She is known in Nigeria’s literary circles as the undisputed Queen of Books. Not only is she well-known. She’s loved and well-respected. Because she’s not just the Queen of Books. She’s also the Queen of Hearts.
Awele Ilusanmi is a distinguished author and multiple award-winner, celebrated for her invaluable support and contributions to the Nigerian literary community. Beyond being an extremely passionate literacy advocate, she easily connects with people across boundaries, sometimes at personal levels where she radiates love, unusual kindness and inspiration.
Awele does not fail to demonstrate her firm belief that there are always possibilities and prospects for one to rise above any challenge, no matter how tough. She personifies the popular maxim, ‘we rise by lifting others’.
She has been a speaker and panelist at several conferences focused on the development of the book industry and welfare of authors.
At the 2019 Edition of Connect Nigeria’s Writers’ Conference she shared practical insights on the topic, ‘Successful Book Marketing’ and as a Panelist during the 2023 Lagos Books and Art Festival (LABAF), she shared her expertise on ‘Winning with Book Publishing and Marketing’.
Her passion for seeing authors succeed has been described as legendary, and she has written extensively on Book Marketing Strategies and Promotions, freely helping authors with her knowledge and experience.
Having worked as a Literary Agent with Publishizer, an award-winning Literary Crowd Funding Company in New York, USA, she later became President of Literary Authors Cooperative Multipurpose Society of Nigeria (LiTACO) and Founder of Book Marketing Class Africa BMACA.
To the credit of her relentless push for the success of authors, LiTACO has helped many young authors raise funds to publish and launch their books.
Dr. Awele Ilusanmi is the Author of ‘Book Marketing Strategies That Work’, ‘Comforting Arms’, ‘Launch Money’, ‘CrowdFund Your Book’ and ‘Profitable Pages’.
A Fellow of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) and member, Board of Trustees, Trinity Writers and Publishers Network, she holds a Master’s degree in Publishing Studies from the Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas, USA, where she is currently undergoing a PhD program in the School of Psychology and Health Service while working as Graduate Research Assistant.
She was the keynote speaker at an event organised by Booksellers Association of Nigeria in October 2024, where she spoke on ‘Creative, Innovative, and Aggressive Marketing Approaches for Selling More Books’.
She served as a panelist at the highly anticipated ‘Writers Interactive Network Literary Festival 3’ tagged ‘ARTSLIVELAGOS’ in November 2024, spoking on ‘Book PR for the 21st Century’.
As a testament to her excellence and impact, Dr. Ilusanmi has been honoured with the African Writers Tribe Transformational Leader Award 2025; the Trinity Writers and Publishers Network Award for Excellence in Education, and Nigeria’s Humanitarian Award by the Rotary Club of Ikate, Lagos, for her contributions to child literacy and youth development.
To further celebrate her contributions to Nigeria’s Literary Community, The FAMBI Group in December 2025, organized the debut of an annual writing contest tagged “Awele’s Heart Short Story Peace Competition” with a winning prize of 150,000 Naira and publication of the best entries in an anthology.
Dr. Ilusanmi has also been listed in the exclusive 100 Prudent Women Compendium, and honoured as a Laureate of Enterprise, Growth and Organizational Leadership.
In 2026, Dr. Awele Ilusanmi has been bestowed with two historic and very significant global recognitions.
On May 7, 2026 she received an international award in Tanzania as one of the 100 Reputable Women of African Descent, presented in recognition of her “exceptional leadership, integrity and character while making significant contributions to her community and industry and being a beacon of hope, torchbearer of change and a pillar of strength”.
Also in May, 2026, she was appointed Vice-President of the African Woman Summit, USA – further underscoring the growing international recognition of her roles in promoting human development at various levels. Beyond being the Queen of Books – a consummate pillar of support and resilience in Nigeria’s literary community, she has also become a treasured goodwill ambassador for Nigeria and Africa.
She’s currently working to consolidate her efforts to secure foreign rights deals for Nigeria Authors, ensuring global book positioning, optimal visibility, very rewarding deals and sustainable income for authors.
