The Harmattan Ledger, a Novel
From ₦9,500
2 options
Choose optionsWe publish new writing
01 · The press
Novels, essays and books for young readers, edited in Yaba and printed in Lagos. Every author in this demo store is an invented example.
Three days every November
02 · The festival
Three tents, sixty sessions, a market of small presses and readings until dark.
Open all year
03 · The bookshop
Our list, signed copies and the books we love from other presses.
Clubs, classrooms and you
04 · The readers
Book club sets, school visits and a seat at the next reading.
- Festival 27 to 29 November
- Three tents, sixty sessions
- Signed copies
- Submissions open until 31 January
- School visits
- Book club sets
Autumn 2026
The list, numbered
- 01The Harmattan Ledger, a NovelFictionFrom ₦9,500
- 02Salt for the Ferryman, a NovelFictionFrom ₦8,500
- 03A House on Herbert Macaulay, a NovelFictionFrom ₦8,000
- 04The Last Danfo to Ojota, StoriesFictionFrom ₦7,500
- 05What the River Keeps, a NovelFictionFrom ₦9,000
- 06Nine Rooms in Enugu, a NovelFictionFrom ₦8,500
- 07The Tailor of Oke-Ado, a NovelFictionFrom ₦8,000
- 08The Ninth Floor, a ThrillerFictionFrom ₦7,500
- 09Market Women, a History in Twelve StallsNon-FictionFrom ₦11,000
- 10Cooking for Forty, Essays from the Party KitchenNon-FictionFrom ₦9,500
Festival 2026
The gates open in
Friday 27 November, 10am, Yaba. Example date for this demo store.
Festival passes
One day, the weekend or the front row
Day pass
5,000a from, one day
- Friday, Saturday or Sunday
- Every free talk
- The bookshop and market tents
- Most chosen
Weekend
15,000a three days
- All three days
- Every free session
- A festival tote
Patron
75,000a three days
- Reserved seats everywhere
- The signed autumn list
- The authors' dinner
Prices in naira. Under 12s free with an adult. Example prices for this demo store.
From the publisher
We make books for most of the year and then, for three days in November, we put the people who wrote them in a tent with the people who read them.
The programme
Five sessions to book now
2026-11-27
Opening night reading
7pm · Main tent, Yaba
Book a seatFive authors from the autumn list read, then the bar opens.
2026-11-28
Breakfast with the authors
8am · The bookshop, Yaba
Book a seatAkara, coffee and six authors at long tables.
2026-11-28
Masterclass: writing the first chapter
10am · Garden tent
Book a seatThree hours with an editor from our press.
2026-11-29
Publishing day for new writers
11am · Garden tent
Book a seatHow a manuscript becomes a book, from the people who do it.
2026-11-29
Closing night: stories after dark
7pm · Main tent, Yaba
Book a seatGhost stories, music and the last word.
Example dates for this demo store.
Saturday at a glance
Three tents, one day
Free with a day pass unless it says book a seat. The full timetable is on the programme page.
| Time | Main tent | Garden tent | Young readers' tent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10am | Our autumn list in conversation | Masterclass: the first chapter | Young readers' morning |
| 12pm | Market Women: the stall keepers | Poems at lunch, open mic | Draw your own book cover |
| 2pm | Writing the north: travel and essays | Editors' surgery, ten minutes each | Keeper of the Last Goal, live quiz |
| 4pm | Fiction panel: houses, rivers and buses | Self-publishing, honestly | Story hour |
| 6pm | The Harmattan Ledger, launch reading | Signing queue | Closed |
Example programme for this demo store.
This year's list
Four example authors, four books
Chidinma Oyelaran
The Harmattan Ledger follows one account book through three generations of a Kano trading family. She reads on opening night.
Folake Nwachukwu
Market Women took six years and twelve market stalls. Her Saturday talk is in the main tent.
Ngozi Ibeabuchi
The Last Danfo to Ojota was written on night buses, a story for each route.
Ada Ekwueme
Two books on our list for readers aged 9 to 12, and the quiz in the young readers' tent.
Fiction
Novels and stories from our list
Salt for the Ferryman, a Novel
From ₦8,500
2 options
Choose optionsA House on Herbert Macaulay, a Novel
From ₦8,000
2 options
Choose optionsThe Last Danfo to Ojota, Stories
From ₦7,500
2 options
Choose optionsWhat the River Keeps, a Novel
From ₦9,000
2 options
Choose optionsNine Rooms in Enugu, a Novel
From ₦8,500
2 options
Choose optionsThe Tailor of Oke-Ado, a Novel
From ₦8,000
2 options
Choose optionsThe Ninth Floor, a Thriller
From ₦7,500
2 options
Choose options
Lead title
The Harmattan Ledger
Our autumn lead, launched at the festival. An invented example title for this demo store.
