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The Importance of Independent Black Owned Bookstores
The Importance of Independent Black Owned Bookstores Book Spotlights Authors and industry professionals talk about the importance of Black owned, independent, book stores. These clips were recorded b...
Black-Owned: The Revolutionary Life of the Black Bookstore
Black-Owned: The Revolutionary Life of the Black Bookstore Char Adams 9780593474235 Nonfiction Tiny Reparations Books Penguin Random House Black-Owned: The Revolutionary Life of the Black Bookstore is...
Why Black Owned Websites Fail
Why Black Owned Websites Fail Troy Johnson Article A few days ago a friend came across an article in, WhereItzAt Magazine. In the magazine was an article, “In defense of Black Bookstores,” addressed ...
Only 54 Black Owned Bookstores Remain in America
Only 54 Black Owned Bookstores Remain in America Troy Johnson Article This is a follow up to an article, “Death of the Black Owned, Independent, Book...
Death of the Black Owned, Independent, Bookstore
Death of the Black Owned, Independent, Bookstore Troy Johnson Article Editor's Note: We published an update of our bookstores in March of 2014. One of the very first things I put on AA...
We Must Patronize Black-Owned Websites or Lose Them
We Must Patronize Black-Owned Websites or Lose Them Troy Johnson Article Part of AALBC.com’s mission is to help support Black-owned websites. Historically, I've focused on sites related to books i...
Marcus Books of San Francisco Evicted—Should We Care?
Marcus Books of San Francisco Evicted—Should We Care? Troy Johnson Article Back in the the summer of 2013, I joined the fight to help save Marcus Books. My motivation was not solely limited to savin...
Top Ten Reasons Why African American Bookstores Are Closing
Top Ten Reasons Why African American Bookstores Are Closing Gwen Richardson Article Editor’s Note: On March 25, 2012 we published our new bookstore database. At the same time we also publ...
Prose to the People: A Celebration of Black Bookstores
Prose to the People: A Celebration of Black Bookstores Katie Mitchell 9780593581346 Nonfiction Clarkson Potter Penguin Random House A stunning visual homage to Black bookstores around the country alon...
Nicole, Tiphanie, and Glory's Favorite Bookstores
Nicole, Tiphanie, and Glory's Favorite Bookstores Book Spotlights Nicole Dennis-Benn (https://aalbc.it/nicoledb), author of Here Comes The Sun; Tiphanie Yanique (https://aalbc.it/tiphanie), author of ...
Independent Black-Owned Bookstore: 44th & 3rd Bookseller
Independent Black-Owned Bookstore: 44th & 3rd Bookseller Book Spotlights Warren Lee co-owner of 44th & 3rd Bookseller in Atlanta, GA gives us a tour of his bookstore. Discover more Black-owned bookst...
The ESSENCE Brand—Where Black Women Come First—NOT!
The ESSENCE Brand—Where Black Women Come First—NOT! Troy Johnson Article A few weeks ago, I visited Essence Magazine’s website to learn which Black owned bookstore they were going to use as the books...
Blanche Richardson
Blanche Richardson NONE Blanche Richardson, a seasoned book editor and manager of Marcus Books, one of the oldest African American owned bookstores in the US, has contributed significantly to literat...
Share Info from Indie Black Owned Websites
Share Info from Indie Black Owned Websites Troy Johnson Article Add Huria Search Resources to Your Website or Blog Huria Search was created in reaction to the current trend in search results that f...
Dave Landry Co-Founder of CLASS Bookstore, Houston, TX
Dave Landry Co-Founder of CLASS Bookstore, Houston, TX Book Spotlights Recorded during the American Booksellers Assoication’s Children’s Insititute June 13, 2025, Portland, Oregon. Learn more about th...
8 Ways Bookstores Can Engage the eReading Community
8 Ways Bookstores Can Engage the eReading Community Shawneda Marks Article Here are 8 ways brick and mortar stores can welcome indie and eBook authors. Introduce readers to indie authors...
