Co-founder of Rovingheights Bookstore, Tobi Eyinade, disagrees with the belief that Africans do not read: ‘Rovingheights would not be here after nine years if that sentiment holds true. People often say Africans don’t read, yet we have managed to build a thriving book business despite the daunting challenges. Africans do read. While the numbers may not match those of other continents, we have come a long way.’
First Draft is our interview column, featuring authors and other prominent figures on books, reading, and writing.
Our questions are italicized.
What books or kinds of books did you read growing up?
I have my parents to thank for the eclectic books I read growing up. Their stern decision to not fix our damaged television in the mid-90s forced my siblings and I to find alternative ways to while away time in the suburban life of Agege, Lagos. Books became an inevitable escapism for me. Reading allowed me travel and see new places without moving an inch.
I read books in every shape or form, including newspapers. I remember my dad used to buy a lot of PM News, the defunct Next Newspaper, Tell, and The News. I also read magazines like Hint and old editions of Readers Digest. Then I upgraded to worn-out, coverless novels that were passed down from distant cousins and classmates in school. I voraciously devoured these books without even knowing their titles or seeing their covers. I would later discover that some of these books were by James Hardley Chase, some were from the Pacesetters series, and a few were Harlequin romance books. In school, I remember reading Eddie Iroh’s Without a Silver Spoon. Weirdly, I was not exposed to the Enid Blytons and J. K. Rowlings of this world as an early reader. I guess that gives a sense of my social class and humble upbringing. I was born and raised by two tenacious primary school teachers. They didn’t have the world but gave me and my siblings the absolute best in education and that shaped my love for books from an early age.
It was much later in the early 2000s that I gained access to and began to enjoy the Heinemann African Writers Series books like The Concubine by Elechi Amadi, Weep Not, Child by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, People of the City by Cyprian Ekwensi, Kole Omotoso’s To Borrow a Wandering Leaf, Dreams Die at Twilight by Wale Okediran, to mention a few. This was thanks to my brother, Adedotun Eyinade, who used to attend fairs to buy these books. Little did I know that we would go on to build one of the most formidable brands in Nigerian publishing: Rovingheights. I also remember reading Black Boy by Richard Wright as a 13-year-old. I can still relive the excitement I felt when I read Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi-Adichie in two days while in SS1. I gushed about it to the chagrin of my classmates who just couldn’t relate to my ecstasy.
If your life so far was a series of texts, which text (fiction or non-fiction) represents you at this moment?
Three texts come to mind now. First, the Bible, for obvious reasons. It has become an extraordinary anchor for me in this phase of my life. The characters have come to take on more meaning and life such that they are very relatable to my everyday living. I have not experienced a single text with such well-rounded and deeply flawed characters. Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist is the second text that perhaps represent me at this phase of my life. I like to believe I am a sojourner like Santiago, navigating the universe and my dreams, facing life’s unexpected turns with bravery, heart, and wisdom. Finally, I’m currently rereading The Gift of Imperfection by Brene Brown. Her guidepost about cultivating laughter, song and dance is teaching me how to be less in control.
I was born and raised by two tenacious primary school teachers. They didn’t have the world but gave me and my siblings the absolute best in education and that shaped my love for books from an early age.
You’re the co-founder of Rovingheights Bookstore. What inspired you to start selling books?
On the surface, I would say curiosity and the need to bridge the book accessibility gap. I wanted to read the books that were trending and were being reviewed on The Guardian, The New Yorker etc. However, I couldn’t find them at any bookstore around me. I remember reading a review of We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo on The Guardian and yearning for a copy. I don’t do well with e-books so that was not even an option.
I will never forget how I toured some of the major bookstores on the mainland and Island to no luck, in search of this title and many other international bestsellers. I had a eureka moment when, at one of the bookstores, I saw a book register with names of countless people who had been making requests for similar titles. That was the market feasibility study I needed to start selling books. First, I was glad to discover that there were interesting, quirky people like me who had similar tastes in books. I was excited to connect with them and serve their appetite for fine literature. That singular experience, plus a conversation with my brother, who had made some strides as a book distributor and promoter prior, birthed what is now Rovingheights.
‘Necessity is the mother of invention.’ This saying best describes our journey to becoming a reputable brand that grew from a dingy dining room in Shomolu. I still remember the days of grappling with 182 Instagram followers without a website and celebrating the few orders that trickled in from Twitter and other online marketplaces like Konga and Jumia. Those early days of working closely with book clubs to increase our sales margins and cold nights of leveraging exhibition stands at the Lagos Arts and Book Festival (LABAF) and the Lagos International Poetry festival (LIPFest) at Freedom Park taught me the value of delaying gratification and keeping my eyes on the goal. Rovingheights has become Nigeria’s favourite bookstore because of the painstaking and collective efforts of its founders to uphold excellence and do bookselling with an uncommon passion.
