Man Booker Prize 2016 Longlist: J.M. Coetzee Leads Race for Literature Award

South African-Australian author J.M. Coetzee is vying for his third Man Booker Prize for Fiction with his latest novel The Schooldays of Jesus, a sequel to 2013’s The Childhood of Jesus.
Coetzee leads the 13 longlisted nominees for this year’s £50,000 literature prize, which is awarded to the finest new fiction published in English between October 1 and September 30 each year. He previously won the prize in 1983 for the Life & Times of Michael K and again in 1999 for Disgrace, and was the recipient of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Schooldays of Jesus, which is published in the U.K. on September 29 and in the U.S. in February 2017, continues the story of the gifted child David and his adoptive parents Simon and Inés. David, now seven, enrolls at a dance school where he makes “troubling discoveries about what grown-ups are capable of,” reads the novel’s short description.
Four debut novelists also make the longlist: Hystopia by David Means, The Many by Wyl Menmuir, Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh and Work Like Any Other by Virginia Reeves.
The longlisted works were selected by a panel of five judges chaired by historian and best-selling author Dr. Amanda Foreman.

“The range of books is broad and the quality extremely high,” said Foreman. “Each novel provoked intense discussion and, at times, passionate debate, challenging our expectations of what a novel is and can be.
“From the historical to the contemporary, the satirical to the polemical, the novels in this list come from both established writers and new voices. The writing is uniformly fresh, energetic and important. It is a longlist to be relished.”
The shortlisted six novels will be announced on September 13, with the eventual winner being revealed at a special ceremony in London on October 25.
The winner of the Man Booker Prize will earn £50,000, while the other five shortlisted authors will each receive £2,500.
Last year’s winner Marlon James experienced a boost in sales for his lyrical novel A Brief History of Seven Killings, which has sold 315,000 copies in the U.K. and Commonwealth countries since his victory. The book has also been optioned by premium cable network HBO for a television series.
The 2016 Man Booker Prize longlist in full:
Paul Beatty— The Sellout (published by Oneworld)
J.M. Coetzee—The Schooldays of Jesus (Harvill Secker)
A.L. Kennedy—Serious Sweet (Jonathan Cape)
Deborah Levy—Hot Milk (Hamish Hamilton)
Graeme Macrae Burnet—His Bloody Project (Contraband)
Ian McGuire—The North Water (Scribner UK)
David Means—Hystopia (Faber & Faber)
Wyl Menuir—The Many (Salt)
Otessa Moshfegh—Eileen (Jonathan Cape)
Virginia Reeves—Work Like Any Other (Scribner UK)
Elizabeth Strout—My Name is Lucy Barton (Viking)
David Szalay—All That Man Is (Jonathan Cape)
Madeleine Thien—Do Not Say We Have Nothing (Granta Books)

Read an excerpt from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s new short story, inspired by Donald and Melania Trump

Have you ever tried to imagine a day in the life of the Trumps? How would Melania Trump deal with the day-to-day challenges of being married to the infamous businessperson, author and politician, Donald Trump? Does she feel accepted by his children, is there harmony in the Trump clan? Or are they just like any other family, riddled with politics, jealousies and heartaches?
Luckily for us, we don’t need to speculate any longer. Award-winning novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has written a short story for The New York Times Book Review entitled “The Arrangements”, in which she depicts Melania’s most inner thoughts and fears.
The story is the first in a series of fiction inspired by the upcoming American election and was published on Tuesday, 28 June.
From the first sentence – “Melania decided she would order the flowers herself” – the reader is aware that “The Arrangements” is not only a story about the Trump dynasty as perceived through the eyes of Melania. It is also a homage to Virginia Woolf as it echoes that famous first sentence: “Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself.”
Read an excerpt from “The Arrangements”:

