‘Why original books will always win over pirated copies’

Bola Eyinade is a co-founder of Rovingheights bookstore which recently expanded its reach from Lagos to Abuja. She is a chartered accountant with a master’s degree in Business Management from Oxford Brookes University, United Kingdom. Here, she talks about piracy, bookselling in Abuja, and more. Excerpts: Bookshelf: Rovingheights opened its Abuja office in March this […]

Bola Eyinade is a co-founder of Rovingheights bookstore which recently expanded its reach from Lagos to Abuja. She is a chartered accountant with a master’s degree in Business Management from Oxford Brookes University, United Kingdom. Here, she talks about piracy, bookselling in Abuja, and more. Excerpts:

Bookshelf: Rovingheights opened its Abuja office in March this year. How has it fared so far in the capital city?

Bola Eyinade: The reception we have been getting from Abuja customers has been very good. Even from the day we opened for business. The launch party had a good turnout. It was so good that we remained open till late in the evening and customers kept trooping in. There were people that walked in for the first time and have returned to get more books. There are people who saw us on Twitter and we also had so many referrals. So, the reception has been so good and it can only get better

Bookshelf: The bookstore business isn’t an easy terrain to navigate in Nigeria. How has Rovingheights been able to rise above the tide?

Eyinade: We have been persistent, determined and consistent. It hasn’t been easy because of the type of market we are in. We are faced with competition from other booksellers as well as pirates. There are so many pirated titles out there. Why would you want to buy the original when you can get a fake copy? But we decided not to be perturbed by that because there are still many people who admire original books and feel authors should get what is due to them. It beats me why anyone would want to pirate someone else’s intellectual property? When you read you are enlightened and realise you should do better. So, it’s been discouraging in that respect, but there are still people who appreciate original copies and the fact that we can get it to them as soon as possible. Those are the customers who have been inspiring us to continue and we are happy to serve them and increase access to good reads

Bookshelf: How would you say your online sales have boosted the business compared to the offline?

Eyinade: The good thing about being online is that you are able to serve customers, even around the world. We deliver to places like Canada, the US and Ghana. Partnership with a good logistics company allows us to do that. It’s inspiring when you read an email where customers say they got their books. The good thing about those who buy online is that distance isn’t a barrier. You could stay in your house and order. You could order through Instagram or through our website and get books delivered at your doorstep same day in Abuja and Lagos or two to five days elsewhere. Another advantage about online orders is that some of them may want to order a lot in order to maximise delivery expenses.

However, for those who walk into the bookstore, it’s a greater experience because they see, feel and smell the books. So, they end up buying more titles than they set out to buy.

Bookshelf: How do you source for books?

Eyinade: We source books from different places. There are some titles we get in Nigeria and some, from abroad. Getting within the country isn’t difficult because in some cases, authors write us directly to help them sell their books. So, they are always there and we can let them know we need more. We also have books published by various publishers. They are also very accessible, and when we run out of stock, we easily restock from them. For foreign titles, we buy from publishers abroad and ship into the country. We have been able to get good shipping logistics companies who are able to deliver our books within a week from the US or the UK. If we have urgent requests, we expedite the delivery process by using DHL or UPS. So, being able to identify those who will make work easier and faster has proved useful to us in the business.

Bookshelf: For how long has Rovingheights been in existence?

Eyinade: We have been in existence for about six years, from our dining room. We went into a hiatus at some point and we became very active again in 2015 and our online presence played a great role in the traction we have gained lately

Bookshelf: What was your drive for establishing a bookstore?

Eyinade: First of all, it’s my passion for reading. You need to love books to run a bookstore. Secondly, there is the need in the market. Many authors find it difficult to reach their readers. It could be time consuming. That’s where we come in as the nexus between authors and readers.

Bookshelf: Earlier you talked about piracy in the industry. What pirated books have affected your business so far?

Eyinade: Despite the fact that there are pirated versions of some books, there are still people who desire to buy original copies at the true market value of the books. Sales might not move fast, but we still get our customers. I was so shocked and sad when I saw ‘Becoming’, Michelle Obama’s memoirs already pirated and hawked on the streets for two-thousand naira.

I had a funny experience once when I took an Uber from the airport and the driver learned I run a bookstore and showed me what he was reading. It was ‘Africa, Rise and Shine’ by Jim Ovia. He told me he got it in traffic for one-thousand five-hundred naira or thereabout. I was shocked. The original, hard copy retails for nine-thousand naira and the book has no paperback edition. He told me he needed to read it and bought it, but I tried to make him understand that he shouldn’t patronise pirates. But at the end of the day, we still have people who can’t bring themselves low to buy pirated books. When you know the value of a book and what you are getting from it, it becomes an insult to you to buy bootlegged version of the book.

I remember telling the founder of a book club that it was wrong for their members to share electronic copies among themselves. I was so impressed when she later told me that members thought about what I had said and heeded the advice that everyone should purchase his or her own e-copy. So now they look for original books that are more affordable.