AALBC.com's 10th Anniversary Party - Video

A Tribute to AALBC.com's 10th Anniversary

Presented To TROY JOHNSON In Appreciation For Your Dedication, Professionalism, Guidance, And Integrity In the Publishing Industry Thanks You AALBC.com For 10 Powerful Years Of Supporting Black Books. From Your Colleagues In The Publishing Industry 2008

The above is the inscription on a plaque presented to me last night at Hue-Man Bookstore & Cafe in Harlem last night.

The presentation was a complete surprise to me. Ron Kavanaugh of MosaicBooks.com brought me to the bookstore under the pretense of meeting a potential client. As soon as I entered the store, the first person I noticed, was a man I respect and admire, Brother Leroy Baylor. Seeing this Brother in a Black bookstore near closing did not strike me as odd because that is were you find conscious Brothers on a Friday night.

The next person I saw was the store's owner Marva Allen, she directed me to the back of the store where she said the prospective client was waiting. I thought to myself this must be a serious cat if Marva is keeping the store open for him; given all of the places we could have alternatively met. The next thing I knew people were yelling "SURPISE!" I was absolutely floored.

My family was there, people from all facets of the book industry were there it was really a wonderful sight.

I was deeply touched and completely blown away by the tribute. It was the purest show of appreciation, affection and love that I could image.

What made the event really special was that it was not driven by an organization, but by individuals, who care: Esther Armah, Linda Duggins, Renee Flagler and Rosalind McLymont. These are special very special women. They are mission driven, righteous and do what they do for a love of Black people. Each of these sisters looked marvelous; and were dressed in white for the occasion.

I'm so very proud that these accomplished sisters not only consider me a peer, but think enough of me recognize my contribution to the publishing industry and our people by bringing together friends, family, wine, music and food (my favorite combination) for the occasion.

While I don't do what I do for recognition; it is indeed truly wonderful to be recognized, in such a fashion, by people you love.

Until the day I make my transition I will look upon this moment as a high point in my life.

Thanks to everyone who came, and those who wanted to come but could not.

2008 Essence Literary Award Winning Books Announced

2008 Essence Literary Award Winning Books Announced http://books.aalbc.com/2008_essence_literary_awards_nominees.htm

Would you believe I attended and forgot my camera! Actually I think I lost it today -- cause I can't find it. Bottom line I don't have any photos to share. The awards program was a standing room only event. There were plenty of notable authors, celebrities, and book industry professionals. It was a good mix of people. Essence did a fine job for their first literary awards program.

Three Largest Africa-American Book Sites Join Force to Promote Black Literature

January 7, 2008
For Immediate Release

MEDIA INQUIRIES
Troy Johnson, AALBC.com, (866) 603-8394
Gwen Richardson, Cushcity.com, (281) 444-4265
Ron Kavanaugh, MosaicBooks.com, (718) 530.9132

THREE LARGEST AFRICAN-AMERICAN BOOK SITES JOIN FORCES TO PROMOTE BLACK LITERATURE

HOUSTON, TX – AALBC.com, Cushcity.com and MosaicBooks.com, the three largest and most established web sites focusing on African-American literature, announced today that they have joined forces to offer comprehensive online book promotion options to self-published authors and small publishing firms.

Together, the three web sites have over 30 years of combined online presence and over 4 million page views per month. Each site brings different strengths to the venture.

AALBC.com, founded by Troy Johnson of Harlem, N.Y. in 1998, is n ow the largest website dedicated to promoting books by and about African Americans.

Cushcity.com, co-founded by Willie and Gwen Richardson of Houston, Tex. in 1998, is the world’s largest African-American Internet retailer with over 20,000 products online, including books, DVDs, Greek products, calendars and art.

MosaicBooks.com, founded by Ron Kavanaugh of the Bronx, NY, in 1996, was the first site created to showcase African-American literature. It recently celebrated its 10th anniversary online.

“This effort brings unprecedented exposure to millions of African-American book readers worldwide,” says Johnson. “I am pleased to work with Cushcity and MosaicBooks to bring African-American authors and consumers together.”

The three sites will initially offer self-published authors and small presses simultaneous, prominent placement on each of the three sites’ home pages. There are also plans to expand these coordinated services in the future to include e-blasts and other marketing opportunities for authors.

The announcement comes on the heels of recent news reports highlighting the growth in the number of African-American titles published annually and the resultant increase in book sales revenue. Based upon book sales figures for 2006 released by the American Association of Publishers, African Americans spend about $1 billion of the estimated $24 billion spent in the U.S. annually on books.

