Odiyo adds Diana McCaulay’s ‘Dog-Heart’ to growing catalogue

Dog-Heart by award-winning Jamaican author Diana McCaulay will join Caribbean audiobook marketplace Odiyo’s catalogue this August. The novel will be narrated by Joan Kenzie.
McCaulay shared her appreciation for Dog-Heart being added to Odiyo, stating, “It’s special for me to hear my written words expressed in Jamaican voices,” she told The Gleaner. “Dog-Heart, in particular, is partly told from the point of view of a young inner-city boy. I am particularly happy to have that spoken.”
Her most recent novel, A House for Miss Pauline, has seen its audiobook outsell the print and ebook versions in some markets.
“Audiobooks are growing in popularity. And if anybody was published before about 2014 or 2015, it probably was not an audiobook contract. And certainly our classics wouldn’t be on audiobook. So it’s great that somebody is putting Caribbean literature into that format so it can have a much wider reach.”
Based in Kingston, Odiyo is ensuring that Caribbean stories in audio formats are being heard and told by Caribbean voices.
Officially launched nearly a year ago and co-founded by Saeed Thomas, Odiyo debuted as a straightforward digital storefront for Caribbean audiobooks.
“It’s not as hard to sell [Odiyo] as people think because there’s a gap for it. There are no real storefronts that have Caribbean audiobooks, so they’re hard to find,” he told The Gleaner. “A lot of publishers, especially the independent ones, are very interested in [Odiyo].”
The most prevalent genre on the platform from authors is children’s books, but the titles generating the most traction with listeners are thrillers and dramas.
Odiyo’s listenership extends beyond the Caribbean diaspora, including countries such as Singapore and Nigeria.
Thomas’ first recommendation for a new listener is Young Warriors, narrated by Desmond Dennis.
“It has the background, the sound effects, the ambience, it feels like you are there.”
Thomas shared, “[Odiyo] definitely checks that box to continue doing it in our own voice and from our own perspective … . When you tell your own stories, it checks other boxes such as representation and being able to have autonomy over your own identity.”
Head of Content Acquisitions Lesley-Ann Wanliss shared why Odiyo is ideal for Caribbean authors.
“When Caribbean writers place their books on all these international platforms, they don’t always get maximum financial benefit. The royalty share is lower. Some people can’t even get access to it if they live in the Caribbean. You don’t have those problems [with Odiyo].”
She continued, “How you value your IP is a big deal. And who gets to access your IP. And centring Caribbean narratives around the Caribbean and the world, those are big deals.”
As it relates to the platform’s next major move, Thomas confirmed that a subscription model is in the works.
“I wouldn’t make people subscribe with 30 books,” Thomas said. “But now that we’re reaching into the 60, the 70, the 80 book, then I think we’re going to go subscription.”
Coming additions also include podcasts, book club partnerships, and an eventual expansion into the African diaspora, details of which Thomas says will be revealed on Odiyo’s Instagram.
ruth-ann.briscoe@gleanerjm.com