Still not sure how I ended up in publishing but what a journey it’s been! Delighted to be launching
@OtherStoriesHQ
and I’m grateful to all the beautiful souls who have supported me along the way. Looking forward to championing our stories and breaking all the rules…
There's a switch that goes off around late-20s/early-30s, where you suddenly stop caring about what people think. You don't feel the same need to justify yourself or explain your choices. I had my first real 'couldn't care less' experience this week and, friends, it was glorious.
Some people are really forcing this outdoor dining thing you know. It’s cold, your napkin keeps flying away, and you’re in the middle of a crowded pavement. It’s OK to go home.
Not trying to diminish its role in the solar system or anything, but the sun literally has one job. ONE. I don’t know why it finds it so hard to shine in MAY. Big big sun and you can’t fight your ways through a few clouds? Embarrassing.
I’m obsessed with Twitter’s new campaign, but Tweeting things into existence is hardddd. Not because you don’t know what you want, but because it takes so much courage. Publicly declaring your dreams? On Twitter? Ah. That one isn’t easy.
There's something really special about recognising growth within yourself. It could be the slightest change to how you respond to a situation, and others may not even see it - but when you see it, and when you know it's something you've been working on, it's the best feeling.
So many real lives were affected by this useless red list, and the problems don't just disappear because it's been scrapped. People missed funerals, cancelled weddings, some even took out loans to pay for the hotels, all for you to turn around a week later and say "whoops"?!
Ok last
#QueenCharlotte
tweet, I promise:
I loveee Shonda Rhimes' commitment to introducing the world to new talent. Obsessed with these two and I can't wait to see their careers flourish.
So apparently my sister coughed earlier today and my Mum’s response was something along the lines of “in sickness and in health is reserved for marriage so you better know what you’re doing” 😂😂😭
I love Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀'s insistence on writing her name with Yoruba tone marks. Now, when publications across the world cover her work, when they write about her books, they all start by honouring her name. Beautiful scenes.
Nothing I love more than seeing hard work pay off. Particularly when most of the hard work happens at the start with little to no recognition. When no one is gassing you but you're diligent, and you keep going, and you WIN! Ugh, I love love love to see it!
Growing and “getting older” are two different things but I love the personal growth that naturally comes with age. The introspection, the clear shift in interests and priorities, the additional value you place on your time. I love it so much.
I listened to a conversation between Oprah and Michelle Obama on my way to work and they said something about not knowing anything in their 20s. It was a quick point, they laughed and moved on, but I just had to pause, close my eyes, and let that wave of reassurance wash over me.
It's the NOPE for me! I can already tell this movie is going to be excellent because I know what that 'nope' is. That's the 'nope' you say when it's midnight and you hear a weird noise outside, but you shake your head and pretend you can't hear it because you value your life.
The best thing about Bukky Bakary's BAFTA win? It gives me another opportunity to post this iconic picture with Kosar Ali. The love I have for the two of them doesn't even make sense - all I know is that I'll be celebrating each of their wins like they're my own.
This u-turn is more annoying than the initial announcement because it proves that the red list never made sense in the first place. Sajid was on Sky News talking about 'data this' and 'data that' - it was all nonsense. No logic at all. And this just confirms what we all knew.
I'm creating a list of freelance writers who are open to working on book projects. No previous book experience required. If that's you or someone you know, DMs are open.
I wrote about how Beyoncé’s recent Lion King-inspired projects shouldn’t be a “love letter to Africa” because it doesn’t make sense for a fictional movie about wild animals to lead to any sort of celebration of “African culture”
Some of us are so good at code-switching, we don’t even realise when we do it. Constantly performing. Dividing ourselves into parts. Tucking a part away with one audience, dusting it off with another. Different versions of the same person chilling backstage, waiting to be called.
So happy and proud to finally share this project I’ve been working on with my good sis and colleague, Ore Agbaje-Williams.
#OfThisOurCountry
🇳🇬 - a collection of personal essays from acclaimed and award-winning Nigerian writers.
Out Sept 2021:
A friend asked me to recommend a short story collection and I almost cried of joy because it meant I could send her a ridiculously long voicenote about this genre-bending work of art.
Going out can be so exhausting when you've spent the majority of the year at home. I can't believe I used to go to work, and then go to events *after* work. Sometimes two events in one evening. Like, how? With what energy?
Whenever I need inspiration I watch a Beyoncé doc. Homecoming usually does the job. Her vision. Her attention to detail. Her level of execution. Something about seeing excellence makes you want to be excellent.
I'm looking for a Nigerian nonfiction writer for a feature about an environmental project in Owerri. Rate is $1/word. Open to established or emerging writers. If that’s you, or someone you know, my DMs are wide open.
Have you finished reading the books on your shelf? Ok so why did you just go and buy some more? What’s wrong with you, Nancy? Where’s all this money coming from?