• Publishers, for more information regarding the joint online marketing effort contact Ron Kavanaugh, ron@mosaicbooks.com, (718) 530-9132

###

The Best Black Book Search Engine Period!

http://thebestblackbooksearch.com

Ok, despite the pretentious descriptor this is really a good way to query and learn about web sites that focus on books written by Black authors.

I gathered all of the good web sites that I’ve come across and restricted the Google search engine to return results from them. The sites include venerable institutions like Cushcity.com and Mosaicbooks.com, you’ll also see fantastic new comers like Ebonyfly.com and the urbanbooksource.com, and of course AALBC.com.

Currently there are 50 web sites included. If you want to make sure I did not forget any sites please let me know by placing the URL here.

Barack Obama at Harlem's Apollo Theater, November 29th 2007

Barack Obama
http://aalbc.com/authors/barack_obama.htm

Barack Obama hosted a fund raiser at Harlem's "World Famous" Apollo Theater on the evening of November 29th 2007. The event featured supporters; comedian Chris Rock, scholar and activist Dr. Cornel West, and New York State Senator Bill Perkins.

Obama spoke to a standing room crowd of approximately 1,500 people. The video was taken by Harlem resident and Obama supporter Troy Johnson; founder of AALBC.com and Sr. Book Editor of Harlem World Magazine.

My Interview with Snoop of HBO's The Wire

Felicia "Snoop" Pearson and AALBC.com founder Troy Johnson
video taped interview (8 minutes)

The first time I saw Snoop was on HBO's The Wire. I recall watching the scene with her buying a nail gun (fans of The Wire will know what I'm talking about). I also recall thinking just how consistently brilliant HBO is with casting. I replayed that scene twice just taken by the character.

I said to myself, "where did HBO get a little boy that can act like that... and who dreamt up that character?" It was much later that I learned the character was actually a woman.

I also learned HBO's tactic is to cast "real" people in some roles; and Snoop is as real as they come. In fact, Snoop's realness is her most compelling characteristic. Pearson is incredibly comfortable with herself, completely unpretentious, and gracious.

Snoop is also a trip -- very funny; though I did not bring this side of her out in the interview.

I like Snoop.

Snoop has recently published a memoir called; Grace After Midnight. While only 27, the memoir is not untimely, as Snoop has been through and experienced quite a bit in a short period of time. Snoop while 14 shot and killed another teenage girl and spent 6 years in prison...

I wrote a brief review of her book for my web site and Harlem World Magazine http://reviews.aalbc.com/grace_after_midnight.htm my review focused on the "Grace".

In almost stark contrast one of my regular reviewers, Kam Williams, wrote a very different type of review http://aalbc.com/reviews/grace_after_midnight1.htm. Kam's review highlighted the the "Midnight".

Kam asks the question: "What is it about the Baltimore prisons that has it turning murderers into movie stars?" An interesting, if not provocative question.

It also make one consider how much of our celebrity is founded on criminality in some form or fashion.

Snoop is now taking her experiences, new found celebrity and is trying to make a positive impact on others. Audiences have been moved to tears by her stories and her struggles. They find inspiration and are moved by her strength.

As I have been.

American Gangster

The movie American Gangster was filmed in my neighborhood in Harlem. The steps of the church Denzel Washington is standing, in the photograph above, is just around the corner from my home.

My home is just a short walk from where I grew up. The street just behind Denzel’s head is the street where Maya Angelou and Kareem Abdul Jabar own brownstones.

Once you get past the street closures, and parking restrictions the filming of a movie requires; it is pretty cool to have one made on your block. They did a decent job making the area look older with the vintage automobiles and false store fronts. They even changed the street signs – renumbering a few which startled the heck out of me one morning (I thought I’d snapped). But the coolness ends there.

I saw the movie, and was not impressed. The characters were just so poorly developed. Kam Williams, a frequent reviewer for AALBC.com, articulates many of my feelings quite well: http://reviews.aalbc.com/american_gangster.htm giving the movie 1.5 stars (out of 4).

A poor movie with a talented cast is a regrettable waste of limited resources. However, in this case, waste is not the only problem.

The character of Frank Lucas is being glorified in the process. Frank Lucus was the MAN, clocking, purportedly, one million dollars a day over a five year period. He is the Black Scarface who survived the game. He is revered by many and reviled by few.