- Author
- Chidinma Oyelaran
- Pages
- 384
- Formats
- Paperback; hardback with a cloth spine
- Published
- Autumn 2026
- Launch
- Saturday 28 November, 6pm, main tent
- Signed copies
- From the bookshop, while they last
Signed this season
The Harmattan Ledger, Signed First Edition, Signed
₦18,000
Hardback, signed by the author at the autumn launch.
The bookshop
Non-fiction, young readers and signed copies
Market Women, a History in Twelve Stalls
From ₦11,000
2 options
Choose options
Cooking for Forty, Essays from the Party Kitchen
From ₦9,500
2 options
Choose options
The Long Road North, Essays on Travel
From ₦9,000
2 options
Choose options
Built by Hand, Lagos Houses and Their Makers
From ₦14,500
2 options
Choose options
The Secret Club of Surulere
From ₦6,500
2 options
Choose options
Ada and the Clockwork Kite
From ₦6,000
2 options
Choose options
Keeper of the Last Goal
From ₦6,500
2 options
Choose options
The Map Under the Mango Tree
From ₦6,000
2 options
Choose optionsThe Harmattan Ledger, Signed First Edition
From ₦18,000
2 options
Choose options
Market Women, Signed First Edition
From ₦19,500
2 options
Choose options
Nine Rooms in Enugu, Signed Hardback
From ₦16,500
2 options
Choose options
What the River Keeps, Signed First Edition
From ₦17,000
2 options
Choose optionsReaders and writers
Heard in the tents
“I came for one reading and stayed for the whole of Saturday.”
“They read my manuscript, said no kindly, and told me why. The second one they took.”
“Our book club has read four of their novels this year.”
Example quotes for this demo store.
For readersBook club sets, guides and a monthly club.Book clubs
For writersSubmissions are free and open until 31 January.SubmissionsSubmissions
How to send us a manuscript
We read everything that arrives in the window, and we never charge to submit.
Read the list
See what we publish and how long our books run.
Send three chapters
With a one-page synopsis and a short letter.
Wait twelve weeks
We reply to every submission, yes or no.
Send the rest
If we ask for the full manuscript, an editor reads it within eight weeks.
The publishing year
From manuscript to the festival stage
November
Submissions open
The window opens on festival weekend.
February
The reading
Three readers on every submission.
April
Editing
Two rounds of edits and a copy edit.
July
Printing
Proofs, covers and the print run in Lagos.
September
Publication
In the bookshop and in shops across Nigeria.
November
The festival
The author on stage, the reader in the queue.
Example dates for this demo store.
Sessions
Workshops and evenings to book
Opening Night Reading
Main tent, Friday 7pm
₦10,000
View details
Masterclass: Writing the First Chapter
Garden tent, Saturday 10am
₦25,000
View details
Breakfast with the Authors
The bookshop, Saturday 8am
₦18,000
View details
Publishing Day for New Writers
Garden tent, Sunday 11am
₦20,000
View details
Young Readers' Morning
Young readers' tent, Saturday 10am
₦3,000
View detailsOn the shelf
One colour for each series
Every book on our list wears its series colour on the spine, so the shelf reads at a glance.
- VermilionFiction: novels and short stories
- Festival greenNon-fiction: history, essays and memoir
- MarigoldYoung readers, ages 8 to 14
- IndigoSigned and limited editions
- PaperGuides for book clubs and schools
The signing table
Bring a tote, leave with a signed copy
What most people carry out of the bookshop tent on Saturday.
School visits
Our authors and editors visit schools in Lagos and Ogun through the year: readings, writing workshops and a pop-up book fair for a day. Patron passes help pay for visits to schools that cannot.
The main tent
Opening night
The signing queue
THE BOOK FAIR
3
festival days
60
sessions
17
books on our list
40
school visits a year
Example numbers for this demo store.
Gifts
Totes, journals and tokens
Festival Tote Bag, 2026
₦6,000
Bookmark Set of Five
₦2,500
Reading Journal, A5
₦5,500
Festival Poster, A2
₦8,000
Exhibitors
Book a stand at the fair
Small presses, self-published authors and booksellers: tell us your name, what you sell and the stand you want.
- hello@thebookfair.example
- Herbert Macaulay Way, Yaba, Lagos
The bookshop
THE BOOK FAIR, Yaba
Our list, signed copies and a table of books from other presses. Ask us to order anything.
Address
Herbert Macaulay Way, Yaba, Lagos
Opening hours
- Monday to Saturday, 9am to 7pm; Sunday, 12pm to 5pm
Questions
Are these real books?
No. In this demo store every author and title is an invented example; a merchant lists their own.
Do children need a pass?
Under 12s come in free with an adult. The young readers' morning needs a ticket.
Does it cost to submit a manuscript?
Never. Our manuscript services are separate and do not lead to publication.
Can I buy a pass at the gate?
Yes, if any are left. Weekend passes usually sell out first.
The fair letter
New books, festival news and the programme the day it is published.