Every end of the year, since 2020, Rovingheights has shared an informal list of the top-selling titles in its stores. As Nigeria’s biggest literary bookstore, Rovingheights is a pillar of the reading community, providing books that other stores in the country might not have thought to stock. Late last year, its co-founder Tobi Eyinade asked Open Country Mag editor Otosirieze to collaborate on the store’s third annual list. In line with our mission to contextualize African literature (and film!) in the global conversation, we decided to compile the list on a bigger scale. Our motivation: creating the first formal bestseller list in Nigerian literature. Caveat: with data limited to Rovingheights and non-representative of other bookstores.
Beyond the bragging rights they invite, bestseller lists also function as industry reports. It is primarily in this larger sense that The Rovingheights Bestseller List 2022: Presented with Open Country Mag operates. There is the main list of the Top-selling 100 Books, and there are the genre lists for Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Children’s Books, and Self-Published titles. Together, they tell a story of Nigerian reading culture. Books, as we have known for decades now, are no longer the most prized cultural product for most Nigerians, no thanks in part to military rule, but when they are priority, they are pirated into such ubiquity that force legitimate booksellers out of business. So this list is an existential triumph for literary culture. And lists like this show not only the books we buy but perhaps why we buy them at the time we do.
Take the triple placement of Max Siollun’s history books, What Britain Did to Nigeria (No. 4 in Nonfiction; No. 10 in Top 100) and the duology Soldiers of Fortune: Nigerian Politics from Buhari to Babangida: 1983-1993 (No. 9 in Nonfiction; No. 48 in Top 100) and Nigeria’s Soldiers of Fortune: The Abacha and Obasanjo Years (No. 49 in Nonfiction). Or the staying power of Olusegun Obasanjo’s Nzeogwu (No. 31 in Nonfiction; No. 73 in Top 100), a biography of his late friend and one of the leaders of the first military coup in 1966, a book first published 36 years ago, in 1987, when the compilers of this list had not even been born. Or Okey Anueyiagu’s Biafra: The Horrors of War: The Story of a Child Soldier (No. 9 in Self-published). Political books like these may sell more than other kinds, but we also cannot ignore that people are buying them in our current national climate: with elections only one week away and the incumbent president a burden we cannot wait to be relieved of.
Piracy would be why Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, author of the widest read books of Nigerian literature since Things Fall Apart, does not top any of the categories or make the Top 15 in the Top 100. That and the fortunate trend of her books selling far more in collection than individually. But with Americanah (No. 8 in Fiction; No. 18 in Top 100), Notes on Grief (No. 9 in Nonfiction; No. 20 in Top 100), Half of a Yellow Sun (No. 16 in Fiction; No. 32 in Top 100), and Dear Ijeawele (No. 17 in Nonfiction; No. 45 in Top 100), she is the only author to have up to four books logged.
Meanwhile, Collen Hoover’s decimation of bestseller lists in the US and the UK also reached Nigeria as she makes a landfall with three novels. Other international bestsellers who make it in: Hanya Yanagihara, Michelle Obama, Jordan Peterson, Marcus Rashford.
Rovingheights’ data confirm that fiction and nonfiction far outsell poetry in Nigeria, which is why only the No. 1 book in Poetry, Dami Ajayi’s Affection and Other Accidents, broke into the Top 100, at No. 96. Poetry is the shortest list, but Rupi Kaur and Tolu Akinyemi, writing as Poetolu, manage to slip in two books each. Meanwhile the very titles of the books on the Self-Published list tell a story not of Nigerian reading culture now but of Nigerian hustle. The top-seller in that category: How to Sell to Nigerians by Akin Alabi (No. 3 in Top 100). The top-seller in Nonfiction, however, is not Nigerian. But a Nigerian is at No. 2, with a business book: Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede’s Leaving the Tarmac: Buying a Bank in Africa (No. 8 in Top 100).
We opted to include only the sales figure of the No. 1 bestselling book of 2022. It is a short story collection, Damilare Kuku’s Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad, and its 2,204 copies sold is over triple the book behind it.