Black-Owned Bookstores Directory
The most comprehensive global directory of Black-owned physical and online bookstores. Find local independent Black booksellers.
Help Keep the Country's Oldest Black-owned Bookstore Open
Help Keep the Country's Oldest Black-owned Bookstore Open Troy Johnson Article Editor's Note (posted May 8th 2014): Marcus Books of San Francisco Evicted Sign the petition to help save the sto...
Only 54 Black Owned Indie Bookstores Left in America
Only 54 Black Owned Indie Bookstores Left in America Book Spotlights Please join #ReadingBlack a movement where we encourage people of all colors to read books written by Black writers and to buy thos...
David Ruggles
David Ruggles 0000000078894447 David Ruggles was a pioneer in black activism, journalism, and entrepreneurship in the 1800s. He led 600+ slaves to freedom, including Frederick Douglass, and owned the...
50 Billion Dollar Boss: African American Women Sharing Stories of Success in Entrepreneurship and Leadership
50 Billion Dollar Boss: African American Women Sharing Stories of Success in Entrepreneurship and Leadership Kathey Porter and Andrea Hoffman 9781137475015 Nonfiction Palgrave Macmillan Macmillan Publ...
5 Ways to Support Independent Black Voices
5 Ways to Support Independent Black Voices Troy Johnson Article The Digital Divide, or the disparity between internet adoption rates between various groups, has been a topic of conversation since the...
Weekend Wealth Transfer: How Black Churches Move Billions of Dollars Out of Black Communities and How to Move It Back
Weekend Wealth Transfer: How Black Churches Move Billions of Dollars Out of Black Communities and How to Move It Back Gwen Richardson 9781539373643 Nonfiction CreateSpace On-Demand Publishing LLC Ever...
Kevin Roberts of Azizi Books
Kevin Roberts of Azizi Books Book Spotlights Kevin Roberts Owner of Azizi Books in Matteson, IL https://www.azizibooks.com/ Sadly this store closed in 2014. Not very may Black owned bookstores rema...
Robin DiAngelo
Robin DiAngelo 0000000043595922 DiAngelo Actively Supports Black-Owned Bookstores Robin DiAngelo, PhD, is a seasoned academic, author, and lecturer specializing in racial and social justice. She has o...
Char Adams
Char Adams NONE Char Adams is a reporter for NBC News' BLK, specializing in race, gender, and class issues. She has covered a wide range of topics, with her work featured in major publications includ...
Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines
Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines Karine Jean-Pierre 9781538777084 Nonfiction Legacy Lit Hachette Book Group A groundbreaking, revelatory assessment of America’s...
Best Richardson African Diaspora Literature & Culture Museum, Tampa FL
Best Richardson African Diaspora Literature & Culture Museum, Tampa FL Author Interviews Learn about Best Richardson African Diaspora Literature & Culture Museum and many other independent, Black-owne...
DARE Books, Longwood Florida
DARE Books, Longwood Florida Book Spotlights Learn about DARE Books and many other independent, Black-owned bookstores in the United States: https://aalbc.com/bookstores/store.php?store_name=DARE+Book...
Pyramid Art, Books & Custom Framing, Little Rock, AR
Pyramid Art, Books & Custom Framing, Little Rock, AR Book Spotlights Learn about Pyramid Art, Books & Custom Framing and many other independent, Black-owned bookstores in the United States: https://aa...
Albert B. Cleage, Jr.
Albert B. Cleage, Jr. MULTIPLE Albert B. Cleage Jr., also known as Jaramogi Abebe Agyeman, was a Black nationalist Christian minister, author, and political organizer. He founded the Shrine of the Bl...
Are Reading Rates Declining in the African American Community?
Are Reading Rates Declining in the African American Community? Troy Johnson Article Frequent AALBC.com visitors may already know I consider search results biased toward large corporate sites t...