Melania decided she would order the flowers herself. Donald was too busy now anyway to call Alessandra’s as usual and ask for “something amazing.” Once, in the early years, before she fully understood him, she had asked what his favorite flowers were.
“I use the best florists in the city, they’re terrific,” he replied, and she realized that taste, for him, was something to be determined by somebody else, and then flaunted.
At first, she wished he would not keep asking their guests, “How do you like these great flowers?” and that he would not be so nakedly in need of their praise, but now she felt a small tug of annoyance if a guest did not gush as Donald expected. The florists were indeed good, their peonies delicate as tissue, even if a little boring, and the interior decorators Donald had brought in — all the top guys used them, he said — were good, too, even if all that gold yellowness bordered on staleness, and so she did not disagree because Donald disliked dissent, and he only wanted the best for them, and she had what she really needed, this luxurious peace. But today, she would order herself. It was her dinner party to celebrate her parents’ anniversary. Unusual orchids, maybe. Her mother loved uncommon things.
Her Pilates instructor, Janelle, would arrive in half an hour. She had just enough time to order the flowers and complete her morning skin routine. She would use a different florist, she decided, where Donald did not have an account, and pay by herself. Donald might like that; he always liked the small efforts she made. Do the little things, don’t ask for big things and he will give them to you, her mother advised her, after she first met Donald. She gently patted three different serums on her face and then, with her fingertips, applied an eye cream and ­sunscreen.
What a bright morning. Summer sunlight raised her spirits. And Tiffany was leaving today. It felt good. The girl had been staying for the past week, and came and went, mostly staying out of her way. Still, it felt good. Yesterday she had taken Tiffany to lunch, so that she could tell Donald that she had taken Tiffany to lunch.
“She adores all my kids, it’s amazing,” Donald once told a reporter — he was happily blind to the strangeness in the air whenever she was with his children.
To keep the lunch short, she had told Tiffany that she had an afternoon meeting with the Chinese company that produced her jewelry — even though she had no plans. Tiffany had cheerily forked spinach salad into her mouth, her California voice too pleasant, too fey. Her wrists looked fragile and breakable. She talked about how much she loved Ivanka’s new collection; she talked about a vegan recipe, reciting details of berries and seaweed, as though Melania would actually ever make it. She played a recording of her singing and said: “It’s not there yet but I’m working on it. You think Dad will like it?” Melania said, “Of course.”

Meet The Cute Poet From Nigeria

Anyichie Nonye Angel is in her early 20s, and was born and brought up in Nigeria. She is the mind behind some of the greatest poems we've ever seen. Reading her poems, you could sense her soul and organic content. Here are some we are sharing today, and like we told you, her poems stands out for its clarity of observation and empathetic insight into the suffering and joys of her being and consciousness. Her beauty doesn't just end in her looks; it reflects on her poetry too.

These poems will also be featured in her collection of poetry coming out soon. 



FLEETING

I am alive
I try to do everything to keep my life
Yet the bread break and turn to gravel in my mouth.
Forsaking all counsel, I throw them all out
I embrace my soothing friend who is not fake;
Crying. Till I’m tired and my being ache
This is what I need now not to escape
I will embrace all I feel now and relish it
And live to give it wings tomorrow.
I want to smile now, please ocean, just let it.
The hope is sprouting amidst sorrow
This is the turning and twirling of my life.
This has come now the other flies away,
It is better this way than death and decay.
 
(Anyichie Nonye Angel/instagram @angeey28)

WAITING


The only faithful companions I’ve ever had
In this whole world and wide I came to add
Are my leaf and pen.
They have endured my endless probing
And consoled my painful writing and sobbing.
What is my course in this world then?
I ask, Waiting. Endless and hopeful waiting
Waiting and going on, hurting and hiding
Yes, although I wait for the goal
Can’t I be consoled awhile to the roots of my soul?
Who would give comfort and answers
To these turmoil in my being?
My companions, although faithful as I have owned
Cannot help me wait for a fate I do not know.
 
