For our 21st Espresso with…, we are delighted to have interviewed the Nigerian poet and author Lola Shoneyin, who spoke at "Call Your Agent: How to Become a Successful Literary Agent", at BolognaBookPlus 2024 , agent at B K Agency (Simple Publishing Co., Ltd.).
Read about her favourite book to film and how she likes to read.
What are you reading at the minute, in what medium (print, e or audio), and how do you rate it?
I am currently editing a novel called The Brevity of Beautiful Things by Nnamdi Ehirim.
What is the best thing about going to international book fairs?
Always the networking! But also being a witness to innovation.
What was your first job in the book world?
Marketing Manager for Glendora Review, a literary and Arts Journal.
If you could have been any famous writer, whom would it have been, and why?
Probably a children’s book author like Enid Blyton or Roald Dahl because they are the reasons so many people love reading.
What is your favourite film based on a book?
The Colour Purple.
If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
Teleportation, so I never have to deal with jetlag!
What one thing would make your job significantly easier?
My team members representing me at international speaking events.
What do you consider to be publishing’s greatest threat at the minute, and why?
The mastery and harnessing of artificial intelligence.
Have you met famous authors in person, and if so, describe the experience?
I once met Toni Morrison at a festival in Mantova. Unforgettable.
Biography
Lola Shoneyin is a Nigerian poet and author who launched her debut novel, The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives, in the UK in May 2010. In April 2014 she was named on the Hay Festival's Africa39 list of 39 Sub-Saharan African writers. Lola spoke at Call Your Agent: How to Become a Successful Literary Agent, at BolognaBookPlus 2024.
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