Ta-Nehisi Coates Publishes With Oldest Black Owned Publisher
Ta-Nehisi Coates Publishes With Oldest Black Owned Publisher Author Interviews Paul Coates, founder of Black Classic Press, announces that his son Ta-Nehisi Coates will publish the French edition of W...
Owned by Several Masters
Owned by Several Masters Sojourner Truth 9781939866073 Nonfiction Padmore Publishing Padmore Publishing Her name, Sojourner, means Traveler, and now that we know that fact, we love her story even more...
Carl Weber
Carl Weber 0000000111497479 Carl Weber, born in 1964, is a New York Times bestselling author and renowned African American author with over 20 novels. He's also the CEO of Urban Books LLC, one of the...
Mainstream American Publishers Launch Large Number of Imprints Focused on Black Books
Mainstream American Publishers Launch Large Number of Imprints Focused on Black Books Mainstream American Publishers Launch Large Number of Imprints Focused on Black Books Also check out the top 100 p...
Hannah Oliver Depp Describes Loyalty Bookstores
Hannah Oliver Depp Describes Loyalty Bookstores Book Spotlights Hannah Oliver Depp founder and co-owner, Loyalty Bookstores. Learn More: https://aalbc.com/bookstore/Loyalty+Books
Three Famous Authors Describe a Few of Their Favorite Bookstores
Three Famous Authors Describe a Few of Their Favorite Bookstores Book Spotlights During the 2017 Southwest Florida Reading Festival, three very popular authors describe a few of their favorite booksto...
Roxane Gay & Edan Lepucki on Their Favorite Bookstores
Roxane Gay & Edan Lepucki on Their Favorite Bookstores Book Spotlights Bestselling Authors Roxane Gay (https://aalbc.it/gayroxane) & Edan Lepucki talk about on their favorite bookstores. Plus Roxane ...
National Book Awards Honors IBPA Members’ Impact
National Book Awards Honors IBPA Members’ Impact Troy Johnson Article This article was originally published in the April 2025 issue of the IBPA Independent magazine, the magazine for members of the I...
Onyx
Onyx Covington GA Onyx Bookstore is a Black-owned, woman-owned, unique and relaxing independent bookstore cafe, and supporter of local Black-owned businesses and artists. Serving the community with ex...
Afro Sheen: How I Revolutionized an Industry with the Golden Rule, from Soul Train to Wall Street
Afro Sheen: How I Revolutionized an Industry with the Golden Rule, from Soul Train to Wall Street George E. Johnson with Hillary Beard 9780316577342 Nonfiction Little, Brown and Company Hachette Book ...
VaLinda Miller, owner of Turning Page Bookshop in Goose Creek, SC
VaLinda Miller, owner of Turning Page Bookshop in Goose Creek, SC Book Spotlights Turning Page Bookshop, run by VaLinda Miller, is a haven for readers and community events. Support is needed to sustai...
Independent Voyces Literary Works
Independent Voyces Literary Works Independent Voyces Literary Works Independent Voyces Literary Works
Independent Voyces Literary Works
Independent Voyces Literary Works Independent Voyces Literary Works Independent Voyces Literary Works
Donna Craddock & Donya Craddock of The Dock Bookshop in Fort Worth, TX
Donna Craddock & Donya Craddock of The Dock Bookshop in Fort Worth, TX Book Spotlights Donna Craddock & Donya Craddock, co-owners of The Dock Bookshop in Fort Worth, TX tell viewers all about their st...
Best Books and Rich Treasures Book Store, Co-Owner Gigi Best
Best Books and Rich Treasures Book Store, Co-Owner Gigi Best Book Spotlights Gigi Best-Richardson and Skip Richardson are co-owners of the Best Books and Rich Treasures antiquarian book store located ...
Plan It!: The Complete Resource Guide for Authors, Book Clubs & Literary Event Planners
Plan It!: The Complete Resource Guide for Authors, Book Clubs & Literary Event Planners Sharon Lucas 9781625179661 Nonfiction Brown Girls Books Brown Girls Books Read a Free Preview of the “The Perf...