The Top-selling Fiction Books
S/N. Title, Author, Publisher
49. The Baby is Mine, Oyinkan Braithwaite, Narrative Landscape
48. Seven Days in June, Tia Willimas, Quercus
47. Ace of Spades, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, Usborne Publishing
46. The Teller of Secrets, Bisi Adjapon, Ouida Books
45. Ugly Love, Colleen Hoover, Simon & Schuster UK
44. Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry, Joya Goffney, Hot Key Books
43. Born on a Tuesday, Elnathan John, Cassava Republic
42. The Madhouse, T.J. Benson, Masobe Books
41. Children of the Quicksands, Efua Traoré, Masobe Books
40. The Gilded Ones, Namina Forna, Usborne Publishing
39. Welcome to Lagos, Chibundu Onuzo, Narrative Landscape
38. Afonja: The Rise, Tunde Leye, Masobe Books
37. Children of Blood and Bone, Tomi Adeyemi, Macmillan Children’s Books
36. Sankofa, Chibundu Onuzo, Narrative Landscape
35. I Do Not Come to You By Chance, Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, Masobe Books
34. Butter Honey Pig Bread, Francesca Ekwuyasi, Ouida Books
33. Afonja: The Fall, Tunde Leye, Masobe Books
32. Chronicles of the Happiest People on Earth, Wole Soyinka, Bookcraft
31. A Bully Is Not a Hero, Nomthi Odukoya,
30. A Little Life, Hanya Yanagihara, Picador
29. The Death of Vivek Oji, Akwaeke Emezi, Farafina Books
28. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Simon & Schuster UK
27. The Thing Around Your Neck, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Narrative Landscape
26. His Only Wife, Peace Adzo Medie, Parresia Publishers
25. Love in Colour, Bolu Babalola, Headline
24. Daughters Who Walk This Path, Yejide Kilanko, Farafina Books
23. The Love Hypothesis, Ali Hazelwood, Sphere
22. The Mechanics of Yenagoa, Michael Afenfia, Masobe Books
21. Verity, Colleen Hoover, Atria
20. It Starts with Us, Colleen Hoover, Atria
19. My Sister, the Serial Killer, Oyinkan Braithwaite, Narrative Landscape
18. In Every Mirror She’s Black, Lola Akinmade Akerstrom, Parresia Publishers
17. The Girl with the Louding Voice, Abi Dare, Ouida Books
16. Half of a Yellow Sun, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Narrative Landscape
15. Dele Weds Destiny, Tomi Obaro, Knopf
14. What Happened to Janet Uzor, Miracle Emeka-Ukwor, Masobe Books
13. It Ends with Us, Collen Hoover, Atria
12. Tomorrow I Become a Woman, Aiwanose Odafen, Scribner
11. Ogadinma, or Everything Will Be Alright, Ukamaka Olisakwe, Masobe Books
10. Vagabonds, Eloghosa Osunde, Farafina Books
9. Stay with Me, Ayobami Adebayo, Ouida Books
8. Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Narrative Landscape
7. Bridges Are for Burning, Bina Idonije, Masobe Books
6. Wahala, Nikki May, Narrative Landscape Press
5. Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband?, Lizzie Damilola Blackburn, Narrative Landscape Press
4. The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives, Lola Shoneyin, Cassava Republic
3. A Broken People’s Playlist, Chimeka Garricks, Masobe Books
2. Honey and Spice, Bolu Babalola, William Morrow
1. Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad, Damilare Kuku, Masobe Books
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THE TOP-SELLING FICTION BOOKS OF 2022
The Top-selling Nonfiction Books
S/N. Title, Author, Publisher
49. Nigeria’s Soldiers of Fortune: The Abacha and Obasanjo Years, Max Siollun, Hurst
48. Think Again, Adam Grant, WH Allen
47. Of This Our Country, edited by Nancy Adimora, Harper Collins
46. Love Does Not Win Elections, Ayisha Osori, Narrative Landscape Press
45. For the Good of the Nation, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Alpha Communications
44. Bamboozled by Jesus, Yvonne Orji, Narrative Landscape Press
43. So Good They Can’t Ignore You, Cal Newport, Piatkus
42. Formation, Fola Fagbule and Feyi Fawehinmu, Cassava Republic
41. The Pressure Cooker, Nkiru Olumie-Ojo, Narrative Landscape
40. Leadership: Six Studies in World Strategy, Henry Kissinger, Allen Lane
39. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck, Mark Manson, Harper Paperbacks
38. 12 Rules for Life, Jordan Peterson, Penguin
