Don’t Beg Publishers: Build Your Own Global Path as a Nigerian Faith Writer
ome Nigerian writers have been waiting for years for local publishers who never call back. They send manuscripts, pray for replies, and grow bitter in silence. Yet, the world is passing them by. The truth is simple. Waiting is equal to burying your own talent. Every month wasted on waiting is another month the global stage does not hear your voice.
ISBNs, copyright, and the power of rights sheets
You cannot talk global publishing if you do not even control your own ISBN. Stop hiding under local printers who tell you “we will use our office ISBN.” That means the book does not even belong to you in the eyes of the world. Copyright is your legal weapon. A rights sheet is your professional passport. Without these, no foreign agent or producer will take you seriously. When you walk into any negotiation and you cannot produce these, you have already marked yourself as a small time dreamer.
The global language of professionalism in publishing
The publishing world does not care about your hustle stories. They care about metadata, clean typesetting, and a proper book cover. They respect writers who understand global book distribution through platforms like IngramSpark or Amazon KDP. A Nigerian faith writer who speaks this professional language is treated like a peer, not a beggar. That is why some writers in Lagos are commanding attention abroad while others in Ibadan are still begging local printers to “please adjust the font.”
Self publishing in a way agents and producers respect
Self publishing does not mean mediocrity. It means learning how to set up a book so that an international agent can look at it and say, “this is ready for film adaptation.” That is how some Nigerian Christian novels have made their way into conversations in diaspora churches and faith based streaming platforms. The difference is not luck. The difference is structure, presentation, and professionalism.
Quick checklist: everything your book must have to get noticed
1. A proper ISBN registered in your own name
2. Copyright page written correctly with year, author name, and rights reserved
3. A rights sheet summarizing the book, its sales record, and adaptation potential
4. Clean formatting that looks global, not like a rushed school project
5. A cover design that can stand next to American and UK faith books without shame
Stop waiting. Start building your own global path
The choice is simple. You can keep waiting for a phone call that never comes, or you can master the tools that give your book wings. Protect your rights. Package your story. Place it where the world can see it. The next breakout Nigerian faith writer is not the one who begged a publisher. It is the one who built their own path.