Simba Sana
Simba Sana NONE Simba Sana overcame hardships in Washington, D.C. to graduate with degrees in Accounting, Business and Finance, and African Studies. He left his auditing job to join Karibu Books, gro...
Table of Contents
Table of Contents Loading Resources for African American Writers, Authors and ReadersPlaces to Submit WorkPublishersDialogueFYAH.comCopyright InformationPublishing GlossaryOn-line Writers Works...
Victoria Scott-Miller
Victoria Scott-Miller NONE Victoria Scott-Miller is an acclaimed entrepreneur, author, and owner of North Carolina's first black-owned children's bookstore. She's notable for creating 'The Museum Liv...
The Black Utopians: Searching for Paradise and the Promised Land in America
The Black Utopians: Searching for Paradise and the Promised Land in America Aaron Robertson 9780374604981 Nonfiction Farrar, Straus and Giroux Macmillan Publishers One of Literary Hub’s most anticipat...
Black Book Websites Need Love Too
Black Book Websites Need Love Too Troy Johnson Article Over the last decade there has been a great deal of lamenting over the closing of Black owned, independent brick and mortar book stores. Recent...
How Google Uses Their Search Engine to Hijack Traffic from Web-based Bookstores
How Google Uses Their Search Engine to Hijack Traffic from Web-based Bookstores Book Spotlights https://aalbc.com/blog/index.php/2017/07/04/2-ways-google-kills-book-websites/ Learn how Google uses its...
Lauren Lacey
Lauren Lacey NONE Lauren Lacey, an indie Romance author and digital strategist, has optimized global brands including PwC. She's the former marketing lead for Mastercard and AMEX gift cards, and a Fo...
There is a Lack of Unity Among Black Websites
There is a Lack of Unity Among Black Websites Troy Johnson Article Over the last year, I’ve invested a lot of effort informing the public about the adverse impact of the corporate take over of the we...
AALBC.com Clients Make the NY Times Best Sellers List!
AALBC.com Clients Make the NY Times Best Sellers List! Troy Johnson Article [caption id="" align="alignleft" width="250"] #13 NY Times Best Seller, Hardcover Fiction May 20, 2012[/caption] I start...
The Reader’s Choice
The Reader’s Choice Milwaukee WI Wisconsin's only black-owned bookstore closes, leaving memories — and a void http://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2017/07/08/lone-black-owned-bookstore-closes-leavi...
George E. Johnson with Hillary Beard
George E. Johnson with Hillary Beard MULTIPLE George Ellis Johnson Sr. (born June 12, 1927) is the founder of the Johnson Products Company, the maker of Ultra Sheen and Afro Sheen, the first Black-o...
George E. Johnson
George E. Johnson NONE George Ellis Johnson Sr. (born June 12, 1927) is the founder of the Johnson Products Company, the maker of Ultra Sheen and Afro Sheen, the first Black-owned company to trade o...
Our Black Year: One Family’s Quest to Buy Black in America’s Racially Divided Economy
Our Black Year: One Family’s Quest to Buy Black in America’s Racially Divided Economy Maggie Anderson 9781610392280 Nonfiction PublicAffairs Hachette Book Group Maggie and John Anderson were successfu...
Présence Africaine
Présence Africaine Présence Africaine Editions Présence Africaine Editions http://www.presenceafricaine.com
Présence Africaine Editions
Présence Africaine Editions Présence Africaine Editions Présence Africaine http://www.presenceafricaine.com
Georgia “Mother Rose” West Talks about Underground Books
Georgia “Mother Rose” West Talks about Underground Books Book Spotlights Georgia “Mother Rose” West describes Underground Books, which is located in Sacramento, CA. Learn more about this bookstore an...