(Anyichie Nonye Angel/instagram @angeey28)

 

11 Clear First Hurdle for $100,000 NLNG Literature Prize (Women Dominate)

The Advisory Board for The Nigeria Prize for Literature has shortlisted 11 of the 73 books in the race for the 2016 literature prize.

The shortlist comprises entries from Nigerian writers at home and in the Diaspora. It parades well-known writers as well as first time novelists. Chika Unigwe, winner of The Nigeria Prize for Literature 2012 with her book On Black Sister’s Street and judge for the 2017 Manbooker Prize, is on the list with her entry Night Dancer published in 2014.  Sefi Atta, author of the widely popular Everything Good Will Comewith her entry A Bit of Difference as is Ogochukwu Promise, author of over fifteen novels, founder of Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa and two-time contender for The Nigeria Prize for Literature, is in with her book Sorrow’s Joy; Abubakar Adam Ibrahim, writer and journalist with Season of Crimson Blossoms; Yejide Kilanko, a writer of poetry and fiction with her debut novel Daughters Who Walk This Path. Ifeoma Okoye, a writer and author of children’s literature got on the list with The Fourth World; and Elnathan John with his novel, Born On A Tuesday.

Others on the list include another past contender for The Nigeria Prize for Literature are Ifeoluwa Adeniyi, a radio broadcaster with her debut novel On the Bank of the River; Aramide Segun, winner of an Association of Nigerian Authors Prose Prize for her debut book The Third Dimple with her novel Eniitan Daughter of Destiny; Mansim Chumah Okafor, author of two previous books of fiction with The Parable of the Lost Shepherds; and Maryam Awaisu, radio presenter with her first novel Burning Bright.

The list was presented by the chairman, panel of judges for this year’s prize, Prof. Dan Izevbaye, well-respected literary critic and a professor of English Language at Bowen University, Iwo. Other members of the panel of judges include Professor Asabe Usman Kabir, Professor of Oral and African Literatures at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto and Professor Isidore Diala, a professor of African Literature at Imo State University, Owerri and first winner of The Nigeria Prize for Literary Criticism.

As in the past, the contest for Africa’s most prestigious literature prize promises to be keen.

The Nigeria Prize for Literature has, since 2004, rewarded eminent writers such as Gabriel Okara (co-winner, 2004, poetry), Prof Ezenwa Ohaeto (co-winner, 2004, poetry) for The Dreamer, His Vision; Ahmed Yerima (2005, drama) for his play, Hard Ground;  Mabel Segun (co-winner, 2007, children’s literature) for her collection of short plays Reader’s Theatre; Professor Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo (co-winner, 2007, children’s literature) for her book, My Cousin Sammy; Kaine Agary (2008, prose) for her book Yellow Yellow; Esiaba Irobi (2010, drama) who clinched the prize posthumously with his book Cemetery Road; Adeleke Adeyemi (2011, children’s literature) with his book The Missing Clock; Chika Unigwe (2012, prose), with her novel, On Black Sisters Street; Tade Ipadeola (2013, poetry) with his collection of poems, The Sahara Testaments andProfessor Sam Ukala (2014, drama) with his play, Iredi War.

The Nigeria Prize for Literature rotates yearly amongst four literary genres: prose fiction, poetry, drama and children’s literature. The 2016 prize is for prose fiction and comes with a cash award of $100, 000. Next year’s genre will be poetry.

Nigeria LNG Limited remains committed to responsible corporate citizenship and The Nigeria Prize for Literature is one of its numerous contributions towards building a better Nigeria.
A shortlist of three is expected in September and a winner, if any, will be announced by the Advisory Board, led by Emeritus Professor Ayo Banjo, in October.

Women Dominate the List

 

Ugochukwu/Atta

Nigerian female writers have continued their impressive run in the country’s and global literary field with several signals that they have more surprises to spring. Buttressing this is the shortlist of the Nigeria Prize for Literature on which there are eight female writers and three males.

