Author Empi Baryeh's Blog

I've done a lot of promos and spotlight posting lately, but today, I'm returning to posting something non-promotional. Book covers. It is said often enough. Don't judge a book by its cover. As an author and a reader, though, I've learnt that books are judged by their covers on a daily basis. This post is not about bad or ugly covers, though. Nope. It's about the model on the cover. I experienced my first 'culture shock' as a writer in July 2018 when I participated in the AfricaWrites Book Festival. I had my books Chancing Faith, an interracial romance, and Forest Girl, a contemporary African romance. While I sold a few copies of Forest Girl, I didn't sell a single copy of Chancing Faith. Among the reasons readers gave for not selecting Chancing Faith was that it had a White guy on the cover. Wow! I can't say how many ways that stung, because it wasn't about the story on the inside or even the blurb at the back. In fact, one thing I was de...

Hello, readers and lovers of African romance! I'm here to tell you about Africa Writes, an annual book festival in the UK, organised by the Royal African Society. The venue is The British Library. This year,  Romance Writers of West Africa (aka RWOWA)  will have a stand at the book fair showcasing books by RWOWA authors - of which I am one. While I won't be there myself, my books Chancing Faith and Forest Girl will be available (on sale), and they will be in good company (as you can see below), so make a date and don't miss out! In addition to  all the wonderful books, award-winning author, Kiru Taye , will be there in person signing her books. There will be lots of swag, including these gorgeous RWOWA mugs! Join our Facebook event and add it to your calendar:  https://www.facebook.com/events/1808565959452183/ And visit the RWOWA stand on Sunday July 1st at Africa Writes 2018 . Venue: The British Library, 96 Euston Road, London NW1 2D...