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#Merky Books signs Ọrẹ Ogunbiyi’s story of Nigerians in Britain
#Merky Books has signed journalist Ọrẹ Ogunbiyi’s Briticó: Nigerians in Modern Britain, the Story of Migration and the Shaping of a Nation in an exclusive submission.
Publisher Helen Conford acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to Ogunbiyi’s first solo book, from Carrie Plitt at Felicity Bryan Associates. The book will be edited by Lemara Lindsay-Prince.
The blurb reads: “Today, Nigerians are the largest population of Black people from any one country in the UK. Nigeria, its people and its culture, have inextricably shaped Britain. And yet this is a story that remains largely untold.
“The first book to explore the story of Nigerians in modern Britain, Briticó will alter how we think about British and Nigerian history as well as revealing untold personal stories for the first time. Narrative and character-driven, it will also tell a larger story about post-Colonial migration, correcting myths about who migrants are and why they make their journeys.”
Ogunbiyi said: “I’m so glad to be publishing with the #Merky Books team again – Helen and Lemara fully believed in my vision for Briticó, and I trust that my solo debut is in the best of hands. The stories of Nigerians and the Nigerian-descended in Britain that I’ve encountered are colourful, heartbreaking, vital and yet deeply emotional. I cannot wait to share them with you all.”
Conford said: “I am thrilled that #Merky Books will be publishing Ọrẹ Ogunbiyi’s ambitious, humane and necessary book. It’s so exciting to have an author come back to #Merky Books and especially exciting to be publishing a work of untold history.”
Ogunbiyi previously co-authored Taking Up Space (2019) with Chelsea Kwakye, a book about being Black at British universities. It was the first independent acquisition for PRH’s #Merky Books.
She currently holds the position of Africa correspondent at the Economist, where she has covered the wave of young Nigerians leaving the country among other topics. She also hosts the Economist’s daily podcast "The Intelligence". Born in Britain and raised in Nigeria, she lives between both countries.
