kayo80:
I have done a lot of research and I have found out there are no rich fiction writers in Nigeria. Why is this so?



Yes, I know Nigerians don't have a reading habit, but what of the population of readers in the county? I believe they should be enough to make some authors of good works rich. Come on! We have a population of 180 million for crying out loud.

meneski:
we must force our people to start buying books.

kayo80:
I have done a lot of research and I have found out there are no rich fiction writers in Nigeria. Why is this so?



Yes, I know Nigerians don't have a reading habit, but what of the population of readers in the county? I believe they should be enough to make some authors of good works rich. Come on! We have a population of 180 million for crying out loud.

DarryOsh:


I mean this in a nice way. But you, my friend, are merely ignorant. What books have you tried to read? Wanna know how you reached this conclusion of yours.

Do you think movies too are a waste of time?

mmadubugwu:


Lack of interest. Most of us are busy focused on increasing our income means. Naija tough!
But it wouldn't be bad to have a poll, just to find out how many Nigerians actually read.

mmadubugwu:


The people of Nigeria are too distracted to focus on reading. This is what I think not what I know for certain. Struggling with survival means gives 'reading of books' little time and attention.

tiwiex:

You force them to buy it. Can you force them to read it? How do we force them to buy it anyway?

meneski:
so wetin una want make we do now... Because me now na fantasy novel i de write now and e go be three series. So 9ja una must buy book oh!

kayo80:
I have done a lot of research and I have found out there are no rich fiction writers in Nigeria. Why is this so?



Yes, I know Nigerians don't have a reading habit, but what of the population of readers in the county? I believe they should be enough to make some authors of good works rich. Come on! We have a population of 180 million for crying out loud.

Spasmic:


Browsing sections like romance provides more informative value than literature section. In the midst of all the trolling and trivial discussions, there is still a lot of useful information disseminated through articles and blog posts. Maybe you should have used a better juxtaposition. There is nothing of value in reading books on literature section. Most of the writers there are uncreative and just waste time doling out mediocre stories that contain the plots of already successful books. Reading stories on literature section adds no value to my intellectual experience. It doesn't open up my mind to new ways of thinking, it doesn't broaden my knowledge of the world, it doesn't introduce me to the real stories of real people, and it doesn't contain any profound philosophical theme that's worth pondering.

kjhova:


Nigerian book publishers are also struggling and have to make their business decisions on shoe string budgets too. This is a critical problem.

I once started a work titled "THE ORIGINS (Essay on Confraternities in Nigerian campuses" and required to do many interviews, some of which were going to be clandestine, at locations criss crossing the 6 geo-political zones of the country. The project also required visiting certain locations which kept being mentioned by early interviewees to get good perspective necessary for better descriptive narrative in the book.

I visited Longman as well as two lesser known publishers with my early manuscripts and midget recordings...of course, nothing came of my request for at least a review session and at best a pre-deal or something. Needless to say that I abandoned the project eventually. Shame on me.

BruncleZuma:

As far as your manuscript exists you shouldn't give up just yet.

kjhova:


Naa, it's 2 decades ago, I moved on. All materials are now irretrievably lost.

BruncleZuma:


I read something like what you're describing in a youth camp (The Origin of Cultism) or something like that 6-7 years ago poorly packaged but had interviews and pictures of their signs and handshakes.

I hope one of those publishers haven't ripped you off?

twosquare:
Pele... Not just Nigeria but Africa. Most successful Nigerian or African writers now writes from the diaspora. What we have now are emigre writers... Hardly will you see an African novelist or so writing from here because the market isn't here but there.

In a country where an average person is struggling to feed himself... Do you think he is going to buy books for leisure and "waste money" while his family goes hungry? I don't think so... Most writers target the western diaspora for their sales.

Blackops:
A new trend I have discovered about Nigerian writers is that they come to Nigeria to witness issues that are emerging such as terrorism, child bride, illegal migration to Europe, poverty, FGM, and every day issues worth writing. There is an audience in Europe and the America (Canada and the USA) who are ready to read about these events from these African writers. so they write for them and they make their money. check out writers like Elnathan John and the likes of them. Most books they write are mostly on New York

BruncleZuma:
Wrong, that's because no one has tried it. Nnedi Okoroafor is a good example though she's technically not a Nigerian.

