Fewer than 100 copies of Shebo Nalishebo’s Uncommon Denominators remain from a first print run of 500, as the book finds readers across Zambia’s economic and policy community.
By The Zambian Economist Analyst
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Fewer than 100 copies remain from the 500-copy first print run of Uncommon Denominators, by Zambian economist Shebo Nalishebo.
- Economics Association of Zambia National Secretary Dr Nicholus Mainza is among the latest buyers.
- The book deals with Zambia’s development story, economics and public policy.
- Hardcover copies sell at K500 and paperback at K400, with free delivery nationwide.
A first print run of 500 copies is, by publishing standards, a modest bet. When fewer than 100 of them are left within weeks of release, that bet starts to look like a mispriced one. That is the position in which Shebo Nalishebo’s Uncommon Denominators now finds itself.
Dr Nicholus Mainza, National Secretary of the Economics Association of Zambia (EAZ), is the latest name on the growing list of readers who have bought the book. His purchase says something about the audience the title is reaching: not casual browsers, but people whose day job is thinking about the Zambian economy.
Who is Shebo Nalishebo?
Nalishebo is one of Zambia’s better known economic analysts, with a career spanning tax policy research and public commentary on fiscal and development questions. He has written and spoken extensively on taxation, public finance and economic policy, work that has made him a familiar byline and voice in Zambian economic debate.
Uncommon Denominators draws on that background. The book takes on Zambia’s development story, economics and public policy, the terrain Nalishebo has worked professionally for years.
A small print run tells its own story
Zambian non-fiction publishing is a thin market. Print runs are typically conservative because distribution is hard, bookshop shelf space is scarce, and most readers buy through WhatsApp orders and personal networks rather than retail chains. A 500-copy run is the industry’s realistic starting point, not a statement of modest ambition.
Within that context, selling through more than 400 copies is a genuine result. It suggests demand concentrated among professionals, students and policy watchers, the same readership that attends economic policy forums and follows budget analysis. The hardcover is priced at K500 and the paperback at K400, with free delivery within and outside Lusaka.
Why it matters
Books on the Zambian economy written by Zambian economists remain rare enough that each one expands a very small shelf. Most of the standard references on Zambia’s fiscal history are written by foreign academics or institutions. A domestically produced, domestically bought title that sells out its print run is evidence that a paying audience for homegrown economic analysis exists, which is good news for the next author contemplating the same gamble.
WARNING! All rights reserved. This material and all other digital content on this website may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed, in whole or in part, without the prior express permission of The Zambian Economist. Where permission is granted, the content must be clearly credited to “The Zambian Economist,” with “www.zambianeconomist.com” prominently displayed.
WhatsApp: +260775574228 | Email: info@zambianeconomist.com © 2026 The Zambian Economist.
Work With The Zambian Economist: Advertise With Us | List With Us | Submit an Article
