Nigerian fantasy and YA author Erhu Kome, known for her 2024 novel,The Smoke That Thunders, is in a battle to reclaim the rights to her 2021 novel, Not Seeing Is A Flower. The book, a stylish supernatural adventure featuring gods, Cupids, and werewolves, was published by US-based Eraserhead Press but has been plagued by issues since its release.

In a recent blog post, Kome revealed that she has only received two royalty payments for the book and endured months of unanswered messages from the publisher. She resorted to seeking help from a fellow author to secure the first payments but decided to ask for her rights back in December after continued radio silence.

“When I asked for my rights back in December, they finally responded and said the rights would be reverted to me,” Kome wrote. The process, however, has been far from smooth. Reflecting on the experience, she noted early warning signs, such as the publisher failing to communicate a change in the book’s release date until she followed up.

The situation was “painful and anxiety-filled,” but she learned a lot. Her advice for fellow Nigerian writers hoping to work with international publishers is: “For the love of God, get an agent!”