Many would say it is too early to celebrate any writer or gender on a rather long list of 11 people. Yet, others will be tickled by the huge female presence, with some of the country’s best tender writers standing tall on the list released by the Nigeria LNG-sponsored Advisory Board for The Nigeria Prize for Literature, led by Emeritus Prof. Ayo Banjo. Indeed, some of them have won major awards home and abroad.

The list parades Chika Unigwe, winner of the prize in 2012 (with her book On Black Sister’s Street), now coming back with Night Dancer, published in 2014.  Another multiple award winner there is Ogochukwu Promise, author of over 15 novels, who is also the founder of the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa. Interestingly, Ogochukwu is also a two-time contender for The Nigeria Prize for Literature and is now in the race with her book, Sorrow’s Joy.

Other female writers on the list are  Yejide Kilanko, a writer of poetry and fiction with her debut novel, Daughters Who Walk This Path;  Ifeoma Okoye, author of children’s literature, now contending with The Fourth World; Sefi Atta, author of the widely popular Everything Good Will Come, with her A Bit of Difference; Ifeoluwa Adeniyi, a radio broadcaster with On the Bank of the River; Aramide Segun, winner of an Association of Nigerian Authors Prose Prize for her debut book, The Third Dimple,  with her novel Eniitan Daughter of Destiny; and Maryam Awaisu, also a radio presenter, in the race with her first novel,  Burning Bright.

The three strong men among the amazons are Abubakar Ibrahim, writer and journalist contending with Season of Crimson Blossoms; Elnathan John, Born On A Tuesday; and Mansim Okafor, The Parable of the Lost Shepherds.

According to the General Manager, External Relations of Nigeria LNG, Mr. Kudo Eresia-Eke, the list was presented by the chairman, panel of judges for this year’s prize, Dan Izevbaye, an acclaimed literary critic and a professor of English Language at the Bowen University, Iwo, Osun State.  Other members of the panel include Prof. Asabe Kabir, Professor of Oral and African Literatures at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, and Isidore Diala, a professor of African Literature at Imo State University, Owerri and first winner of The Nigeria Prize for Literary Criticism.

Saying the long list came out of 173 entries, Kudo Eresia-Eke says, “As in the past, the contest for Africa’s most prestigious literature prize promises to be keen. The Nigeria Prize for Literature has, since 2004, rewarded eminent writers such as Gabriel Okara (co-winner, 2004, poetry); Prof. Ezenwa Ohaeto (co-winner, 2004, poetry) for The Dreamer, His Vision; Ahmed Yerima (2005, drama) for his play, Hard Ground;  Mabel Segun (co-winner, 2007, children’s literature) for her collection of short plays Reader’s Theatre; Prof. Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo (co-winner, 2007, children’s literature) for her book, My Cousin Sammy.”

82 famous quotes of Wole Soyinka as Nobel Laureate clocks 82

The Abeokuta, Ogun State-born icon won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986 and has become a vocal human rights activist in Nigeria. 

Literary giant, Professor Wole Soyinka turned 82 years old on July 13, 2016.

The Abeokuta, Ogun State-born icon won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986 and has become a vocal human rights activist in Nigeria.

