An Interview with Dele Babalola: Author of The Bible in a Nutshell

Born in 1961, in northern Nigeria, of parents from south-western Nigeria, I spent my primary school years in Ibadan and secondary school was completed in the famous Dr. Tai Solarin’s Mayflower School, Ikenne. Both towns/cities are located in western Nigeria.

I discovered reading very early and was artistically inclined as well. I loved to draw and paint before I was attracted to writing. I started to write seriously from my late secondary school years. My passion is very strong for writing. I know a lot of my patients and friends will disagree because they think I have a natural love for the practice of medicine, which is my other profession.

Growing up, I have been very curious and fascinated about events and features around me – night, day, the sun, the moon, the stars, thunder, lightning, rain, droughts, deserts, natural greenery, mountains, valleys, the expansive spread of seas and oceans and so on. This natural sense of curiosity drives one to start questioning a number of processes and thoughts start to form and develop; the idea for a book surfaces and the gestation period commences, giving birth eventually to the physical writing, editorial work and publishing. I love this very act of creativity. Every new book is like a neonate that has gone through pregnancy, labor and delivery!

Traveling is my other passion. I have been to several cities in the USA; traveled the Caribbean (Cuba, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, Antigua), New Zealand, England, Canada and Australia. I presently reside in Perth, Western Australia with my wife, Jummy, and children – Oyin, Ola, Esther, David and Joshua.

Tell us about your book.

It is about the uniqueness and importance of the Bible to humanity. It explains why the Bible is the operational manual and the key to understanding the creation of the universe and life on this planet; about the destiny of man; also, the coming Great Tribulation, the coming unholy global alliance between high politics and counterfeit religion, the anti-Christ , the coming World War III, the place of Israel in the scheme of things, end times, death, afterlife and the future of humanity. God has explained this to mankind through the Bible. Unfortunately, a lot of people see the Bible as just another book of mythology. My attempt in the book is to open the eyes of the reader to appreciate the deeper truths as I try to unveil deep mysteries in the divine book. The best way to enjoy life, live a very productive life and appreciate death and afterlife, is to read, live and understand the Bible.

Why did you want to write a book?

I would write anytime I perceived a vacuum in the available literature, to educate mankind or when I believed records should be righted or there was a human being to be appreciated for trying to leave the world better than he or she met it.

Why did you choose to self-publish?

I did this because I wanted to have full control on my writing. I believe traditional publishers rip off the average writer financially, emotionally and physically. Only those who have already achieved global prominence stand a chance of a handsome advance in royalties, usually in the seven figures paid in United States dollars. Other writers get a pittance and suffer heartbreaking rejection slips to even get their manuscripts accepted, after the pitiable grind of trying to get the poor author to toe the opinion of the traditional publisher.

What tools or companies did you use, and what experience did you have?

I have cut my teeth by using various self publishing support companies like Xlibris, iUniverse and Kwill. Kwill stands out the best because it does so much to empower the writer, giving the best deals and promotion of his or her work. Kwill actually supported me to be able to publish on amazon KDP and CreateSpace. I wish I had known them earlier. There are a lot of genuine resources out there for the serious up and coming writer to use at very little financial cost – like Lulu, Draft 2 Digital, Smashwords and several others.

Would you self-publish again?

Certainly.

What was your steepest learning curve during the publishing process?

It would be that no one could really help me to write my stuff. What I write is uniquely mine. It is true that other people might offer opinions, editorial suggestions, grammatical corrections but the final responsibility, style, outcome, punch, all rest on my shoulders.

As a writer, what is your schedule? How do you get the job done?

I have no particular schedule. For me writing every book is different. There is a period of gestation that matures in my mind and then the urge to write is irresistible. Some books are written in days, some weeks and some much longer. I have to keep some manuscripts away after the first and second drafts to polish them up to my satisfaction. I have learnt to type in secondary school and so I use the word processor all the time. I am a paperless writer. There is no need for me to keep stuffing the poor bin with rims of paper of discarded initial drafts or efforts.

How do you deal with writer’s block?

I never write until I am ready to go. I always allude to the example of the pregnant woman. Once I am saturated in my mind , the release valve is to write, the pregnancy at maturity that cannot hold on any longer as the labour pains would have started.

Tell us about the genre you wrote in, and why you chose to write this sort of book.

I like to write as close to reality as possible. I started with fiction but non-fiction is appealing to me at the moment . I am going to embrace “faction’, hybridizing facts and fiction in my future writings. I love to write biographies, celebrate uplifting collective human achievements, pen health books, educational books and books about my medical and Christian experiences. I have experimented writing poems, plays, essays, novels and non-fiction. I write prose best.

Who are your biggest writing inspirations and why?

Charles Dickens – strength of characterization. Shakespeare – power of dialogue. Sidney Sheldon, Jeffrey Archer, John Grisham and Frederick Forsyth – suspense. Arthur Conan Doyle – powerful detective talent. Wole Soyinka – for vocabulary “artillery,” depth and eclecticism. Ayn Rand – her power to tap into the inner recesses of the soul and challenge individuals to change society. Tai Solarin – for his vision for education, humanism and egalitarian society. And the Omniscient God, through the Bible – for eternal truths and wisdom.

How do your friends and family get involved with your writing? What do they think of your book?

They do so when offered my completed manuscripts. They are unanimous regarding what they call my “great talent” and being “prolific.”

What are your plans now your book is published?

My plan is to give it a lot of publicity. A writer must never abandon this very crucial part. I have already enlisted it in a “Book of the Day” promotion and several other promotions are in the pipeline.

What did you learn on your journey as an author?

Perseverance. One must keep meeting the challenges, learning , improving based on learned experiences, honing the skill, reading more, traveling more, thinking more and writing more.

What’s next for you as an author?

I intend to keep writing, travel the planet, get involved in social projects and charities that would make the world a better place.