AA Book Stores
AA Book Stores Troy Johnson Article Click Here for New Black Owned, Independent Bookstore Database
Fall Into Fiction
Fall Into Fiction Waterfront Hotel Emeryville California UCAAB was created as a way for African-American book clubs in California to network, support, and promote our reading groups, black-owned indep...
Moore Black Press
Moore Black Press Moore Black Press Moore Black Press Moore Black Press is one of the all-time bestselling Independent publishers on AALBC.com. ...
Moore Black Press
Moore Black Press Moore Black Press Moore Black Press Moore Black Press is one of the all-time bestselling Independent publishers on AALBC.com. ...
Noel Hankin
Noel Hankin NONE Noel Hankin, founder of The Best of Friends, Inc., pioneered disco nightlife in NYC, paving the way for the disco explosion of the '70s. A retired executive from Moët Hennessy USA a...
Hidden Hospitality: Untold Stories of Black Hotel, Motel, and Resort Owners from the Pioneer Days to the Civil Rights Era
Hidden Hospitality: Untold Stories of Black Hotel, Motel, and Resort Owners from the Pioneer Days to the Civil Rights Era Calvin Stovall Jr. 9781612547114 Nonfiction Brown Books Publishing Group Brown...
Grassrootz Bookstore
Grassrootz Bookstore Phoenix AZ Arizona’s Only Black-Owned, Activist-Owned, Worker-Owned Bookstore - Located in the Historic Eastlake Park District
Independent Authors Book Festival
Independent Authors Book Festival Kean University, Downs Halls Union New Jersey Independent Authors Book Expo was created to help you the independent author intorduce your story to mainstream auidence...
Moxie Mindset: Secrets of Building a Profitable, Independent Physicians Practice in a Competitive Market
Moxie Mindset: Secrets of Building a Profitable, Independent Physicians Practice in a Competitive Market Dina Strachan 9781948400619 Nonfiction Purposely Created Publishing Group Purposely Created Pub...
The Indie Author’s Guide: To Publishing 101
The Indie Author’s Guide: To Publishing 101 Johanna Sparrow 9781530398300 Nonfiction CreateSpace On-Demand Publishing LLC If you are an aspiring writer looking to become published, but not sure what s...
Go - Cook Something!: A Cooking Survival Guide For Active Independent Children
Go - Cook Something!: A Cooking Survival Guide For Active Independent Children Tiana North and Taliba Holliday 9781450574402 Nonfiction CreateSpace On-Demand Publishing LLC Hungry Teens Want to Eat Go...
Ava DuVernay
Ava DuVernay 000000035624500X Ava DuVernay is an award-winning writer, producer, and director in independent film. She founded DVA Media + Marketing and the African-American Film Festival Releasing M...
Google Should Pay for Content We Produce Which They Use to Generate Revenue
Google Should Pay for Content We Produce Which They Use to Generate Revenue Troy Johnson Article When you ask Google Home’s Smart Assistant to “Name some African American websites,” Google pulls the...
Jackie Ormes
Jackie Ormes 0000000055572904 Jackie Ormes, the first nationally syndicated African-American woman cartoonist, revolutionized the portrayal of black characters in the 1930s-50s. Her four comic strips...
The Black Agenda
The Black Agenda Robert Fleming Book Review Who was Glen Ford? If you ask that question of some of the best critical thinkers in the Black community, they would say Ford was one of the most capabl...
Taevo Publishing
Taevo Publishing Taevo Publishing Taevo Publishing Taevo is a Black-owned, woman-owned traditional independent publishing house dedicated to sharing the voices and resounding messages of BIPOC women ...
Taevo Publishing
Taevo Publishing Taevo Publishing Taevo Publishing Taevo is a Black-owned, woman-owned traditional independent publishing house dedicated to sharing the voices and resounding messages of BIPOC women ...
Mellody Hobson
Mellody Hobson NONE Mellody Hobson is co-CEO and president of Ariel Investments, the first African American-owned mutual fund company in the United States. Priceless Facts about Money was her first c...
