Writing a book is not easy, even for the most accomplished authors. It can be a daunting task, especially for new writers. It requires hard work, extreme ambition, and intense discipline.
Writing a book and not get paid for it however, is a dreaded experience that a lot of authors have unfortunately gone through. The risk of not getting paid is brought about by some mistakes on the side of the author, some affecting a whole career. For example, lack of a book contract with a co-author or a book publisher might cause sidelining and eventual lack of payment for writers.
One Thobias Wesonga recently came out to express his woes about unpaid dues by a fellow author, Newton Babior, author of DP William Ruto’s biography titled The Rise of a Hustler. Wok spoke to him in a bid to get his side of the story and understand what really happened between the two.
Who is Thobias Wesonga and what do you do?
I am a small business owner, selling home kitchen utensils. I also have an interest in writing.
Have you written any books?
I have written a few books, but I have not yet published any.
You recently made headlines with accusations against fellow author Newton Babior, alleging that he conned you and failed to pay for your writing for the book The Rise of a Hustler. Tell us more about that.
I met Newton around the time he launched the Raila Conspiracy book. I used to follow him online and grew an interest in him. I later reached out to him on Facebook, seeking help with publishing my book. That is when we started sharing ideas and issues of interest mostly though Facebook.
At what point did you agree to write the book The Rise of a Hustler for him?
All our communication was through Facebook, exchanging ideas for a different genre that is biographies. That is when we came up with an agreement for publishing my already written notes on the book.
The agreement was that Newton would cater to the publishing expenses for the book including typing, design and printing. We however agreed that we would appear as co-authors we on the book. To my surprise, he later demanded to have full ownership rights for the book. I
Did you agree to this?
Yes, I did. We both agreed that he would pay me Ksh. 120,000 for writing the book. He would later send me more money for what I would have earned as a co-author.
He even invited me to the launch of the book, but before the launch he blocked me on Facebook. So until the launching of the book, he had not paid me a single cent for anything.
Did Newton Babior in any way contribute to the writing of the book The Rise of a Hustler?
Newton Babior did not in any way contribute to the research or writing of the book. The book was purely written from my notes. The typists of the book are a witness to to this.
What evidence do you have to prove ownership of the book?
I have all my raw notes used in the writing of the book. I also have Facebook chats between us discussing the writing, publishing and ownership of the same.
Have you tried to reach out to Babior about this matter?
I have tried to but have not been able to because he blocked all chains of communication linking me to him. I have therefore decided to take legal steps against him.
I have even seen him on interviews on TV and blogs talking about the book, but he is clearly oblivious of the contents of it.
I have been told by my legal advisors to seek someone who is well informed in copyright issues. When I do so I will surely pursue justice.
What do you wish you did different in this whole scenario?
I wish I did not focus so much on the promises Babior made to me. At some point he started telling me about giving me a job and even building my mother a house. I focused more on the false promises. I also did not have a written agreement. I was all a verbal agreement which is hard to prove.
Wok reached out to Babior for comments regarding these claims. However, he has vehemently denied the claims, saying that Mr. Wesonga is just looking for clout.
