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| Oreoluwa Somolu |
How does Patabah Books use social media a book store?
Our website is still in progress. We use mostly our Facebook page as a form of promotion. When we have new items, we put it on Facebook so that people will know that we have them. We also host regular book readings, and we use Facebook for pre-event and post-event publicity. We create events, we let people know that we are having a book reading; we also share the pictures on Facebook, and more recently, we upload videos also from the readings. We really use it to create a lot of buzz about the bookshop. I don't feel that we've tapped into it enough because of staffing issues. I have a lot that I am doing so I am not usually focused on it but we are getting someone that is dedicated to social media person so we use it to promote ourselves and the products we sell, and our book events.
Publishers, Social Media and Book stores
I will have to say that the role of the publisher is important. The content of the book is important, what the book is about, the topic, the relevance to people is key and I think that's the most important thing. And who the author is because some books are going to generate more buzz than the others because of the personality of the author and of course, the role that the publisher plays in generating buzz. That could be on social media and it could be off social media.
For instance, the book that was published by El-Rufai, The Accidental Public Servant, it generated a lot of buzz before it was published because of who he is and what people expected the book to be about, the content. He is also very active on Twitter, tweeting about it. He may not be tweeting about the book, but he may be tweeting about different national issues or issues raised in the book, so people know that the book is coming. So, for us, that was an easy sell because we just didn't have to push or promote it, we only had to say that we had it. Many times, people would call us, do you have the book? So we could hardly keep that book on the shelf, as soon as we got it, it was bought. In fact, the last copy that we had, two customers came into the bookshop almost at the same time to buy the book, and were dragging it from one another. We had to beg one customer that we were going to have more tomorrow. So, the role of the publisher is important, whether the buzz is created on social media or not, as long as there is a buzz.
For instance, the book that was published by El-Rufai, The Accidental Public Servant, it generated a lot of buzz before it was published because of who he is and what people expected the book to be about, the content. He is also very active on Twitter, tweeting about it. He may not be tweeting about the book, but he may be tweeting about different national issues or issues raised in the book, so people know that the book is coming. So, for us, that was an easy sell because we just didn't have to push or promote it, we only had to say that we had it. Many times, people would call us, do you have the book? So we could hardly keep that book on the shelf, as soon as we got it, it was bought. In fact, the last copy that we had, two customers came into the bookshop almost at the same time to buy the book, and were dragging it from one another. We had to beg one customer that we were going to have more tomorrow. So, the role of the publisher is important, whether the buzz is created on social media or not, as long as there is a buzz.
Social media should be used in tandem with traditional forms of publicity like TV, radio, newspapers, though those cost money and not everybody can afford that but people can just do it and generally get people to talk about it.
I think that it can help. I think that a lot of people who tend to be on social media, I think that they are literate, educated and they are interested in seeking knowledge, now whether that knowledge is in a book form or just online, they are interested in knowledge and that's a good starting point and what social media does is that it brings information to their attention. So when a book is out they know about it: it has won this prize, it is about these issues, if they are active on social media, they are likely to hear about it.
Secondly, if there are discussions that are going on about the book, so even if they may not want to get it but because of the discussion that social media promotes, that may spark their interest further more and get them interested in getting it.
Do you think that reading online affects the attention span?
In terms of reading short pieces, I think so, I see that, even in myself, that my attention span is not as it was when I was younger. And I find that I read every night, I could be on my Ipad and I am reading articles on blogs and online newspapers. I do that a lot to the neglect of more traditional forms like the printed novel. I think that maybe we do need to think less about reading books but more about the fact that people are gaining knowledge.
In terms of reading short pieces, I think so, I see that, even in myself, that my attention span is not as it was when I was younger. And I find that I read every night, I could be on my Ipad and I am reading articles on blogs and online newspapers. I do that a lot to the neglect of more traditional forms like the printed novel. I think that maybe we do need to think less about reading books but more about the fact that people are gaining knowledge.
