₦airaland Forum

Orikinla:
Alarinjo,
Thank you for your rational analysis of the literary criisis of readership in Nigeria.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's novel Purple Hibiscus has sold over 14,000 copies in Nigeria so far. And if the distributors have wider network, the novel will sell more.

Nigerians will read if you encourage them.

Do you know that Nigerians even steal novels to read?

Most Western novels are chaeaper than Nigerian novels.
Because the pirated copies of the bestsellers are cheap and at the Yaba Bus Stop in Lagos, you can pay a token to borrow novels and return them when you have read them to collect another set for only N100. But Nigerian novellas or novelettes even sell as much as N300.

If we write and publish novels and sell them for as little as N200 a copy, more Nigerians can afford to buy them and read them.

You are right,i remember when i newly got into secondary school,i usually search other's school bag,not for money but for novels to steal.

alarinjo so Everything Good Will Come was written by Sefi Atta?...Some years ago,my younger brother picked the novel on the ground(it has been torn into two and he saw only half of it)and we read it.It's so interesting that we made it our favourite.Till today it is still with me and i treasure it.Enitan Taiwo And Sheri Bakare.

Orikinla i agree with you but you forgot about the issue of piracy.

On Point