AALBC.com’s Most Frequently Asked Questions

The word “Club” in our name implies some form of membership. However, we don’t require membership — even to participate in our online book club.

We encourage you to enjoy our content and let others know about anything you found useful. You may use the social media icons provided on most pages for this purpose, or simply tell others. Please share your ideas in the comments section on most pages and on our popular discussion boards.

The process is simple. Please read our book review guidelines.

AALBC sells books both online and during select events. We ship orders over $75 for free and do not collect sales tax (except for the state of Florida).

If the author’s contact information is not provided on their profile page, or is incorrect, please do not contact AALBC.com to request this information. You can often reach an author through their publisher or via the author’s official website.

This is a very broad question. While AALBC.com provides a host of resources for writers at all stages of their careers—including manuscript editing, book printing, and consulting—our primary strength is helping authors promote their finished book to our online audience.

Anyone interested in writing a book should do two things:

1. Study the craft of writing. There are many courses and workshops you can take to help you do this.
2. Aspiring authors should learn the publishing business. Whether you are looking for a deal from a publisher or interested in self-publishing, you will benefit greatly by understanding the book business.

Zane, a popular author and publisher, shared her insight on this very question on our discussion boards back in 2008: Read what she had to say.

If you want it published through traditional means, you should find a good agent. If you want to publish your own book, you may find useful resources in our Writers Resources section.

For editorial services please visit AALBC’s Edit 1st. We provide a full suite of manuscript editing services.

Here are nine ways:

1. Discuss your book on our Black literature discussion forum.
2. Sell enough copies to make the AALBC Bestsellers List or the BLK Bestsellers List.
3. Commission an AALBC.com Book Review.
4. Purchase an AALBC Author Profile.
5. Contribute or pitch an article to the website. If we publish it, we’ll create an author profile for you for free.
6. Launch an AALBC.com ad campaign. Paid promotion starts as low as $199. Visit our advertising section to learn more.
7. Share noteworthy accomplishments on our forum, and we may mention you in our monthly eNewsletter.
8. Support AALBC. If you are profiled on our site or are a publisher with books listed, please provide a link to AALBC from your website.
9. AALBC.com is open to barter. Drop us an email and tell us about any ideas you might have.

Please visit our About Us page.

Absolutely! Please, by all means, link to our site. Visit this page for banners you can use.

Email: troy@aalbc.com (please be descriptive in your subject line).

Or call our office: 347-692-2522 (347-69-AALBC). We prefer email communication. You can also reach us on our discussion forum.

Your email may have been:

• Trapped by our spam filter.
• Overlooked (leaving the subject line blank virtually guarantees this).
• Lost in transit.
• Your message did not warrant a response (e.g., no question was asked).

If we have not responded in 2 or 3 days, please resend the email.

We provide editing (Edit 1st), book printing (AALBC Prints Books), publish books, and we also provide consulting sevices on an array of topics.

Thanks so much for your interest in Black Don’t Crack… Book Spines book club!

Our reading list focuses on books written by Black and African American authors. We primarily select titles from traditional and large independent presses, and we also review 1–2 independently published books per year.

If you’d like your book considered for a book club title recommendation, please mail a print copy of your finished book to:

Eryka Parker
9374 State Rt 14 #1009
Streetsboro, OH 44241

Be sure to include your contact information. Please allow 6–8 weeks for review. You will be notified if your book is selected or recommended.

If your book is selected, you will be invited to attend a virtual book club meeting to engage with members and answer their questions. Meetings are held on the last Sunday of the month at 2 PM EST.

Thanks again for reaching out and for sharing your work with us. We appreciate your interest and wish you continued success with your book.

Definitely. Please read the section above: How do I get my book on AALBC.com?

Please visit Troy’s Biography and Troy’s Appearances Page.