Nnedi Okorafor, the acclaimed Nigerian-American author of Africanfuturist science fiction and fantasy, has signed a seven-figure deal with William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins, for her forthcoming novel titled The Africanfuturist. The novel is expected to be published in 2025.
The Africanfuturist is Okorafor’s 26th book and her most personal one. It tells the story of a disabled Nigerian American woman who pens a science fiction novel, ultimately achieving literary success but at great personal cost. The novel was inspired by Okorafor’s own experience of losing her sister and writing as a form of healing.
Okorafor announced the news on social media, saying that the novel has been coming for thirty years and that she needed to be ready. She also revealed that the deal was for the North American rights only and that she still has other regional rights and film rights to sell.
Okorafor is a bestselling author who has won many awards, including the Hugo, Nebula and World Fantasy awards. She is known for writing captivating stories that blend African cultures, history, mythology and technology. Some of her popular works include Who Fears Death, Binti, Akata Witch and Lagoon. She has also written comics for Marvel and Dark Horse.
Her latest novel, Noor, was published in November 2021 by DAW Books and is a finalist for the Locus Award for best science fiction novel. Noor is a solarpunk adventure set in a futuristic Nigeria, where a young disabled woman named AO (Autobionic Organism) teams up with a Fulani herdsman named DNA (Dangote Nuhu Adamu) to escape from their enemies and discover the secrets of the Red Eye, a perpetual sandstorm that covers the north.
Okorafor is one of the most influential voices in Africanfuturism, a term she coined to describe her genre of writing that explores the future of Africa and its diaspora through a lens of science fiction and fantasy. She has also been involved in various projects to promote African literature and culture, such as Afrofuturism 2.0: The Rise of Astro-Blackness, Lagos Noir and The Book Banque.
The Africanfuturist is expected to be another groundbreaking work by Okorafor that will challenge and inspire readers around the world. We can’t wait to read it!