Supplementary readers for the ABET market are not distributed in any great numbers through the conventional book chain. They are not marketed with any enthusiasm by many booksellers. They are not purchased in bulk by the libraries or the government sector. In the private sector the trend is to “hand ABET over” to a large service provider and assume that the learners will be given the necessary materials. Unfortunately, the service providers, in trying to ensure the viability of their own organisations, often see supplementary readers as an optional extra.

This situation is even worse when one considers the case of readers in African languages. There are very few readers available in African languages and those that exist do not sell well. Indeed, many publishers have either stopped publishing in African languages and/or have pulped readers that have occupied warehouse space for too long. The local publishing industry cannot publish books in African languages because they are not financially viable. Thus it is very important for NRP to continue to actively promote and market its books, particularly its titles in African languages.

One of the invaluable tools NRP uses to promote its books is a sophisticated and well-developed database which is constantly updated and revised. This resource serves many different purposes. In addition to being able to provide accurate, targeted mailing lists for marketing purposes, the database records sales and stock information. It also gives data for research on ABET publishing trends because it provides information like sales per language per year etc. NRP also relies on telephone networking to gather information on the very variable context in which the project operates. This is an invaluable way of networking and making new contacts.