For every exciting book deal/announcement, there’s usually a person in a publishing house who had to convince others that there’s a market for it. So if your fave got a deal, or you like the sound of a book, pleaseeee buy/pre-order. Hype is great but numbers make the difference.
.
@NancAdimora
is "delightedly" returning to
@HarperCollinsUK
in a newly created diversity-focused role, helping to attract authors and reach new or currently underserved audiences:
I don't understand why fraudsters are so LOUD! Why are you posting pictures of luxury cars and private jets? What kind of madness is that? If I was banging fraud, do you know how quiet I would be? Ah. Nobody would suspect a thing. I'd even put 'Librarian' on my LinkedIn profile.
I’ve never seen this woman wear anything other than trad. No matter the stage or the appointment, you can always count on her to come through with a head tie and some prints. Something about seeing the WTO boss killing it in ankara says “we made it” and I love that for us.
I’ve been doing so well with my sleep routine lately. Going to bed early, waking up early - it’s been delightful. But last night I heard a small voice say, “why don’t you reread Purple Hibiscus?” and that’s how I stayed up until 5am.
It’s Ghanaian Independence Day so I’m taking the opportunity to hype this beautiful BEAUTIFUL book about two British-Ghanaians who meet and fall in love in the 90s.
We go from London to Accra, and feel all the feels along the way. I need everyone to read it. Immediately.
A few years ago,
@girl_on_a_ledge
told me about a Nigerian Princess who worked at Guy’s Hospital during WW2. We agreed that it would make a great historical novel and here it is...
A Nurse’s Tale, written by Ola Awonubi, inspired by the true story of Princess Adenrele Ademola.
Don't know when I became a 'let's jump on a call' babe, because how does one even 'jump' on a call? What does that rubbish even mean, and why do I love saying it so much?
Still can’t believe my friend opened a bookshop in Brixton - the same friend who launched a company that publishes inclusive children’s books, and the exact same friend who is determined to make the rest of us look extraordinarily useless... 😭❤️🙌🏾
If you have an idea to create something, please start working on it. Start where you are. Start with confusion and a blank Word Document. Start with fear, start with an overdrawn bank account and no expertise, start with whatever you want. Please just start.
I’m (obviously) speaking about the sun that has been allocated to those of us living in the UK. You guys in hot and sunny countries should mind your business.
The 'artists never die' quote sounds so cliché but it's facts. I felt the same when Toni Morrison and Chinua Achebe passed away. You're sad they're gone, and then you open a book and there they are.
These journalists LOVE to say that Americanah is ‘a book about racism in the US.’ That’s their favourite line. They’ll happily ignore the fact that it’s also a story about love. That it starts and ends with deep love between two Nigerian characters. Nobody talks about that part.
All the quotes from SPARE look fake - you see the screenshots and you think "nah, there's no way he wrote that" and then you read it for yourself and, just like that, your jaw is on the floor and you have no idea how to pick it up.
"This project is so much more than just a love story. It’s about bringing more representation and inclusivity to the romance genre",
@AmberRoseGill
is exactly
@MillsandBoon
's type on paper, signing her debut Until I Met You and launching Love To Write!
It's the first Wimbledon without Roger and Serena since 1997. You know you've done something right when a tournament has barely started and everyone can already feel your absence. 💔
I’m not even engaging with that race report. Not reading it. Not reading any articles responding to it. Not listening to any conversations about it. Scrolling past tweets about it. I’m choosing peace.
Proud to be in this year’s
@TheBookseller
#RisingStars
list! Congratulations to everyone else on the list and a special shout out to my favourite rising stars, Ore Agbaje-Williams and Bengono Bessala. 🥳❤️
Chineke, I remember feeling sooo dumb for saying it. I probably spent 2mins fumbling around, trying to make it make sense, not knowing that Chika was somewhere in the world, experiencing the exact same thing and would eventually articulate it perfectly in her TEDxEuston talk...
I asked this man why he wants to write a memoir, he's maybe in his 70s/80s, and he simply said “because I’ve had such a wonderful life.”
I felt like crying because isn’t that the most beautiful response? Isn’t that what we all want? To be able to look back at a wonderful life.
After two incredible years, I’ll be leaving my faves at
@HarperCollinsUK
next week. It’s been an unforgettable season of learning and growth and I’m looking forward to what comes next. More soon. 😊
"I’m looking forward to continuing to support teams in a new way, while creating more space to work on a broader variety of creative projects",
@NancAdimora
says goodbye to
@HarperCollinsUK
to work on personal projects! Discover more:
There is acting, there is ACTING, and there is that magical thing Sandra Bullock does. I don't know what to call it but Viola Davis does it too. So imagine both of them. Together. In one scene. I thought I was ready but I wasn't. 😭
This beautiful book is out today! It features rich Nigerians, bottles of wine, and a lot of drama - but it’s the gorgeous writing and the dry humour for me! I’m
#TeamHusband
for life. If you know, you know.
(If you don’t know, buy a copy!)