On the book business
People will come all the time into the bookshop and say "you people you are still in business." One guy told me actually that when he saw that it was a book store that opened that he gave us three months that we will be closed because he was like Nigerians don't read. And I was like "Sir you are wrong. The first day we opened our shelves were almost stripped to bare because people came, picking, picking, picking, buying, buying and buying. I think that number one we serve a need that exists in the area where the bookshop is located. And then we found out that when we interact with people, we find out that they do read. People have their things that they like to read so for some people it is religious, some it is self-help, some it is business, for some people it is newspapers, so they are reading. So, we should not be hung up on reading in terms of a book, a novel, fiction; there are also other forms of reading, or art or literature that exists.
People will come all the time into the bookshop and say "you people you are still in business." One guy told me actually that when he saw that it was a book store that opened that he gave us three months that we will be closed because he was like Nigerians don't read. And I was like "Sir you are wrong. The first day we opened our shelves were almost stripped to bare because people came, picking, picking, picking, buying, buying and buying. I think that number one we serve a need that exists in the area where the bookshop is located. And then we found out that when we interact with people, we find out that they do read. People have their things that they like to read so for some people it is religious, some it is self-help, some it is business, for some people it is newspapers, so they are reading. So, we should not be hung up on reading in terms of a book, a novel, fiction; there are also other forms of reading, or art or literature that exists.
Social media and the future of book stores
As a bookseller, I hope and pray that books remain. I think that they will, especially here in our part of the world. Though we have mobile phones, you can download books, you can read stories written in tweets but number one, it is not the same. Let us think about how many people in proportion to the population have access to those tools. It is still very small. We think about electricity issues as well. We need internet access to download. Those are still constraints.
I think that getting a book, paper copy, is the easiest because you don't have to plug it in, you don't have to download, you don't have to charge. It is the easiest. Then, for good or bad, there are pirated books out there, so people are able to find what they are interested in. Though some may be harder to get while there are others that are more than readily accessible. I personally think that books are going to be around for a long time. There is something about a book, about carrying a book, you have a book in the bag, you bring it out when you are not doing anything; even how it makes you look, you are carrying a book. The way people think that this person must be smart but maybe it is because I love books and I started reading books from when I was small.
I love to go into bookshops. Though I own a bookshop, I still love going into bookshops, and people are always like how can you go into your competition's book store? I don't care. I love books. I will go in. So, I don't know if I am saying it from a sentimental point of view. There are times you go into a book store where the staff are interested in what they sell, you may go in, maybe not wanting to buy anything but when they engage you in a conversation, before you know it you are buying the book. That is the pleasure of physical book that you may not get elsewhere. Though with social media, people can refer, people can do book reviews. I think it is just a different space, different format and medium. I think that for those constraints that I mentioned earlier, books will always exist, therefore book stores are here to stay.
I think that getting a book, paper copy, is the easiest because you don't have to plug it in, you don't have to download, you don't have to charge. It is the easiest. Then, for good or bad, there are pirated books out there, so people are able to find what they are interested in. Though some may be harder to get while there are others that are more than readily accessible. I personally think that books are going to be around for a long time. There is something about a book, about carrying a book, you have a book in the bag, you bring it out when you are not doing anything; even how it makes you look, you are carrying a book. The way people think that this person must be smart but maybe it is because I love books and I started reading books from when I was small.
I love to go into bookshops. Though I own a bookshop, I still love going into bookshops, and people are always like how can you go into your competition's book store? I don't care. I love books. I will go in. So, I don't know if I am saying it from a sentimental point of view. There are times you go into a book store where the staff are interested in what they sell, you may go in, maybe not wanting to buy anything but when they engage you in a conversation, before you know it you are buying the book. That is the pleasure of physical book that you may not get elsewhere. Though with social media, people can refer, people can do book reviews. I think it is just a different space, different format and medium. I think that for those constraints that I mentioned earlier, books will always exist, therefore book stores are here to stay.
--Interview sent in by Temitayo Olofinlua
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