In celebration of his 82nd birthday, we bring you 82 of his famous quotes…

1. Writing in certain environments carries with it an occupational risk.
2. I don’t know any other way to live but to wake up everyday armed with my convictions, not yielding them to the threat of danger and to the power and force of people who might despise me.
3. Under a dictatorship, a nation ceases to exist; all that remains is a fiefdom, a planet of slaves regimented by aliens from outer space.
4. The greatest threat to freedom is the absence of criticisms.
5. I cannot belong to a nation which permits such barbarities as stoning to death and amputation – I don’t care what religion it is.
6. I’m against liquor, completely against liquor. Wine is not liquor, a good brandy is not liquor, single malt whiskey is not liquor, palm wine is not liquor. All the rest is liquor.
7. The hand that dips into the bottom of the pot will eat the biggest snail.
8. A tiger does not proclaim its tigritude, it pounces.
9. Being the first black Nobel laureate, and the first African, the African world considered me personal property. I lost the remaining shreds of my anonymity, even to walk a few yards in London, Paris or Frankfurt without being stopped.
10. You are not a complete human being if you are not educated, schooled or cultured.
11. Don’t take shadows too seriously; reality is our only safety; continue to reject illusions.
12. Human life has meaning only to that degree and as long as it is lived in the service of humanity.
13. There is something really horrific for any human being who feels he is being consumed by other people. I’m talking about a writer’s critics, who don’t address what you’ve written, but want to probe into your existence and magnify the trivia of your life without any sense of humor, without any sense of context.
14. Power is domination, control, and therefore a very selective form of truth which is a lie.
15. And I believe that the best learning process of any kind of craft is just to look at the work of others.
16. And gradually they’re beginning to recognize the fact that there’s nothing more secure than a democratic, accountable, and participatory form of government. But it’s sunk in only theoretically, it has not yet sunk in completely in practical terms.
17. The man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny.
18. Books and all forms of writing are terror to those who wish to suppress the truth.
19. Looking at faces of people, one gets the feeling there’s a lot of work to be done.
20. I am convinced that Nigeria would have been a more highly developed country without the oil. I wished we’d never smelled the fumes of petroleum.
21. The hand that dips into the bottom of the pot will eat the biggest snail.
22. I grew up in an atmosphere where words were an integral part of culture.
23. My horizon on humanity is enlarged by reading the writers of poems, seeing a painting, listening to some music, some opera, which has nothing at all to do with a volatile human condition or struggle or whatever. It enriches me as a human being.
24. But when you’re deprived of it for a lengthy period then you value human companionship. But you have to survive and so you devise all kinds of mental exercises and it’s amazing
25. But the ultimate lesson is just sit down and write. That’s all.
26. We live in a materialist world, and materialism appeals so strongly to humanity, no matter where.
27. History teaches us to beware of the excitation of the liberated and the injustices that often accompany their righteous thirst for justice.
28. I consider the process of gestation just as important as when you’re actually sitting down putting words to the paper.
29. I like my peace and quiet whenever I can grab it.
30. Probably to me the greatest singer, female voice, is Billie Holiday. And one of the most moving for me, I don’t know why – maybe it’s nostalgia, maybe because my life is one of constant partying, whatever.
31. There are different kinds of artists and very often, I’ll be very frank with you, I wish I were a different kind.
32. I found, when I left, that there were others who felt the same way. We’d meet, they’d come and seek me out, we’d talk about the future. And I found that their depression and pessimism was every bit as acute as mine.
33. I don’t really consider myself a novelist, it just came out purely by accident.
34. I love beauty. But I like the beauty accidentally, not dished up, served up on a platter.
35. The writer is the visionary of his people… He anticipates, he warns.
36. The Lagos of my childhood was a well-laid-out maritime city.
37. But theater, because of its nature, both text, images, multimedia effects, has a wider base of communication with an audience. That’s why I call it the most social of the various art forms.
38. You cannot live a normal existence if you haven’t taken care of a problem that affects your life and affects the lives of others, values that you hold which in fact define your very existence.
39. Nigeria has had the misfortune – no, the fortune – of seeing the worst face of capitalism anywhere in Africa. The masses have seen it, they are disgusted, and they want an alternative.
40. I don’t know any other way to live but to wake up every day armed with my convictions, not yielding them to the threat of danger and to the power and force of people who might despise me
41. I have a kind of magnetic attraction to situations of violence.
