What’s in a book? You’ll never know, until…, By Azu Ishiekwene

I did not commencement retired to constitute a self-help book. As my vocation arsenic a writer crossed the 35-year people and I inch person to the sixth level of life, it became progressively hard to disregard suggestions to stock my acquisition successful a much imperishable form. I’ve been penning for the media since I was 22 and adjacent managed to constitute a publication connected Nigeria’s anti-corruption warfare successful 2008. But the impulse to stock much has increased.

Earlier this week, I teased connected my societal grip astir my brushwood with a deity. Of course, not successful the consciousness that 1 mightiness conscionable a deity successful the groove of a colony forest.

Yet, those who person met this antheral – who cognize him – mightiness hold that Sam Amuka, fondly called Uncle Sam, is simply a deity of sorts. The way that forged the seasons of his vocation goes backmost galore decades to his years at Daily Times, which astatine its premier was Africa’s starring journalism shrine.

On Sunday I went to spot Uncle Sam, to speech astir my caller book, Writing for Media and Monetising It. I had dispatched a transcript to him successful advance, but the ritual would beryllium incomplete without a libation.

So, I took on an other transcript and went to his Anthony Village, Lagos residence, wherever helium has lived similar a regular Joe for galore decades. As I waited for him upstairs connected the balcony of his house, I glanced backmost and distant betwixt the Sunday newspapers strewn connected a cane table, and a metallic tray with a large flask, teacups, a container of Lipton and assorted teas, a vessel of honey, skimmed beverage and implicit a twelve packets of Kemps cracker biscuits.

It wasn’t agelong earlier Uncle Sam emerged from the corridor, his imminent beingness announced by the barking of a puddle that archetypal accosted maine erstwhile I climbed the stairs. The puddle was not present erstwhile I visited a fewer years ago.

“Superstar!” Uncle Sam teased, arsenic helium came out.

I replied, smiling, that 88 was bully connected him. He corrected me: “I’m 89!” He past tore a packet of Kemps crackers and sat connected the bed-shaped cane seat to my right, waiving the young antheral who had followed down to marque him immoderate tea.

The young antheral took retired 2 Lipton beverage bags, and aft pouring blistery h2o from the flask, went connected to adhd not 1 oregon two, but I deliberation 3 teaspoons of honey. Then, helium grabbed the tin of skimmed milk. I looked astatine Uncle Sam, reasoning the young antheral was mistaken and expecting helium would inquire him to stop. He didn’t. Instead, helium looked approvingly, adjacent expectantly, munching his Kemps.

At 59, successful my obsession to unrecorded a long, steadfast life, lone God knows however galore things I person fixed up. I can’t retrieve the past clip I utilized immoderate sweetener, gluten-free oregon not, for my beverage oregon pap, overmuch little milk. I was puzzled to spot an 89-year-old antheral having his beverage not conscionable with plentifulness of chromatic but besides topping the brew with spoonsful of milk.

Uncle Sam smiled arsenic helium took the steaming teacup from the young man, stirred it gently, and took a sip. As if to make the cleanable ambience for his refreshment, helium turned connected euphony stored successful a flash thrust that was plugged into a player.

The publication rubric intelligibly suggests a media bias – media present meaning accepted and societal media. This is deliberate arsenic audiences successful these areas are my superior focus. Whether you are inactive successful school, conscionable starting retired connected a penning vocation way oregon are, successful fact, successful the mediate levels of your career, you would find this publication useful.

“You don’t cognize I’m called Daddy DJ?” helium joked successful effect to my puzzled look.

Sam Amuka, I know. Uncle Sam, I know. Who doesn’t? He is the Jimmy Breslin of Nigeria’s journalism. Writing astir Breslin, who died 7 years agone astatine 88, Tom Wolfe described him as, “The top columnist of my era.” And that, from Wolfe, a maestro of the trade successful his ain right, says a lot.

In a tribute to Breslin, The Guardian wrote that helium was the champion of the trials and troubles of the mean radical successful New York. “He filled his columns with gangsters and thieves, whom helium knew first-hand from drinking successful the aforesaid bars. He told stories that smacked of blarney down their anger.”

And Breslin himself erstwhile said, “Rage is the lone prime which has kept me, oregon anybody I person ever studied, penning for newspapers.” That was Sad Sam, the tempered mentation of which we present cognize arsenic “Uncle Sam.”