To Lucus’ credit he says “I’m not the one to glorify” but those around him seem to be doing the exact opposite. Even Denzel Washington seemingly gives him a pass, in the most recent Jet Magazine; pointing to his tragic childhood as a cause or explanation for being a murderous drug lord.

Here’s the thing: I grew up during the hey day of heroine epidemic in Harlem. I can’t tell you how bad and on how many levels Harlem has been adversely affected by the drug trade. Drugs destroyed families and has continued to effect our children for generations – into the present day.

Of course it is not ALL Frank Lucus’ fault and if it were not Frank, there would have been someone else in his place. Obviously the local government was actively involved and profiting from our nightmare. The federal government, at the very least, turned a blind eye, but more likely was actively involved too.

Our more progressive Brothers, who I argue are contributing to the glorification of Frank Lucus, say “who better than Frank Lucus to warn our youth about the dangers of selling drugs”. I hear where they are coming from but why do we ALWAYS feel the best person to tell someone how to be law abiding, is someone that never was -- At least not until they were really too old that they are incapable of doing otherwise.

It seems to me that one would get an individual who is actually successful, legally, to tell our children how to do it.

But I know it is far more exciting to hear crime does not pay from a celebrity gangster, than it is from some unknown barbershop owner or an accountant for a Fortune 500.

BET has a program called American Gangster which profiles Black criminals. It would be nice if they had a program called American CEO which profiled Black captains of industry.

I wonder if anyone would watch.

Karen Steffans Interviewed by AALBC.com

Karrine Steffans is the author of the New York Times bestsellering books The Vixen Diaries (2007) and the wildly sucessful and scandelous Confessions of a Video Vixen (2005).

Confessions is currently [Oct. 2007] the all-time best selling book on AALBC.com

I had a chance to interview Karrine, on October 3rd 2007, during the New York City leg of her hectic book tour for The Vixen Diaries: http://authors.aalbc.com/karrine_steffans.htm#Karen

Racist Hate Mail

I was listening to the radio (1010 AM, WINS, New York) this week and heard a report of some Jewish people in Roslyn, LI who received some Jewish hate mail.

Apparently they got some letter in the mail emblazoned with a Swastika. The police were investigating.

I began thinking to myself wow, Black people confort racism on a much higher level on a daily basis. I really could not understand why the Roslyn, NY incident was even newsworthy, relatively speaking.

See, I get racist email all the time. Usually I just ignore it and at this stage of the game I’m somewhat immune to it. I know there are people who hate Black folks. I wish I could tell these racists to save their ink and time, I don't need the reminder.

Well the same day of the Roslyn incident I got a letter in the mail myself. Addressed to AALBC.com and Staff. A scan of a portion of the letter is shown above.

Is this letter newsworthy. Should I phone the press or call Reverend Al? Am I too desensitized for my own good?

http://www.thumperscorner.com/discus/messages/1726/30386.html

Terry McMillan Speaks out on the ill of the publishing industry

The following link points to a letter, written by Terry McMillan, on the ills of the publishing industry. The letter addresses, among other things the hurt and pain, caused by these Tell-All Books that are so popular today.

Visit http://www.thumperscorner.com/discus/messages/1/30333.html to read some very interesting commentary.

OK y'all this is big. Cheryl Woodruff, founder and former associate publisher of One World, Random House’s multicultural imprint, has been named president and associate publisher of SmileyBooks.

This will be an opportunity for Us to publish the kind of Black books we've all be claiming that the German conglomerates will not publish. Now I know it will not be easy and Smiley Books is not going to make everyone happy. And they certainly won’t be perfect out the gate, but we must show support over the long term. As we continue to support publishers like Just Us Books, Black Classic press and others.

Smiley books hosted a party to celebrate the venture last night. I plan to create some content on AALBC.com regarding this event and Smiley Book over the next few days.

In the meantime here are some photos.

BIBR's, Clarence Reynolds, AALBC.com's Founder, Troy Johnson and Tavis Smiley

To see all the photos visit: http://tinyurl.com/2thczj

Two Years Ago - Black New Yorkers: Booklover hopes to profit from his passion

Black New Yorkers: Booklover hopes to profit from his passion
by Tanangachi Mfuni, Amsterdam News Staff

Originally Published Vol. 97 No. 40 September 28-October 4, 2006 © 2006, Amsterdam News

When Harlemite Troy Johnson launched a website dedicated to Black books nearly eight years ago, it came out of “a passion for Black people,” he said.

Today, Johnson’s African American Literary Book Club (aalbc.com) is a virtual watering hole for Black booklovers and has been called the most popular website dedicated to African-American literature.

“It’s probably a statement of fact,” the 44-year-old originator of the site that reviews books, hosts discussions, profiles authors and promotes book events, in addition to other services for the Black literary world said casually.

Sitting down with the AmNews in his study, Johnson is surrounded by walls lined with books—most of which he said he hasn’t read.

Johnson, who holds two degrees in engineering and an MBA, launched the book club website in the wake of juggernauts like Barnesandnoble.com and Amazon.com. But unlike those mega book websites, aalbc.com draws a particular type of reader, mostly educated women, Johnson said.
“They can [be] reach[ed] with laser-light precision, this audience,” said Johnson, who’s currently in the process of soliciting advertisers. Though holding down a comfortable day job with a global investment firm, Johnson still wants to do more.

“It’s lucrative, but I do it at this point because I have to,” the webmaster explained, reflecting on his day gig. “One of the things they don’t teach you in majority [white] schools is to be entrepreneur. They teach you to go out and get a job,” Johnson said.

The 44-year-old, who grew up in Harlem’s Johnson Houses, returned to the neighborhood years later and purchased an abandoned shell of a house blocks away from where he grew up. He’s renovated it into the chic brownstone where he currently resides with his wife and two daughters.

For a kid growing up in the projects, Johnson’s success, compared with that of his peers, is impressive, but not impossible.

“We see struggle as a bad thing,” said Johnson. But the graduate of Brooklyn Technical High School, who went on to pursue electrical engineering at Syracuse University then complete several masters degrees from Polytechnic University and New York University’s Stern School of Business, sees struggle as survival.

“If we’re not struggling, we’re not going to get to another level or state,” said Johnson.
Clearly, he’s looking to take AALBC.com to the next level. As he branches out, Johnson is encouraged by the growth he has seen in the field of Black literature. When the website began, the number of Black books available to the public was minimal. However with many authors self publishing and using the web as a marketing tool to sell their literature, the field has exploded, making it harder to catalogue all the blossoming Black writers and books on the website.

2007 Outstanding Alumni Award from Syracuse University

It has been almost 30 years since I first set foot on the Syracuse University Campus during, what I believe was, the 1st Empire State Games. I was a gymnast representing the New York City Region.

Even as a kid from the big city I was overwhelmed by the size and facilities offered by the University. SU was the first major university campus I ever visited; and this is the primary reason I chose to apply. I applied early admission and never seriously considered another school.

This is way I'm very honored to be selected a recipient of this year's Outstanding Alumni Award. I was nominated and recommended by some very special people in the publishing industry.

September 24, 2007

Dear Troy:

On behalf of the Office of Alumni Relations, please accept my congratulations on your acceptance of the 2007 Outstanding Alumni Award. Syracuse University is proud of your loyalty and commitment and is honored to call you an alumnus.

Just Few Popular Books on AALBC.com

Troy Johnson, Founder of AALBC.com is interviewed by Darryl Jenkins

Troy Johnson, Founder of AALBC.com is interviewed by Darryl Jenkins on Winbrook Pride TV.

http://tinyurl.com/2ph9sd
(time: 28 min 53 sec)

Stevie Wonder Concert Clip

Stevie Wonder Concert Clip

I drove from NYC and paid almost 3 times face for a pair of tickets to see Stevie Wonder perform on a chilly evening on the Baltimore harbor.

I'd easily place this in the top 5 concerts I've ever seen. It was more than nostalgia, it was simply a great concert -- no gimmicks, not fancy footwork or pyrotechnics -- just great music and lyrics.

Stevie performed for 2.5 hours and played nothing but hits. He could have continued all night and and the crowd would have loved it.

My only complaint would be the lack of a horn section. The missing brass was most noticeable on Superstition. Other than that I have no complaints.

Stevie's 70's classic still resonate today. He augmented the lyrics of some of his older classics to speak directly to some of today's issues. He was political without being preachy.

Stevie said he would also be back in Baltimore to give a free concert, which would be tremendous. Stevie Wonder is a prime example of what is missing from popular music today.

BET's Hot Ghetto Mess or Stop supporting the negative literature

A prominent individual in Black publishing recently suggested that “I choose a side”. Basically I need to stop supporting the negative literature; you know the stuff that includes all of the negative Black stereo types, or an abundance of sex, violence, etc.

This person felt that if your support both you are contributing to the harming our community, in much the same way as if you supported only the negative stuff. Basically, you can not have it both ways.

My gut reaction is disagreement. I enjoy a good literary read and as well as the some of the controversial stuff that is published. I try to portray, in balance, the variety of stuff that is available. I fully realize I will make more money selling Karrine Steffans and Zane than Martha Southgate or ZZ Packer; but I promote both. Despite the fact that Zane and Karrine WILL promote and advertise their work here while Packer and Southgate will not (but I digress)…

Again, I think that balance works and is actually necessary – if done with sincere intentions. Fact of the matter is, in a free society, both will always persist.

Now where it does NOT work is with BET. I watched two episodes of BET’s We Got to do Better/Hot Ghetto Mess and was completely underwhelmed. Honestly, We Got to do Better is a Hot Ghetto Mess!

The show is simply poorly done. The clips are unfunny, the setups are lame and the whole charade of saying we can use these videos to learn to do better in our own lives is insulting!

Why can’t BET just create quality low brow content and forget about trying to position it as righteous?! It is disingenuous, misleading and makes them look stupid.

Even BET's recent Read a Book Video which I found amusing was purportedly done in an effort to get folks to read more… Gimme a break.

It is like the same ‘ole tried refrain I hear from mediocre urban lit authors; “…You know I’m just telling the story so that you don’t make the same mistakes I did...”. Please, no one cares about that in a novel, just tell a good story and forget about trying to make a shot‘em up sex‘em up book have socially redeeming value.

Lets all do better; whether we produce the high brow stuff for the intellectuals, the low brow stuff for the masses or both. And whatever we produce lets be honest about it.

Read more on this subject at AALBC.com's discussion boards: http://tinyurl.com/3xd5t4

A Conversation with Howard Zinn and Walter Mosley

Author Martha Southgate Reflects on the State of African American Fiction

This article was brought to my attention by author Eisa Ulen (www.EisaUlen.com/blog).



Author Martha Southgate (http://authors.aalbc.com/martha_southgate.htm) muses about the state of African American Fiction

“I am a 46-year-old writer of “literary” fiction. I’ve had three novels published — the first for young people, the last two for adults. All have won minor prizes, been respectfully reviewed and sold modestly. I’ve been awarded a few fairly competitive fellowships and grants. The business is full of fiction writers like me. With one difference: I’m black, born and raised in the United States. At the parties and conferences I attend, and in the book reviews I read, I rarely encounter other African-American “literary” writers, particularly in my age bracket. There just don’t seem to be that many of us out there, and that’s something I’ve come to wonder about a great deal. And so I got on the phone with some editors and African-American writers to talk about it.”

Read the rest of this article at: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/01/books/review/Southgate-t.html


Adero, who I know and respect, in the article bemoans;


“Literary African-American writers have difficulty getting publicity. The retailers then don’t order great quantities of the books. Readers don’t know what books are available and therefore don’t ask for them. It’s a vicious cycle.”


I agree with Adero, in fact authors, unless they are a celebrities, have difficulty gaining publicity. However, in my mind, the solution is simple: If you want to bring attention to your novel, focus more on effective advertising instead of trying to acquire "free" publicity.


It is A LOT harder to acquire meaningful and sustained publicity for a book, than it is to purchase advertising. I’m not saying (yet) that a publicist is not needed, but after tons of conversations with authors; the overwhelming majority relate that they, themselves, have been more effective at securing mentions in the media than their publicists.


I know part of the problem is the authors expectations; but rarely do I hear about an author singing the praises of a publicist. This the way I discover good books, in rank order:

1. Reviewer raves about a book
2. Someone, whose opinion I respect, recommends the book (really the same as #1)
3. Book makes a bestseller’s list (not always reliable, but it is better than “randomly” selecting from everything that is available)
4. I discover the book on my own (rarely)

Relatively unknown literary authors should considering advertising their own books, and engaging in a little self promotion if order to increase sales. Now Martha’s book The Fall of Rome (reviewed by Thumper here: http://aalbc.com/reviews/the_fall_of_rome.htm) could sell even more copies today, five years after publication, if more people knew about it. It is an excellent book.


Assuming people like author’s work, once the reputation builds, the only advertising they need is to let reader know the next book is out. Everyone else has to build a reputation buy writing a good book and be willing to spend a little money and energy to let people know you are out there.


Photo AALBC.com founder Troy Johnson and author Martha Southgate at the National Book Club Confernece in Atlanta, 2006.