THE PROBLEMS OF INDIGENOUS BOOK PUBLISHING IN NIGERIA

THE PROBLEMS OF INDIGENOUS BOOK PUBLISHING IN NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

Book publishing seems to be taking the back seat in the “comity” of mass media especially in Africa. The import of publishing is communication. The book at present is one of the most important tools for that purpose; however, not much is known about book publishing especially in developing countries. It is in this regard therefore that this study explored the problems of indigenous book publishing in Nigeria, the most populous black nation. The study had three objectives, namely: to find out the contributions that indigenous publishers are making towards the development of the Nigerian economy, to explore the challenges facing the book industry as well as the prospects available for book publishing. The theoretical framework for the study hinged on the libertarian theory of the press. The study being a survey utilized the questionnaire as instrument for data collection. The population of the study is 361 individuals that work in an indigenous publishing firm in Nigeria. The findings indicated that publishers are contributing to the growth of the Nigerian economy. The major challenges confronting the publishing industry include book piracy and infrastructure deficit while the prospects include the ever expanding population of citizens and the policy of compulsory basic education. The study recommends among others, a synergistic approach in fighting copyright violations involving all stakeholders: authors, printers, publishers, booksellers, Nigerian Copyright Commission and other law enforcement agencies.