37. Why Not? Citizenship, State Capture, Creeping Fascism and Criminal Hijack of Politics in Nigeria, Pat Utomi, Cassava Republic
36. My Participation, Bisi Akande
35. The Confident Woman Devotional, Hodder & Stoughton, Joyce Meyer
34. Mindset, by Dr. Carol Dweck, Robinsonn
33. Deep Work, Carl Newport, Piatkus
32. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho, Harper Collins
31. Nzeogwu, Olusegun Obasanjo, Spectrum Books
30. Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order, Ray Dalio, Simon & Schuster UK
29. Let’s Talk About Your Money, Kalu Ajah
28. Becoming Nigerian, Elnathan John, Cassava Republic
27. The Daily Laws, Robert Greene, Profile Books
26. I for Don Blow but I Too Dey Press Phone, Hymar David, Hymagination Publishing
25. Kama Sutra: A Position a Day, DK, Penguin Random House
24. Acts of the Holy Spirit, Jumoke Adenowo, Independently Published
23. Women and Leadership, Julia Gillard and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Corgi
22. Purpose in Crisis: Uncommon Secrets to Finding and Fulfilling Purpose in Times of Adversity, Samuel Ekundayo, Independently Published
21. How Women Rise, Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith, Random House Business
20. Will, Will Smith with Mark Manson, Penguin
19. Soldiers of Fortune: Nigerian Politics from Buhari to Babangida (1983-1993), Max Siollun, Cassava Republic
18. Finding Me, Viola Davis, Coronet
17. Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Narrative Landscape
16. The Sex Lives of African Women, Nana Darkoa Sekyiama, Dialogue Books
15. Ikigai, Héctor Garcia, Hutchinson
14. My Life in Full, Indra Nooyi, Piatkus
13. Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office, Lois P. Frankel, Grand Central Publishing
12. Fellow Nigerians, It’s All Politics, Simon Kolawole, Cable Books
11. The Light We Carry, Michelle Obama, Viking
10. Gambling on Development, Stefan Dercon, Hurst
9. Notes on Grief, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Narrative Landscape Press
8. The ARC of the Possible, Waziri Dio, Cable Books
7. I Am because We Are, Chidiogo Akunyili-Parr, Safari Books Ltd
6. Nigerians in Theory: Our Quirks, Habits and Idiosyncracies, Joe Abah and Yemi Adesanya, Bookcraft Africa
5. The Psychology of Money, Morgan Housel, Harriman House
4. What Britain Did to Nigeria, Max Siollun, Hurst
3. I Wish I Knew This Earlier: Lessons on Love, Toni Tone, Fourth Estate
2. Leaving the Tarmac: Buying a Bank in Africa, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, RedDoor Press
1. Atomic Habits, James Clear, Random House Business Books
The Top-selling Poetry Books
S/N. Title, Author, Publisher
8. A Little Violence, Seun Lari Williams, Independently Published
7. Home Body, Rupi Kaur, Simon & Schuster UK
6. Like Butterflies Scattered About by Art Rascals, Umar Abubakar Sidi, Masobe Books
5. Nomad, Romeo Oriogun, Griots Lounge Nigeria
4. Milk and Honey, Rapi Kaur, Andrews McMeel Publishing
3. Her Head Was a Spider’s Nest, Tolu Akinyemi (Poetolu), Heart of Words UK
2. Funny Men Cannot Be Trusted, Tolu Akinyemi (Poetolu), Heart of Words UK
1. Affection and Other Accidents, Dami Ajayi, Independently Published
CLICK TO SHOP FROM ROVINGHEIGHTS:
THE TOP-SELLING POETRY BOOKS OF 2022
The Top-selling Self-Published Books
S/N. Title, Author
20. Made in Aba, Enyi Abaribe
19. Ayinla Omowura, Festus Adedayo
18. Ope’s Money Diary, Ope from Cowrywise
17. Oma’s Seed, Loretta Olubunmi-Amosu
16. Proverb 31: Woman on the Streets of Lagos, Ifeoluwa Oyatokun
15. EPE Principle, Amida Azeez
14. From Storeroom to Boardroom, Babs Omotowa
13. How We Destroy Nigeria: Precedence of Doom, John Walker Adetunji Adeoye
12. Stripped, Solape Akinpelu
11. Tall Tales, Obi Echezona
10. Risk and Return, Yomi Jemibewon
9. Biafra: The Horrors of War: The Story of a Child Soldier, Okey Anueyiagu
8. Let’s Talk About Your Money, Kalu Ajah
7. The Man, the Soldier and the Patriot, Niran Adedokun
6. Act of the Holy Spirit, Jumoke Adenowo
5. Purpose in Crisis, Samuel Ekundayo
4. Your Problem Is That You’re Multi-Talented, Samuel Ekundayo
3. Woman as God Intended, Olajumoke Adenowo
2. Small Business, Big Money, Akin Alabi
1. How to Sell to Nigerians, Akin Alabi
