. Instead of competing on excellence, publishers compete on proximity to power. The industry becomes murky, soiled and heavily polluted, no longer driven by ideas but by concealed interests.
The analogy of a head teacher of a private school running his own private school next door is particularly apt. Such behaviour would be universally condemned. Parents would rightly question whether the head teacher is deliberately neglecting their school to build up his own. Teachers would wonder whether resources, good students or innovative practices are being siphoned away. Regulators would see it as a blatant abuse of office. Yet in publishing, similar conduct is often tolerated, normalised or ignored under the guise of “entrepreneurial spirit.”
Defenders of this practice argue that the industry is harsh, margins are thin, and individuals must secure their futures. They claim that running a side publishing firm sharpens business skills and benefits the employer indirectly. This argument collapses under ethical scrutiny. Entrepreneurship is not the problem; deception is. There is a vast difference between openly declaring interests and secretly competing with one’s employer. Transparency allows institutions to manage conflicts. Secrecy weaponises them.
The silence around this issue is sustained by fear and complicity. Junior staff know what is happening but dare not speak. Authors suspect bias but lack proof. Boards often turn a blind eye because the managers in question deliver short-term results, even if those results are achieved through ethically questionable means. Regulators are slow, under-resourced or compromised. In such an environment, unethical behaviour does not merely survive; it thrives.
The long-term consequences are severe. Trust, once eroded, is challenging to rebuild. An industry that cannot police its own ethical boundaries invites external intervention, often clumsy and punitive. Talented professionals who value integrity leave, while opportunists remain. Ultimately, the publishing sector risks losing its moral authority as a shaper of minds and a guardian of learning.
Cleaning up this polluted space requires courage. Publishing firms must enforce clear conflict-of-interest policies and demand full disclosure from senior managers. Independent vetting processes should be insulated from individual influence. Marketing decisions must be audited transparently. Most importantly, the industry must rediscover the ethical spine that once justified its claim to be more than just another business.
Publishing is not merely about selling books; it is about shaping thought and preserving trust. When senior managers secretly run competing firms, they betray that trust. Like the head teacher running a rival school next door, they undermine the very institution they are paid to lead.
Until this practice is confronted honestly and decisively, the industry will remain murky, soiled and heavily polluted – profitable perhaps for a few insiders, but impoverished in integrity for all.
By Ashford Kimani
Ashford teaches English and Literature in Gatundu North Sub-county and serves as Dean of Studies.
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