And does your experience running Rovingheights support the general sentiment that Africans don’t read?
Rovingheights would not be here after nine years if that sentiment holds true. People often say Africans don’t read, yet we have managed to build a thriving book business despite the daunting challenges. Africans do read. While the numbers may not match those of other continents, we have come a long way.
On the other hand, what I think has contributed to that narrative is that there’s been no robust statistics and report to dispel this sentiment. That is why Rovingheights has taken the lead by releasing a first-of-its-kind Rovingheights bestseller list presented with Open Country Mag. We have done this successfully for two years, and it has made a lot of difference for stakeholders and potential investors looking to contribute to the industry. It was also exciting to see the recent British Council report on the publishing landscapes in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. With the giant strides being made in Kenya and South Africa in publishing, for example, I am hopeful about what the next decade holds for the continent. Although, there is still a lot to be desired in terms of the reading culture and development of the ecosystem, the future looks promising.
Rovingheights was founded nearly ten years ago, in 2015. What challenges have you faced running a bookstore in Nigeria, especially as it has become one of the most recognizable brands in the country’s book industry? How have you navigated these challenges?
There have been countless challenges. However, I choose not to focus on them. At the time of going brick and mortar, we had a few doubts because of the dearth of bookstores in Nigeria. Many bookstores that had been in the space for long were shutting down operations and so it took a lot of bravery to venture into bookselling. Remember we had been operating solely online until 2018 when we opened our first store at Ogunlana Drive, Surulere. In more progressive climes where systems work, every high street has at least one bookstore and library. It is disheartening to know that such heights are not within the realm of possibility for us in present-day Nigeria.
The high costs of living and running a retail business in Nigeria are daunting. Infrastructure deficit, especially in logistics and transportation, remains a lingering challenge. Let us not even talk about inflation rate. When we started in 2015, I could send up to four kilograms of books from Lagos to Taraba State for as little as ₦950 to ₦1,050 through the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST). Now it costs about ten times that fee to seamlessly facilitate interstate delivery. It breaks my heart that basic needs like books and other amenities that should make life easier for people are luxury. Let us not even talk about the high cost of books, which has been inevitable. It is disheartening to see books that used to retail for less than ₦5000 now go for double the price.
For a business such as ours, which thrives on credit lines from international publishers, it is an absolute nightmare accessing foreign currency to trade and keep our shelves brimming with international releases. We are left to deal with the ever-fluctuating exchange rate and find new ways to hedge our risks.
What’s the most surprising bestseller you’ve seen in your store?
I will never forget how two books by Bayo Adeyinka took us by surprise in 2019: 40 Lessons I Learnt Along the Way and 30 Career Lessons I Learnt Along the Way. For months, we were inundated with orders for his books from every part of the country. Only to find out later that the author, who is also a senior banker, has a cult following on X where he heavily promotes his books and offers career advice to young people. Also, Broken by Fatima Bala has surprisingly become an unexpected fast-selling title across our stores.
Rovingheights has become Nigeria’s favourite bookstore because of the painstaking and collective efforts of its founders to uphold excellence and do bookselling with an uncommon passion.
What trends in Nigerian or African literature are you currently most excited about?
More women writers are exploring bold and audacious themes. I have also noticed the rise of books with vibrant, colourful covers and the most ludicrous titles. It seems like the more bizarre the book title, the more potential it has to pique one’s interest. I won’t mention names. We are also seeing a growing number of memoirs and biographies, and more fiction exploring African mythology.
What do you find to be the most fulfilling aspect of running a bookstore?
The genuinely heartwarming feedback, support, and adulation I get from authors and readers alike. It makes this often-thankless job of running a bookstore in a daunting economy like Nigeria worth the hassle. I also appreciate the opportunity to interact and engage customers in an uplifting banter about their book picks when on the shop floor. The early days when I used to respond to direct messages across our socials about sales enquiries were exhilarating. I don’t get much of that these days though. There are bigger fishes to fry, plus I prefer to remain faceless and just do more of people-watching when I occasionally have the time. I love the sheer pleasure of watching our walk-in customers plough through the many titles on our bookshelves, read through the blurbs on the back cover and battle with indecision on which book to add to cart. No greater joy!