Spasmic:


I have read lots of books, both fiction and non fiction. The fiction books I'd consider as valuable are the ones that dwell on strong philosophical or political themes and these kinds of books fall within the domain of classic literature and aren't the kind that's prevalent now especially in the Nigerian market. Take for instance Dostoyevsky's Crime and punishment. This is a book that's premised on themes of existentialism and a dispassionate exploration of serious questions about morality. Or A picture of Dorian Grey that's just a remarkable lens into the deepest depths of Narcissism. Or 1984 that foreshadows the emergence of a dystopian world and the rise of an authoritative governments that deprives it's citizens liberties. Quite reminiscent if what's happening in our current society. These are the kind of fiction I consider as valuable because they broaden my perspective, introduce me to new realms of thought and open me to astonishingly novel ideas. Sadly, you don't get to see such kind of books anymore, especially within the circle of Nigerian writers and this was where my post about fiction being a waste of time was contextualize in.

But generally, I'll take reading non fiction over reading fiction anytime. And anytime I spend reading fiction would amount to a waste of time because it would be better spend reading informative non fiction or doing something more productive. Knowledge is power. Reading fiction doesn't really expand your knowledge. Non fiction however expands your reservoir of knowledge especially when your reading is varied and selected across various fields, and therein lies power. In the last year I have become more informed, more intelligent and more perceptive about my environment because I spent a lot of time reading Non fiction books encompassing various subjects. Before I started reading non fiction I was an avid reader of non fiction for many years but I never experienced such profound levels of intellectual growth that I experienced with reading non fiction for just few months.

I'd rather watch a movie than read a fiction book with the same plot.

einsteine:


Nnedi Okoroafor doesn't sell that many books. She just wins awards.

Many Nigerian writers want to write literature rather than what people would read. One would think that with the proliferation of mobile phones, someone would have figured a way to monetise Nigeria's huge reading audience. Okada books isn't doing it because their model is wrong. I know a guy who brings in a container of used books (novels) every month and he sells them. It's definitely not ghosts that are reading the books.

Abee79:
It really hurts to hear Nigerians say that reading fiction amounts to a waste of time

IamaNigerianGuy:
There are millionaire fiction writers. If we consider fiction to be creations of the mind.
What do you think Chris Oyakhilome, David Oyedepo and Chris Kwakpovwe are ?

kjhova:


Nigerian book publishers are also struggling and have to make their business decisions on shoe string budgets too. This is a critical problem.

I once started a work titled "THE ORIGINS (Essay on Confraternities in Nigerian campuses" and required to do many interviews, some of which were going to be clandestine, at locations criss crossing the 6 geo-political zones of the country. The project also required visiting certain locations which kept being mentioned by early interviewees to get good perspective necessary for better descriptive narrative in the book.

I visited Longman as well as two lesser known publishers with my early manuscripts and midget recordings...of course, nothing came of my request for at least a review session and at best a pre-deal or something. Needless to say that I abandoned the project eventually. Shame on me.

einsteine:


Nnedi Okoroafor doesn't sell that many books. She just wins awards.

Many Nigerian writers want to write literature rather than what people would read. One would think that with the proliferation of mobile phones, someone would have figured a way to monetise Nigeria's huge reading audience. Okada books isn't doing it because their model is wrong. I know a guy who brings in a container of used books (novels) every month and he sells them. It's definitely not ghosts that are reading the books.

einsteine:

Life is not all about knowledge. Some of the greatest books in this world are fiction. The Bible, 1984, Animal Farm, you name it.

BruncleZuma:



My dear, I may have been one of the patronisers of your friend, then again I have transferred most of the books I got from friends colleagues and fellow conspirators to my Kindle and mobile phone .

That's where I faulted the Ops insinuations that Nigerians don't read.

IamaNigerianGuy:
There are millionaire fiction writers. If we consider fiction to be creations of the mind.
What do you think Chris Oyakhilome, David Oyedepo and Chris Kwakpovwe are ?

kayo80:


I didn't open this thread to say make an argument that Nigerians don't read. I am asking why there are no rich fiction writers. Simple.