Book Publishing in Nigeria
- 1. Book Publishing in NigeriaMAUDE RABIU GWADABE mrgwadabe.mac@buk.edu.ng R00M B1-182, FIRST FLOOR, DEPARTMENT OF MASS COMMUNICATION, BAYERO UNIVERSITY KANO MAC 2212: INTRODUCTION TO BOOK PUBLISHING
- 2. Introduction • Book publishing in Nigeria is essentially private and unregulated • Nigerian Publishers Association – the main professional body for book publishers – was established in 1965. • Membership is open to publishers registered as limited liability companies in Nigeria that have published a stipulated number of books. • Currently, NPA has 103 members. • However, there are tens of thousands non-member publishers.
- 3. History of Book Publishing in Nigeria • Pre-Colonial era • Colonial era • Early Independence era • Onitsha Market Literature • Indigenization of Publishing • Kano Market Literature
- 4. Pre-Colonial • Muslim scholars brought book to areas of Northern Nigeria ca. 700CE. • Indigenous scholars in Kanem Bornu empire and Hausa states started writing books by the 800s CE. • Christian missionaries brought books to Southern Nigeria in the 1600s CE. • The 1804 Sokoto Jihad led to mass production of books by indigenous scholars and importation of foreign books
- 5. Colonial • In Southern Nigeria, Christian missionaries and European commercial houses were the main book publishers • In Northern Nigeria, the government was the main publisher of boko books. • This difference was due to differences in the acceptance of European Education in the two protectorates.
- 6. Southern Nigeria • The Church Missionary Society, CMS started publishing books in 1921. • The Oxford University Press (West Africa) was established in 1949. • OUP (WA)’s mission was mainly to publish English language books for non- native speakers. • Educated Africans like Nnamdi Azikiwe started publishing books by the 1930s.
- 7. Northern Nigeria • Translation Bureau was established in the 1930s • The Bureau published translations and original Hausa manuscripts. • To encourage fiction production it organized competitions. • Northern Region Literature Agency (NORLA) was founded in 1954. • NORLA was closed in 1959 due to massive losses. • Arabic and Islamic books printed in Egypt and Lebanon.
- 8. Early Independence • Dominance by the so-called Big Five European Publishers • Oxford University Press (West Africa) 1948 • Evans Brothers (Nigeria Publishers) Limited 1956 • Longman Nigeria Plc 1961. • Heinemann Educational Books (Nigeria) Plc 1962 • Macmillan Nigeria Publishers Limited 1963
- 9. Onitsha Market Literature • Inexpensive pamphlets published in the 1950s and 60s by traders at the Onitsha market in Eastern Nigeria. • It actually started in the 1940s with two books written by Cyprian Ekwensi but became popular in the 1960s. • The pamphlets are mostly advice and romance literature as well as self-help books. • Shortage of formal publishers and driven by market demand.
- 10. Indigenization • In 1978, the Federal Government of Nigeria promulgated the Indigenization Decree. • The Decree compels foreign publishing companies operating in Nigeria to sell 60% equity to Nigerians.
- 11. Kano Market Literature • The growth of literacy in Northern Nigeria and lack of publishing companies led to the emergence of Kano Market Literature. • Popular Romance novellas by semi-educated young adults.
- 12. Challenges • Educational publishing dominates the industry • Steady decline in profits • Poor reading culture • Lack of confidence by authors in the publishing companies • High cost of production • High level of piracy
- 13. Institutional Reactions • 1983 Nigerian National Congress on Books, • 1984 Task Force on the Scarcity of Books and Stationery, • 1987 Panel on a Book Policy for Nigeria, • 1989 ODA/ World Bank Books Sector Study, • 1990 National Council on Education Committee Report on the Rationalization of Textbooks in Primary and Secondary Schools, • 1990 British Council-sponsored Conference to debate the Books Sector Study, August-September • 1990 Ministerial Committee on Provision of Books to Schools and Colleges, • August 1993 Nigerian Educational Research & Development Council Review Workshop on Preferred Recommendations for solving the problems of theNigerian Book Industry and Formation of Implementation Strategies, • April 1994National Conference on Book Development organized by the Nigerian BookFoundation on the theme "Making Books Readily and Affordable,” et cetera.