What book(s) do you find most difficult to keep in stock, and what makes it so elusive?
The 130 titles in the Pacesetters series are gems. I would love to lay my hands on those books and pass them on to the Gen Zs and Gen Alphas. Those books made me grow an appreciation and appetite for African fiction. It is sad they are no longer in print. If you are lucky to find them, chances are that they are pirated copies.
In more progressive climes where systems work, every high street has at least one bookstore and library. It is disheartening to know that such heights are not within the realm of possibility for us in the present-day Nigeria.
What is your favourite book about books?
Two books: The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell and Chronicles of a Cairo Bookseller by Nadia Wassef. The titles give them away. I hope to someday author something similar.
Who is the most compelling character you’ve ever encountered in a book, and what makes them memorable?
This question is unfair to my frail human memory that is combining adulting with other pressing demands on my time. So, I will filter the range of books I’ll be considering to more contemporary fiction that I have read in recent times. I will never forget Ifemelu from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah. I feel like I managed to live out the wild, untethered version of myself through her.
How Adunni in Abi Daré’s The Girl with a Louding Voice and And So I Roar managed to leave a lasting impression on me still beats my imagination. Unlike Ifemelu, it wasn’t love at first read. At first, I found Adunni appalling and unrepresentative of the average Nigerian girl I grew up to know. However, she grew on me. She is all-consuming in her mannerism, wit, innocuous but daring attributes. Adunni’s profound quotes in her ‘The Very Important Small Book of Life’s Little Wisdoms’ left an indelible mark on me in the most unexpected fashion.
Which contemporary books do you think will become classics in the future?
Chigozie Obioma’s The Fishermen and Ayobami Adebayo’s A Spell of Good Things. Period!
And what topic do you wish more authors were writing about these days?
We need more historical fiction. We also need more enabling grounds for romantic fiction to boom. I am tired of trauma writing—give me more books that evoke joy please. We also need more relatable young adult fiction for Africans; I’m not just referring to science fiction and fantasy fiction. I am super bummed that young adult fiction these days have been reduced to science fiction. I want more fables for children. I want more books that explore sensitive and emotive themes in their rawest form. Toxic workplaces, menopause, the cost-of-living crisis in Nigeria, crime, harrowing divorce, etc. are intriguing themes worth exploring.
What’s one book you would recommend gifting a loved one this holiday season and why?
I don’t think I have a lot of recommendations for non-fiction. However, I can put my name on the line for Zain Asher’s Where the Children Take Us. I think it is remarkable that the CNN anchor chose to write an astonishing memoir in honour of her mother’s resilience to raise four successful children following the tragic loss of her husband. Obiajulu’s uncommon display of strength and parenting style inspires a fresh wave of doggedness in readers. Best part, my mom read a copy last year and was deeply moved.
For fiction A Very Gidi Christmas by Tomilola Coco Adeyemo is a book for the holiday season. While I haven’t read it, I’m hopeful it will live up to the hype beyond just its apt title. Also, these books: This Motherless Land by Nikki May, Call Me Legachi by Adesuwa O’Man Nwokedi and Yorùbá Boy Running by the late Biyi Bandele are delightful reads this holiday.
Many bookstores that had been in the space for long were shutting down operations and so it took a lot of bravery to venture into bookselling.
What are you currently working on?
I am currently taking a leap into publishing. I recently launched a publishing house called TBLNG Press. It is my new baby. Though I’m starting off small, the nurturer in me is keen to get it right and ensure it serves a big, vital purpose that has been ignored for too long in that space. Having been a bookseller for over nine years, I have a deeper understanding of what is missing, what those at the end of the value chain want. My goal is to make TBLNG Press the choicest home to more new, unconventional stories that are deserving of wider reach.
Question from Olusegun Tosin Kelejaye: What is success to you in your career?
Success means living a full, happy, and content life. Success means making an impact and building a legacy that outlives me. On my last day, I hope I can wear a smile of satisfaction knowing that I gave my best and made my mark in improving literacy.
Bonus: Please suggest a question for a future author’s First Draft
Which African writers have influenced your voice and style over the years?
Who should we interview next?
There are several outstanding people doing amazing things worth shining the spotlight on. It will be great to hear from more contemporary authors as well as unsung names. I would love to read from: Igoni Barett, Wale Okediran, Jowhor Ile, Franklyne Ikediasor, Kenechi Uzor, Noo Saro-Wiwa, Onyi Nwabineli and Uzo Orimalade, who I believe runs one of the most pristine indie bookstores in Lagos⎈
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