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THE TOP-SELLING SELF-PUBLISHED BOOKS OF 2022
The Top-selling Children’s Books
S/N. Title, Author, Publisher
10. The 123 Letter Words Storybook: Fun in the Sun, Titilayo and Omezia Umaru, Independently Published
9. Mansa Musa Builds a School, Kunda Kids, Kunda Kids
8. Wish Maker, Uchechukwu Peter Umezurike, Masobe
7. The Boy at the Back of the Class, Onjali Q. Raúf, Orion Children’s Books
6. The Night Bus Hero, Onjali Q. Raúf, Orion Children’s Books
5. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Wrecking Ball, Jeff Kinney, Puffin
4. Marcus Rashford: You Are a Champion, Marcus Rashford, Macmillan Children’s Books
3. No! Don’t Touch Me There, Nomthi Odukoya, Grace Springs Africa Publishers
2. A Bully Is Not a Hero, Nomthi Odukoya, Grace Springs Africa Publishers
1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Diper Overlode, Jeff Kinney, Puffi
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THE TOP-SELLING CHILDREN’S BOOKS OF 2022
The 100 Top-selling Books of 2022
S/N. Title, Author, Publisher
100. Think Again, Adam Grant, WH Allen
96. Ace of Spades, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, Usborne Publishing
96. Affection and Other Accidents, Dami Ajayi, Independently Published
96. For the Good of the Nation, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Alpha Communications
96. Love Does Not Win Elections, Ayisha Osori, Narrative Landscape Press
95. Bamboozled by Jesus, Yvonne Orji, Narrative Landscape Press
94. So Good They Can’t Ignore You, Cal Newport, Piatkus
93. Formation, Fola Fagbule and Feyi Fawehinmu, Cassava Republic
91. The Pressure Cooker, Nkiru Olumie-Ojo, Narrative Landscape
91. The Teller of Secrets, Bisi Adjapon, Ouida Books
90. Leadership: Six Studies in World Strategy, Henry Kissinger, Allen Lane
86. Born on a Tuesday, Elnathan John, Cassava Republic
86. Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry, Joya Goffney, Hot Key Books
86. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck, Mark Manson, Harper Paperbacks
86. Ugly Love, Colleen Hoover, Simon & Schuster UK
84. Children of the Quicksands, Efua Traoré, Masobe Books
84. The Madhouse, T.J. Benson, Masobe Books
83. 12 Rules for Life, Jordan Peterson, Penguin
81. My Participation, Bisi Akande, Gaskiya Media
81. Why Not? Citizenship, State Capture, Creeping Fascism and Criminal Hijack of Politics in Nigeria, Pat Utomi, Cassava Republic
80. The Gilded Ones, Namina Forna, Usborne Publishing
79. The Confident Woman Devotional, Joyce Meyer, Hodder & Stoughton
78. Welcome to Lagos, Chibundu Onuzo, Narrative Landscape
77. Mindset, by Dr. Carol Dweck, Robinson
76. Deep Work, Carl Newport, Piatkus
75. Afonja: The Rise, Tunde Leye, Masobe Books
74. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho, Harper Collins
73. Nzeogwu, Olusegun Obasanjo, Spectrum Books
72. Children of Blood and Bone, Tomi Adeyemi, Macmillan Children’s Books
70. Let’s Talk About Your Money, Kalu Ajah, Independently Published
70. Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order, Ray Dalio, Simon & Schuster UK
69. Becoming Nigerian, Elnathan John, Cassava Republic
65. Butter Honey Pig Bread, Francesca Ekwuyasi, Ouida Books
65. I Do Not Come to You by Chance, Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, Masobe Books
65. Sankofa, Chibundu Onuzo, Narrative Landscape
65. The Daily Laws, Robert Greene, Profile Books
64. Afonja: The Fall, Tunde Leye, Masobe Books
63. Chronicles of the Happiest People on Earth, Wole Soyinka, Bookcraft
62. I for Don Blow but I Too Dey Press Phone, Hymar David, Hymagination Publishing
61. A Bully Is Not a Hero, Nomthi Odukoya, Grace Springs Africa Publishers
60. Kama Sutra: A Position a Day, DK, Penguin Random House
59. A Little Life, Hanya Yanagihara, Picador
58. Acts of the Holy Spirit, Olajumoke Adenowo, Independently Published
57. Women and Leadership, Julia Gillard and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Corgi
56. The Death of Vivek Oji, Akwaeke Emezi, Farafina Books
55. Purpose in Crisis: Uncommon Secrets to Finding and Fulfilling Purpose in Times of Adversity, Samuel Ekundayo, Independently Published
