How online publishing gives new writers a voice

Years ago, new Nigerian writers searched for publishers, both online and off. In recent times, the hunt had become a strictly soft copy affair, with manuscripts sent via electronic mails. Today, the social media has become the paradise for many, with blogs, online forums and magazines opening doors for publications. Bookshelf spoke to some of […]

Years ago, new Nigerian writers searched for publishers, both online and off. In recent times, the hunt had become a strictly soft copy affair, with manuscripts sent via electronic mails. Today, the social media has become the paradise for many, with blogs, online forums and magazines opening doors for publications. Bookshelf spoke to some of these writers who have found a voice through these mediums.   
One of the beneficiaries of online publishing is Mimi Adebayo, whose journey as a writer began when she joined a writers’ community called naijastories. Thus, the thought of the public and critics reading her work propelled her writing skill. “I began polishing my writing. At first what mattered, was just getting something out there for people to read, until I realised that online publishing also brought financial feedback. Well, that is the sweetest part. But to get there I had to clean up my writing real good so the contest judges will pay attention to me. That is exactly what I did. It is a beautiful thing to be judged solely on the quality of your work and given financial returns; in a couple of months my bank account was smiling. Not with overly large sums of money, but at least something was coming in,” she narrated.
Another writer, Samuel Okopi, describes the online means of communication as ‘one of the wonders of democracy and freedom of expression.’ He says; “it has been an incredibly transformative outlet for me. I began writing seriously not too long ago, and did not really consider traditional publishing as a gateway to get my writing out to the public. That immediate feedback one gets from Facebook posts, blogs, forums, online magazines and newspapers, was a big draw for me because it meant I could improve on my craft as a writer at great speed if only I wrote regularly and published. I saw that my writing improved dramatically on Naijastories. For two years, that was my only outlet for publishing my works until March last year when The Nation newspaper published an article of mine that went viral on the internet. That gave me an insight into the power of online publishing. 
Now, my writings have been published in newspapers like Daily Trust, online magazines like Bella Naija, Y Naija, and Klorofyl; and literary platform Africanwriter.com. I have a short story in a paperback anthology. And now, samuelokopi.com has become this website that doubles as my blog and has become the treasured space where I seek to thrill my readers with amazing stories and articles from the worlds of architecture, poetry, nature and culture.”
Like Okopi, Mimi Adebayo shared with Bookshelf how she benefits from the platforms on the internet.  “It has provided maximum opportunity for me to express myself. One does not have to go through the rigours of getting writing agents and submitting bulky manuscripts to traditional publishers with no assurance of being published.”
It is not uncommon to hear aspiring writers lament how they have not gotten any response from a publishing company or how they were discouraged now and again by the line; ‘we are sorry, but this is not what we need at this moment.’ “I am not saying that online publishing does not give room for rejection of some works, but more often than not, it gives upcoming writers an opportunity to be read,” Adebayo explains.
Talking about the risks involved in online publishing, she admits that it tends to be more exposed to plagiarism. “A major disadvantage of online publishing is that fear. It is more difficult to keep plagiarisers off works published online than it is with traditional publishers because of the legal baggage that comes with it.”
On the internet, contests have become a successful way of inculcating discipline and motivating writers to build their skills. Along with this is the welcome every unpopular writer gets. “No one is looking for authors with a brand name in online publishing,” Adebayo intimates. “I remember when I began to take my writing really serious was when I realised that there were online contests. The first few ones I entered for, I did not get shortlisted. I was still a crude writer, brushing upon my art. Then I decided I needed to do a make-over on my writing if I wanted to make any money out of it. I had to consciously decide to improve my art and luckily for me it paid off. Trust me, it is a beautiful feeling to receive, not just feedback for your work, but also financial returns because someone thought your work were good enough to get paid for.”
For many new writers with unpublished manuscripts, online publishing becomes the final solution, Ada Agada says. “But as soon as you get down to basics you realize that the success stories in e-publishing you read about are quite exceptional cases. I was all set to prepare a collection of poetry after a thorough editing and upload it to Amazon kindle reader when the experience of a friend dampened my enthusiasm. He has two novels on Noble and Barnes, the production of which he personally financed. He set a reasonable price for the books. But after two years he has not been able to sell a single copy of his books beyond his family and friends circle. I decided to put a temporary halt to my e-publishing dreams. Online publishing, especially with regard to a full-length book, is worthwhile if you have the requisite marketing strategies. In the absence of a robust marketing campaign you may only have the comfort of seeing your name on your e-book to keep hope alive. For us African writers based in Africa, the problem of a too narrow reading audience which assails traditional publishing also shadows e-publishing. When the audience is not there the writer ends up talking to himself, a very depressing outcome. Nevertheless, I still intend to publish a book online and see how it goes. I will price it low and see how things develope.”
So, like hard copy publications, soft copies seem to have their share of challenges. “It is much easier to get published on a blog, in an online magazine or on a Facebook group site. However, these platforms have the major disadvantage of not being financially rewarding for the writer. Most e-magazines publish your poems and short stories without mentioning the money issue, taking it for granted that the promise of fame should be enough incentive. Sometimes editors of e-magazines show signs of incompetence. My poems and short stories have been awaiting publication for over a year now in an e-magazine. The editors keep shifting the publication date. This can be discouraging.”