Masobe Books share cover reveal

Masobe Books has unveiled the cover for *The Lies We Tell*, a new Fatima Bala story collection set in northern Nigeria. (x.com) Masobe lists Bala among its authors and says she is the writer of *Broken: Not a Halal Love Story* and *Hafsatu Bebi*. A recent review of *The Lies We Tell* says the book is scheduled for publication in 2026 by Masobe Books. (masobebooks.com) (nyweekly.com) That review describes the new book as a short-story collection set largely in northern Nigerian Muslim communities, with stories centered on girls and women navigating family, faith and social pressure. (nyweekly.com) The reveal lands as Masobe keeps expanding its footprint in Nigerian publishing. Masobe says it is a Nigerian publishing company, and a December 2024 industry write-up said the house had published 41 books in 2024 after starting in April 2018. (masobebooks.com) (jaylit.com) Bala’s earlier fiction has already been tied to readers looking for stories from northern Nigeria. A May 2025 reading list from 49th Street called *Broken* a bestseller and placed it among notable books from the region. (the49thstreet.com) Masobe’s own site also points readers toward short stories as one of the categories it publishes, alongside literary fiction, romance, fantasy and thriller. That gives *The Lies We Tell* a place inside a catalog that has been broadening across genres while keeping a strong focus on African writing. (masobebooks.com) For now, the cover reveal is the clearest public marker that Bala’s next book is moving closer to shelves. It also gives Masobe a fresh title to push as it continues using social platforms and design-led promotion to build attention around new releases. (x.com) (jaylit.com)