WI of the Future Staff
Date: May 12, 2025
On April 23rd in the heart of downtown Port of Spain, independent square Park, a village gathered under tents sectioned into tables laden with books and brazen with spirits helmed by passion and persistence for a full working day, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Never had there been a scene like this – worthy of a passer-by intrigue.
An ‘experiment’
This rare sight was an event hosted by self-publishing consultancy and agency, One Momentum, as an ‘experiment’ as the host and founder, Daniel Francis coyly put it. A simple hypothesis: a collection of books and their authors to sell to whom it would inspire, this ‘Author Village’ would be the first of its kind done independently by the company off it’s debut Author Village and Caribbean Author Conference at Central Bank Auditorium, sponsored by TTRS, last year 2024.
The Results: Remarking on the company’s hopes for the authorship community, the CEO, Daniel, determined the experiment a failure.
Slow sales, minute interest; results that had shown that there is much work to be done towards the development of this industry before events like this can prosper independently.
Daniel’s One Momentum
With the data collected and the mission calibrated, 2025’s Author Village has made a surmountable trial and error for Daniel who has made a life mission to seeing this industry prosper – his new sights are on this year’s Author Conference to be held in November.
To remain this steadfast for 5 years (since the year 2019), tells of a man with vision and optimism for this facet of Caribbean media. He, to this day, is one of the few who by sheer will and determination are keeping the gears turning in a jacked out and cobwebbed machine. A machine left to reels of a community whose main qualifier is to write; to build but not to engineer.
Daniel is an engineer.
Where his arms are heavy, he has already seen success.
A self-publisher of three books, with over 2,500 books sold regionally and 800+ registered digital users, Daniel’s One Momentum (Company) is making a significant impact. By prioritizing author education and accessibility, the company is shaping the future of Caribbean literature.
Inkfrastructure for the Future
Jaded authors in attendance for One Momentum’s event include: Matrina: Marine-minded’s Katrina Roberts, ‘Petra & The Pouii’s Phillip Simon , ‘Aviology X ‘ s Jaimie Enightoola and new authors ‘Melodies of the Heart’s Samara Lalloo and many more look forward to opportunities to access market spaces and need the engineering (and them some) to make their futures as authors feasible.
‘We’re limited by diaspora’ Katrina pronounces on the village’s shortcomings. Katrina in particular who makes regular advertisement of her book through her mascot/party persona ‘Mertrina’, can speak to the lack apparent of infrastructure to facilitate sales.
The Conclusion: Where status-events like Bocus-fest don’t cater for the self-published, independent projects, like Author Markets, typically don’t pull a sufficient audience.
While it’s back to the drawing board and onto a new objective for engineers like One Momentum, the JAVA (July-August Vacation i.e. summer!) horizon re-invigorates phototropic prospects for new experiments –
Bustr is making its market debut in its first market tour!
From late June to September; a four-month spectacle for media of every industry is promised from gaming to books to figurines, all with a Caribbean originator focus. Bustr will try its hand in fostering audiences and authors (and other IP owners) for a unique experiment worthy of the title the most ambitious company in Caribbean media.
Sign up early by filling out this form to secure your seat on the voyage to literary and media excellence. Learn more about the experiment and movement at bustrmedia.com/bustrmrkt (COMING SOON).
