Othuke Ominiabohs, an English teacher, self-published his novels after a brush with death, realizing there was a gap in the market for fresh African writing. This led him to found Masobe Books, one of Nigeria’s fastest-growing independent publishers. Masobe Books focuses on publishing original works by African authors, reflecting the diverse experiences and stories of the continent. The publisher has achieved significant success, selling nearly 60,000 copies of 41 titles in 2024.
‘I was told books don’t sell here. I knew that wasn’t true’: the English teacher shaking up Nigeria’s publishing scene
Initially he spent two months driving across Nigeria, his car boot full of his novels, visiting bookshops he found on Google, begging them to stock copies, and organising readings. Within a year his first book, Odufa, had sold 2,000 copies and he was receiving requests for more.Ominiabohs was also getting calls from other writers, seeking advice on self-publishing. “I came across some very solid manuscripts and it dawned on me there was a gap in the market,” he says.
The sales reflect a thirst for literature among Nigerians, who for a long time had limited options, says Ominiabohs. “When we started our first print run, other publishers advised to print a small run – not more than 200 copies, ‘because books don’t sell here’,” he says. “I knew that wasn’t true from my own experience. So we printed 1,000 copies of several books, and they sold out in six months.”
Among Masobe Books’ most popular titles are The Incredible Dreams of Garba Dakaskus, a story about a quest for an obscure book, by Umar Abubakar Sidi, and Michael Afenfia’s The Mechanics of Yenagoa, a humorous tale about the daily struggles of working-class people in a provincial city. Africa has no shortage of celebrated writers – so why is it so hard for African readers to get hold of their books?“The best way to market a book is word-of-mouth, and if a reader is going to recommend it to a friend, it has to be a good book – interesting and unputdownable,” says Ominiabohs, who was selected as Literary Person of the Year in 2024 by
Publishing Business AFRICAN LITERATURE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY INDEPENDENT PUBLISHERS NIGERIA BOOK SALES
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