I Just Signed My First Publishing Deal...
With Masobe Books.
On July 17, 2026, I signed the official contract licensing my debut novel, The Stories Around Us, to leading Nigerian publisher Masobe Books for the exclusive right to publish and distribute it worldwide.
And the overwhelming emotion I’ve felt since then is nothing but gratitude.
I’m grateful to God for this talent and the privilege to share it with the world.
I’m grateful to the Masobe team for reading my work, enjoying it, and deciding to publish it.
I’m grateful to you who are reading this article and every other person who has supported my work or this newsletter since inception.
I cannot give away any details of the contract due to the confidentiality of its nature, but as of right now, it’s been signed, sealed, and delivered already.
Working on this book since November 2024 has been an interesting experience, and I cannot wait for it to all climax when it hits the shelves of bookshops nationwide in a few months.
Then the second book, then the third book too.
I’ll write a more extensive and detailed article on this journey when the release date and pre-order details have been announced, but the most important thing right now is that The Stories Around Us is going to be published for the world to read.
That, genuinely, means a great deal to me.
And I am grateful beyond measure.
Who are Masobe Books?
Masobe Books is an independent Nigerian publishing company founded in 2018 by author and publisher Othuke Ominiabohs.
They’re based in Lagos, and the company is dedicated to discovering, publishing, and promoting contemporary African writers and stories.
Which also means they love new and ready-to-be-proven voices like me, thank God.
The name, “Masobe”, means “Let Us Read” in the Isoko language, and over the years, they have become one of Nigeria’s leading independent publishers.
Some of their acclaimed works include Ghostroots by Pemi Aguda, A Broken People’s Playlist by Chimeka Garricks, The Mechanics of Yenagoa by Michael Afenfia, and The Incredible Dreams of Garba Dakaskus by Umar Abubakar Sidi.
And now, they’ll be publishing The Stories Around Us too, and the next two books that’ll come after it.
It’s so surreal.
If you’ve been following, you’ll remember that my initial plan for TSAU was to do it on a “small scale” since it was my first novel.
You know, maybe a PDF file + Selar link that will be shared.
Merely thinking back at it, I’m genuinely irritated at myself for being so limiting in my outlook.
Anyways, after I finished writing the novel last year, I decided that it would be very unfair for me not to give it, at least, the best chance of success, and that’s why I changed my mind from self-publishing to traditional publishing.
(If you’re a writer or an aspiring author, you should join my other newsletter On Writing & Storytelling for an extensive article in the future that will do a comprehensive breakdown of both.)
For the publishing of TSAU, I needed a publishing house that had the track record, reach, and same ambition for success, and I believe that Masobe ticks all three of these boxes perfectly.
The best part is they’re the only publishers I wanted for my novel right from the start, and for it to happen on my first try and first book, well… isn’t God great?
I’m genuinely looking forward to working with their great team of editors, designers, marketers, and everyone in-between.
What Happens Now?
Nothing spectacular… yet.
Life will continue to go on as it were.
Of course, this is the time I’ll start working on post-writing technicalities with the team I’m assigned to, but I really don’t think there will be anything “spectacular” about editing that book for the millionth time.
In due time though, I’ll let you guys know when things do start to get interesting.
What do I want from you?
Well… nothing you’re not already doing, honestly.
Maybe I don’t say it enough, but the support I have gotten and that I still get from this newsletter has been so unbelievable.
Ebun Writes will be “two years old” next month (August 12), and from inception till now, the growth and engagement have been somewhat fast, consistent, and humbling.
Yes, I can’t deny that I’ve also put in the work by writing quality articles and stories consistently (this is article 163 so far), but all of that wouldn’t matter if I didn’t have people who are always reading, sharing, restacking, commenting, and everything else.
If you’re one of such people, then you’re an integral part of the reasons this project even got this far because I’d have probably never started writing a book if I hadn’t been sure that I’d have anybody to read it.
So, thank you, very much.
Whilst I am already thinking of a few ways to “give back” to this ever-growing Substack community of mine (more on that later), there are still a few things I’d still like to humbly request.
Like I said in April last year, my primary audience, both for my articles and my book, is my said Substack community here.
That’s you that is currently reading this on the app or in your email, that is.
What that means is that whilst Masobe has an audience range that spans all across Nigeria, Africa, and the rest of the world, and whilst marketing efforts will be made to reach as many more people as possible…
For me, charity begins at home, here, with you.
You, my dear reader, are my first and primary customer before I even think of selling or trying to sell to anybody else.
In fact, from this newsletter alone, when the time comes, I’m expecting hundreds of preorders of The Stories Around Us, both paperback and ebook combined.
With 6,000+ subscribers and 25,000+ views per month on average, I don’t think that’s an unrealistic target.
And that doesn’t include the people you know, and the people they know, and the people they know…
Anyways, the time for that is not now, but you can trust me to remind you when the time comes.
So, for now, you can:
Join the Waitlist WhatsApp channel for all firsthand information:
I won’t write a post about every TSAU update, and the Substack Notes algorithm is wonky at best, so I’d prefer to simply drop a message on the channel when the need arises so I can reach those interested.
Cover design, exclusive pre-order discounts, release dates, information on book launch, etc.
All that and more if you join the channel.
You don’t have to worry about spam because I don’t send messages there unless it’s important.
That’s really all you can do for me for now, apart from the other things I mentioned earlier.
If you’re wondering why you should even be looking forward to The Stories Around Us, all I can do is point you to some of my past work and let the storytelling speak for itself.
Here are links to all the “Extra” stories I wrote in the course of writing this novel – some of them didn’t end up making it to the final draft, and the others were written primarily for this newsletter.
Read one or two of them, and I’m sure that you’ll be convinced that buying TSAU when it’s finally published will be worth your time and your money and your recommendations:
(Feel free to glance through them now and then come back to pick one to read when you’re done with this article.)
(A new extra story will be posted on Wednesday, and it’s titled “He’s Not A Monster”.)
Impressive catalogue, yes?
Enjoy!
Okay folks, that’s all I have to say for now.
As I said in my “public service announcement” back in December, I’ll only be writing full articles concerning The Stories Around Us when it’s absolutely necessary, so I might not write like this again for another few weeks/months.
That being said, I’ll still be writing regularly on here and also on Counter Cultural (new article on Friday) and on On Writing & Storytelling (new article next week).
My next post here on Wednesday is going to be another extra story from the wider The Stories Around Us library.
I really wanted this one to be in the book, but there was another story that was very similar, so I just left it out.
Ultimately, I’m not sure what my creative schedule will look like as time passes and my life starts to take some interesting turns, but what I do know is that I’m committed to my continued writing and building here.
I enjoy it and I don’t see it ending anytime soon.
Although, I do have to admit that it’s a crazy feeling when things you envisioned, hoped for, and prayed for start to materialise before your very eyes.
I’m cautiously optimistic about the future, but I’m very confident that, by the grace of God, everything will work out.
I have a lot of faith.
You should be too.
Whatever that dream is, get up now and start working toward it because no prophecy is ever self-fulfilling.
Also make sure you document the process as you go, it’ll keep you grounded and serve as evidence that you did put in the work.
Till later.
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Congratulations!!!
Omggg
Congratulations