Nigerian novelist Chibundu Onuzo has set a new bar on book publicity. On Instagram a few days ago, she announced the forthcoming release of the official single for her new novel Sankofa.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” she writes, “I give you #GoodSoil the official single for #Sankofa!!! I love writing so I wrote a novel. I love singing so I wrote a song reflecting on the themes in the book. If movies have soundtracks, then so can books!”

It is widely-known in the African literary community that Onuzo is a great singer. Go here.   So, this does not entirely come as a surprise. Even though, Onuzo has performed on stage and sang at literary events, releasing “Good Soil” marks a first for her.  “When my friend Simeon suggested the idea to me in January 2020 (!),” she explains, “I was like there’s no way I can do this. And yet, now we’re here! It’s MY FIRST SINGLE Y’ALL. Please follow the link in my bio to presave on Spotify.”

“I’m excited, nervous and so grateful to God for giving me the vim and vigour to see this project to the end,” she beams on the instagram caption while teasing a music video. “PS There may be a few more surprises down the line. Did I hear someone say MUSIC VIDEO? ” Onuzo has certainly set a new precedent on the practice of authors creating media content around the release of a book. We can’t wait to vibe to the music when it comes out on June 4. It will be available for free on all the major music streaming platforms.

Preorder Sankofa: Amazon | Bookshop