42. Education is lacking in most of those who pontificate.
43. See, even despite pious statements to the contrary, much of the industrialized world has not yet come to terms with the recognition of the fallacy of what I call the strong man syndrome.
44. Military dictatorship, you can focus on it, you can fight it directly. It’s a band of power-driven people.
45. No human is completely fearless.
46. Art is solace; art is vision, and when I pick up a literary work, I am a consumer of literature for its own sake.
47. For me, justice is the prime condition of humanity.
48. All religions accept that there is something called ‘criminality.’ And criminality cannot be excused by religious fervour.
49. Some people think the Nobel Prize makes you bullet-proof. I never had that illusion.
50. I’m not one of those writers I learned about who get up in the morning, put a piece of paper in their typewriter machine and start writing. That I’ve never understood.
51. The scales of reckoning with mortality are never evenly weighted, alas, and thus it is on the shoulders of the living that the burden of justice must continue to rest.
52. I cannot belong to a nation which permits such barbarities as stoning to death and amputation – I don’t care what religion it is.
53. I began writing early – very, very early… I was already writing short stories for the radio and selling poems to poetry and art festivals; I was involved in school plays; I wrote essays, so there was no definite moment when I said, ‘Now I’m a writer.’ I’ve always been a writer.
54. After the death of the sadistic dictator Gen. Sanni Abacha in 1998, Nigeria underwent a one-year transitional military administration headed by Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, who uncharacteristically bowed out precisely on the promised date for military disengagement. Did the military truly disengage, however? No.
55. One has a responsibility to clean up one’s space and make it livable as far as one’s own resources go. That includes not only material resources, but psychological resources: the commitment of time and a portion of your mind to something when you’d rather be doing something else.
56. One, a mass movement from within, which, as you know, is constantly being put down brutally but which, again, regroups and moves forward as is happening right now as we are speaking.
57. A war, with its attendant human suffering, must, when that evil is unavoidable, be made to fragment more than buildings: It must shatter the foundations of thought and re-create. Only in this way does every individual share in the cataclysm and understand the purpose of sacrifice.
58. The Sudanese government has been playing games with the world, with the Africa Union, in particular, have been playing for time in order to conclude its mission of ethnic cleansing in the Sudan.
59. The Nation of Islam provides an antidote in the United States to fundamentalist Islam – which is why individuals from America have to go abroad to find radical teachings.
60. Books and all forms of writing have always been objects of terror to those who seek to suppress the truth.
61. I think that feeling that if one believed absolutely in any cause, then one must have the confidence, the self-certainty, to go through with that particular course of action.
62. I like to say, ‘I spend one-third of my time in Nigeria, one-third in Europe or America, and one-third on a plane.’
63. I’m not fond of biographies. I don’t like writing about myself.
64. In the world of literature, I see prizes as more of a duty to the craft itself, rather than as something for the individual.
65. There’s something about the theater which makes my fingertips tingle.
66. Trading and religion have always been aligned together in the history of the world, and
67. We Nigerians must reclaim our sovereignty, our civic entitlements.
68. Some African leaders actually dare to suggest that democracy is a concept alien to traditional African society. This is one of the most impudent political blasphemies I can think of.
69. I don’t have the sort of temperament that submits to Christianity or Islam.
70. I ceased using words like optimism and pessimism a long time ago.
71. In Africa, those who have money – businessmen and banks – do not believe in film.
72. Seven is the magic figure, because that’s a symbolic figure of my favorite deity, Ogun.
73. I’m an Afro-realist. I take what comes, and I do my best to affect what is unacceptable in society.
74. The problem with literature, with writing, is that it works sometimes in terms of correction of social ills. Other times, it just does not suffice.
75. England is the breeding ground of fundamentalist Muslims. Its social logic is to allow all religions to preach openly. But this is illogic, because none of the other religions preach apocalyptic violence. And yet England allows it.
76. I’ve always written plays for the purpose of getting something out of my system.
77. Romance is the sweetening of the soul
78. African film makers are scraping by on a mere pittance.
79. One thing I can tell you is this, that I am not a methodical writer.
80. An excessive amount of my time is taken with political involvement. It’s unavoidable; that’s my temperament.
81. No writer has a right to make that much money. Indeed, without diabolical assistance, no writer can.
82. The blatant aggressiveness of theocracies I find distressing, because I grew up when Christians, Muslim and animists lived peacefully together.

Writers invited to Enter Short Story Competition

Writers, professional or aspiring, have until the end of this month to enter Short Story Day Africa competition.
The story must be between 3 000 and 5 000 words on the theme of ‘migrations’ and must be accompanied by the writer’s 100-word biography. The winner gets N$10 000.
The Goethe-Institut Namibia recently held a workshop as part of the short story competition in which 12 selected participants completed a set of activities to develop their short story writing skills and have the African continent tell its stories.

Workshop participant Rodney Gariseb says the workshop has inspired him greatly. “I was a straight-A learner and my parents thought that I was going to study medicine or engineering but I felt that my imaginative mind had too many ideas to waste. This workshop has helped me to organise those ideas and put them on paper. Writing is nothing new to me.” The third-year student at the University of Namibia majoring in English says the topic of migration was well presented. “I enjoyed doing the poems because they all alluded to migration and nostalgia, which are definitely two topics that I think I will incorporate into my entry for the competition but also other stories in the future.”

Workshop participant Mimi Mwiya says she writes as a hobby and this workshop helped her to achieve the discipline required to write. “I am from the Zambezi Region and the topic of migration is something that I can relate to as I can trace my heritage to Zambia and Botswana but writing about it was not easy. This workshop has helped me to enforce the discipline and organise the ideas in my mind to put them on paper.” She adds that she now feels like a professional writer. “I don’t know what it means to be an African writer but I do now know what it means and how to put it on paper. This workshop has calmed down my mind, it created images and had me do some introspection to be inspired to write. I am looking forward to entering the competition.”

Celebrated on 21 June since inception in 2011, Short Story Day Africa aims to reclaim and revive story-telling, something that is part of African cultures since the beginning of time and through which ways of life, traditions, myths and important pieces of African history have been passed from generation to generation.

Five Publishers in Nigeria

 

Tips For Getting The Finest Book Publishing Services

For any creator, writing is a passion. However getting revealed is equally vital. Select a writer who offers you the convenience of being able to observe your book in any respect levels of the publishing process. Go for a publishing house that has qualified and experienced professionals who will care for all the pieces from the cover and interior design to the modifying and promotion of the book.

In order for you your book to be a bestseller, select the publisher wisely. Probably the most necessary considerations is the experience of the editors on the publishing house. Editing services are an integral part of the publishing process. The editor must be able to appreciate the creator's vision for the book and understand his or her writing style. The publishing house should have editors who are delicate to the wants of the author.

You also needs to ensure that the publishing house has a gifted gross sales and marketing crew for promoting your book. Check the monitor record of the publishing firm, particularly with books from an analogous genre. Earlier experiences with a number of publishing houses can also be a very good starting point for choosing the right publisher, in case you are not a primary time author. For these writing their first book publishers offering contract, getting an idea of the previous clients of a publishing firm could be a good indicator of the company's reputation.

Understand all of the implications of the publishing company's contract terms. Opt for phrases which might be favourable to you.

The advance offered to the creator is linked to the worth of his or her book for the publisher. Check the financial terms being offered by the publishing house to see how dedicated they are to your book. Find a writer who shares your vision of your work and respects lifelesslines. Select a company which supplies you management over your book. For many who are keen to experiment with completely different methods of publishing, electronic or digital publishing could also be a good idea.

Opt for a publishing house that's effectively connected to distributors and has demonstrable expertise with books which are much like the one authored by you. Assess the division of income between yourself and the publisher.

Book publishing companies supply a large network of people who could make your work properly known. Imprints of renowned publishers are additionally a good idea for those looking to make their book a world success. Most publishing houses have international offices they usually promote books to multiple countries.

Choose a publishing house that targets the area or inhabitants for which the book is intended. If you want to promote the book worldwide, opt for publishing companies that have a worldwide presence. You must also ensure that you're getting a healthy share of the general gross sales revenue.

Focus on the providers that the publisher is providing you. Consider the basic phases via which the enhancing process will go and the nature of the publicity campaign that will likely be launched to promote your book.Different crucial considerations are the extent of promoting assist, distribution community and pricing technique of the publisher.

 

 Nigeria Book Publishing Companies That Offer Contract To Authors

5. First Veritas Educational Content Delivery Ltd
 Established by the immediate former Managing Director of Evans Publishers Limited, Gbenro Adegbola, First Veritas Educational Content Delivery is an organization whose focus is strongly bent towards the provision of high quality and cost effective educational services and solutions through innovation to students and other stakeholders in the educational industry.
First Veritas as a firm stands for two things: innovation and top quality publishing. We believe in the years to come, First Veritas will bank on their publishing platform to sell our running comatose cultural identity. Welcome on board, First Veritas.

4 Evans Publishers Limited
   Evans' top quality, educative and affordable books has not  only attracted us, but it has ensured its placement on our prestigious Top Five.
 Evans Brothers Nigeria Publishers Limited has continued to thrive in the development of high quality educational and curriculum based books as well as leisure books. The company has a subsidiary company called Nelson Publishers which it acquired in 2004.
Evans Publishers initiated the 'Inspire Campaign' in 2004. This campaign is a platform adopted to positively impact and add value to all Evans stakeholders namely; students, teachers, booksellers, parents.
We salute you, Evans Publishers.

3     Black Tower Publishers Limited 

Black Tower Publishers Limited was incorporated in Costa Rica in December 1966 and today Black Tower Publishers Nig Ltd (branch) stands among Nigeria’s leading educational and online publishers. They publish books of all kinds; and help writers publish online. They also offer manuscript editing, proofreading, script review, ghostwriting services and publishing contracts.




 2. CassavaRepublic Press

   This is what Cassava Republic Press' refreshing and engaging website have to say about the intecontinental brand:
We set up Cassava Republic in 2006, after a few years of contemplation and planning.  African writers were being increasingly published and read overseas, with little knowledge or availability of this new wave of talent in Nigeria.  The conversation about African writing was taking place elsewhere. Something had to be done.

Seven years later, we are a small but established publishing brand, with a reputation for bringing out high quality fiction and non-fiction for adults and children alike.

Our mission is to change the way we all think about African writing.  We think that contemporary African prose should be rooted in African experience in all its diversity, whether set in filthy-yet-sexy megacities such as Lagos or Kinshasa, in little-known rural communities, in the recent past or indeed the near future.  We also think the time has come to build a new body of African writing that links writers across different times and spaces.

It's therefore the right time to ask challenging questions of African writing - where have we come from, where are we now, where are we going?  Our role is to facilitate and participate in addressing these questions, as our list grows.  We are still just beginning.
Good job, Cassava Republic.



1 Bookcraft Limited

    A friend of mine was saying the other day that Wole Soyinka must have bought a larger percentage of Bookcraft Limited since the company publishes all of his latest titles.

BOOKCRAFT has done well for themselves and the publishing industry, providing upcoming publishing houses the necessary template.What we like about the company? If there is one thing we are eulogizing the firm for, it is their taste of quality which exudes in the packaging and presentation of all of their titles.

Established in Nigeria over twenty years ago, BOOKCRAFT has published a large number of titles in a wide variety of subjects art; biography; history; literature; politics; current affairs; for a growing market of discerning, sophisticated and well educated bibliophiles.

BOOKCRAFT has over the years established a distinctive presence in the book market, the uniquely-packaged, reader-friendly design of our books, quickly becoming an instantly recognizable trademark. Well done, BOOKCRAFT.Congratulations.