But “Daddy DJ?” I was gathering him successful that incarnation for the archetypal clip this Sunday morning. Yet, it made nary difference. I could spot a communal thread of empathy and humanity binding the 3 persons successful 1 man. I was blessed and comfy to stock the communicative of my caller book, in-between sips of my ain beverage – sugarless, milk-less – and yes, besides in-between mouthfuls of Kemps cracker biscuits, which I had not tasted for a precise agelong time.

I did not commencement retired to constitute a self-help book. As my vocation arsenic a writer crossed the 35-year people and I inch person to the sixth level of life, it became progressively hard to disregard suggestions to stock my acquisition successful a much imperishable form. I’ve been penning for the media since I was 22 and adjacent managed to constitute a publication connected Nigeria’s anti-corruption warfare successful 2008. But the impulse to stock much has increased.

In yielding, I wondered what I could bash differently. In caller times, I person been invited by universities and nonrecreational groups to talk connected the challenges facing journalists and young writers, particularly successful airy of the bonzer detonation successful the usage of artificial quality successful the workplace, astatine schoolhouse and astatine home.

Decades aft TIME mag famously predicted that journalism could beryllium connected its decease throes and it turned retired that the decease was exaggerated, the exertion appears to person sparked the 2nd panic wave.

So what? I thought possibly it mightiness beryllium utile to harvester my speaking experiences with decades of penning a play file present enriched successful some audio and ocular formats to service the needs of a younger procreation of contented providers, particularly students and those successful the earlier stages of their penning career, trying to find their way. And not conscionable trying to find their mode – but also, trying to gain immoderate other wealth oregon pull value, portion doing so.

The publication rubric intelligibly suggests a media bias – media present meaning accepted and societal media. This is deliberate arsenic audiences successful these areas are my superior focus. Whether you are inactive successful school, conscionable starting retired connected a penning vocation way oregon are, successful fact, successful the mediate levels of your career, you would find this publication useful.

How tin 1 assertion to beryllium a journalist, for example, without speechmaking Peter Enahoro’s You’ve Gotta Cry to Laugh, Babatunde Jose’s Walking a Tightrope or Alade Odunewu’s Allah De? Or adjacent the much recent Battlelines: Adventures successful Journalism and Politics by Olusegun Osoba, to notation a few?

It draws not lone connected my idiosyncratic acquisition – struggles and triumphs – I besides interviewed professionals crossed property brackets, who generously shared their experiences with me.

For me, penning this was similar walking backmost done the years of my career, opening from erstwhile determination was adjacent nary vocation but conscionable the imagination of becoming a writer someday, to my schools erstwhile I was formally introduced to the craft, done galore changes on the way, a bully fig of which I didn’t adjacent spot coming.

You don’t person to deterioration my shoes oregon tread my path. But this publication is simply a bully usher for communal obstacles that galore literate contented providers look successful the caller world, arsenic they effort to find their ain way.

I acceptable retired to bash an online people mostly connected journalistic penning for value, not to constitute a book, but ended up with a assets that volition payment a overmuch larger assortment of audiences than I had envisaged.

Uncle Sam listened patiently. When I finished, helium asked 1 question, with a disquieted look: “How volition you get this publication out, and get radical to work it?”

No casual answer. Research progressively suggests declining involvement successful reading, particularly among younger populations. I replied that I did what I could to marque the publication simple, anecdotal and relatable.

“I’m hoping,” I told Uncle Sam, “that young radical would spot thing of themselves successful my stories and the stories of others crossed a generational spectrum, and from it illustration their ain course.”

He didn’t look afloat persuaded, but helium was successful earnest for maine – for america – to find a way.

How tin 1 assertion to beryllium a journalist, for example, without speechmaking Peter Enahoro’s You’ve Gotta Cry to Laugh, Babatunde Jose’s Walking a Tightrope or Alade Odunewu’s Allah De? Or adjacent the much recent Battlelines: Adventures successful Journalism and Politics by Olusegun Osoba, to notation a few?

What is successful a publication is the happening that mightiness conscionable alteration your life; but you’ll person to work it to find it. On that, deities, whether successful journalism, carpentry, medicine oregon the bully aged trade of fortune-telling, mightiness agree. 

Azu Ishiekwene is Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP.