“We maintain a curated and growing collection of over 13,000 titles covering a century of Black writing from around the world,” said Troy Johnson, Founder and Webmaster.
For many, AALBC is a book lovers haven and a collector’s paradise. Johnson says one woman was recently willing to pay $100 for a book by bestselling crime novelist K’wan Foye that would complete her collection. It was out of print, but that didn’t stop Johnson from calling the publisher and then Foye, himself to get the book for a woman he’d never met.
That’s the type of service Johnson provides through his full-service eCommerce site, founded in October 1997. And providing a personalized book buying experience to his online guests is one of the reasons, in August, he ended his 18-year relationship with the Amazon Affiliates program.
“Readers appreciate that if they discover a book on AALBC.com, it only makes sense to purchase it from us. Their sales help strengthen AALBC, which allows us to bring them more books they are likely to enjoy”
The other reason Johnson cut ties with Amazon.com is to keep Black book publishing solvent.
“According to published reports, Amazon.com sells nearly 90% of all books sold online. The tech giant is impoverishing the Black Book ecosystem. Amazon.com has its hands in almost every transaction, weakening booksellers and reducing profits for authors and publishers.”
Now, if visitors find book information on AALBC, their purchasing power won’t leave via an affiliate link. Instead, they can buy before they bounce.