54. How Women Rise, Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith, Random House Business
53. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Simon & Schuster UK
51. His Only Wife, Peace Adzo Medie, Parresia Publishers
51. The Thing Around Your Neck, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Narrative Landscape
50. Love in Colour, Bolu Babalola, Headline
48. Soldiers of Fortune: Nigerian Politics from Buhari to Babangida (1983-1993), Max Siollun, Cassava Republic
48. Will, Will Smith with Mark Manson, Penguin
47. Finding Me, Viola Davis, Coronet
46. Your Problem Is That You’re Multi-Talented, Samuel Ekundayo, Independently Published
45. Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Narrative Landscape
44. The Sex Lives of African Women, Nana Darkoa Sekyiama, Dialogue Books
43. Daughters Who Walk This Path, Yejide Kilanko, Farafina Books
42. Ikigai, Héctor Garcia, Hutchinson
40. The Love Hypothesis, Ali Hazelwood, Sphere
40. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Diper Overlode, Jeff Kinney, Puffin
39. The Mechanics of Yenagoa, Michael Afenfia, Masobe Books
38. Verity, Colleen Hoover, Atria
37. It Starts with Us, Colleen Hoover, Atria
36. My Sister, the Serial Killer, Oyinkan Braithwaite, Narrative Landscape
35. In Every Mirror She’s Black, Lola Akinmade Akerstrom, Parresia Publishers
34. My Life in Full, Indra Nooyi, Piatkus
33. The Girl with the Louding Voice, Abi Dare, Ouida Books
32. Half of a Yellow Sun, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Narrative Landscape
31. Dele Weds Destiny, Tomi Obaro, Knopf
30. What Happened to Janet Uzor, Miracle Emeka-Ukwor, Masobe Books
29. It Ends with Us, Collen Hoover, Atria
28. Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office, Lois P. Frankel, Grand Central Publishing
27. Fellow Nigerians, It’s All Politics, Simon Kolawole, Cable Books
26. Tomorrow I Become a Woman, Aiwanose Odafen, Scribner
25. Ogadinma, or Everything Will Be Alright, Ukamaka Olisakwe, Masobe Books
24. The Light We Carry, Michelle Obama, Viking
23. Vagabonds, Eloghosa Osunde, Farafina Books
22. Stay with Me, Ayobami Adebayo, Ouida Books
21. Gambling on Development, Stefan Dercon, Hurst
20. Notes on Grief, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Narrative Landscape Press
19. The ARC of the Possible, Waziri Dio, Cable Books
18. Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Narrative Landscape
17. I Am because We Are, Chidiogo Akunyili-Parr, Safari Books Ltd
16. Bridges Are for Burning, Bina Idonije, Masobe Books
15. Nigerians in Theory, Joe Abah and Yemi Adesanya, Bookcraft Africa
14. The Psychology of Money, Morgan Housel, Harriman House
13. Wahala, Nikki May, Narrative Landscape Press
12. Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband?, Lizzie Damilola Blackburn, Narrative Landscape Press
10. The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives, Lola Shoneyin, Cassava Republic
10. What Britain Did to Nigeria, Max Siollun, Hurst
9. I Wish I Knew This Earlier, Toni Tone, Fourth Estate
8. Leaving the Tarmac: Buying a Bank in Africa, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, RedDoor Press
7. Women as God Intended, Jumoke Adenowo, Independently Published
6. A Broken People’s Playlist, Chimeka Garricks, Masobe Books
5. Small Business, Big Money, Akin Alabi
4. Atomic Habits, James Clear, Random House Business Books
3. How to Sell to Nigerians, Akin Alabi
2. Honey and Spice, Bolu Babalola, William Morrow
1. Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad, Damilare Kuku, Masobe Books
CLICK TO SHOP FROM ROVINGHEIGHTS:
THE 100 TOP-SELLING BOOKS OF 2022
See Rovingheights’ bestselling titles of 2020 and 2021 for fiction and nonfiction.
CORRECTION: The authorship of Like Butterflies Scattered About by Art Rascals by Umar Abubakar Sidi was initially and wrongly attributed to “Art Rascals.” The book was wrongly titled as Like Butterflies Scattered About. These have now been corrected.
For enquiries, please email tobi.eyinade@rovingheights.com and hello@rhbooks.com.ng, and, if appropriate for the subject, editors@opencountrymag.com.