Marcus Books (Oakland, CA) an Excellent Bookstore
Marcus Books (Oakland, CA) an Excellent Bookstore Book Spotlights Marcus Books located in Oakland California (2nd location opening in San Francisco) is one of the nation's premier stores focused on Bl...
Margaret Busby
Margaret Busby 0000000384780261 Margaret Busby, UK's youngest and first black female publisher, co-founded Allison & Busby Ltd and was a director at Earthscan Publications. An award-winning writer, e...
Black Hamptons
Black Hamptons Carl Weber and La Jill Hunt 9781645564706 Fiction Urban Books Kensington Publishing Corp. When a piece of land comes up for sale in this exclusive community, it sparks a war between the...
Gatekeepers of Black Culture: Black-Owned Book Publishing in the United States, 1817-1981
Gatekeepers of Black Culture: Black-Owned Book Publishing in the United States, 1817-1981 Donald Franklin Joyce 9780313233326 Nonfiction Praeger Publishers Greenwood Publishing Group “In this importan...
Spirits Come from Water: An Introduction to Ancestral Veneration and Reclaiming African Spiritual Practices
Spirits Come from Water: An Introduction to Ancestral Veneration and Reclaiming African Spiritual Practices Ehime Ora 9781401975517 Nonfiction Hay House Penguin Random House For those who wish to deco...
Doni Glover
Doni Glover NONE Doni Glover is the founder of the Original Black Wall Street SERIES and blackwallstreetnews.com. He's an influential voice in Maryland's black community, often sought for insights on...
Host a Listening Party for SHUT UP AND READ!
Host a Listening Party for SHUT UP AND READ! Jeannine A. Cook Article .image:hover { transform: translateY(-5px); box-shadow: 0 12px 24px rgba(255, 126, 3, 0.4); } Host a Listening Pa...
October Bestsellers, Award Winning Books, New Bookstores and More
October Bestsellers, Award Winning Books, New Bookstores and More Troy Johnson Article Bestselling Books September/October 2017 The fiction category was dominated by Sadeqa Johnson’s novel Second ...
Seina Wedlick
Seina Wedlick NONE Seina Wedlick is an avid reader and writer, often found exploring or at the beach with her family. She loves pairing books with snacks, visiting bookstores, and collecting postcard...
Word of Life Christian Bookstores
Word of Life Christian Bookstores Los Angeles CA Word of Life Christian Bookstore was started in 1961, by Joe & Evelyn Curtiss. Today, Word of Life is a leading Christian Retailer in the Los Angeles c...
Stacey Lyn Evans
Stacey Lyn Evans NONE Stacey Lyn Evans, a renowned author and poet, has written for stage and TV, and performed her poetry nationwide. Her book REAL SOUL FOOD has made its way into major bookstores a...
Christine Pauls
Christine Pauls NONE Christine Pauls, from Wilmington, DE, is an accomplished author of novels including her latest release “One Good Thing” (2017). Besides being a writer, she's an accountant in the...
Debra Owsley
Debra Owsley NONE Debra Owsley, avid reader and hairstylist, transformed her passion into a business, Simply Said Reading Accessories and LitVersation. She collaborates with bestselling authors, book...
The Importance of Reporting Sales to BookScan
The Importance of Reporting Sales to BookScan Book Spotlights Yahdon Israel, senior editor at Simon Schuster, explains the importance of booksellers reporting book sales to BookScan through the Americ...
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AALBC.com - African American Literature Book Club (Home)
AALBC.com is the oldest and largest website dedicated to books by or about people of African descent. Celebrating Black literature, authors, book reviews, bestselling books, literary events, and Black...
Remaking Black Power: How Black Women Transformed an Era
Remaking Black Power: How Black Women Transformed an Era Ashley D. Farmer 9781469634371 Nonfiction University of North Carolina Press University of North Carolina Press In this comprehensive history, ...
Black Power 50
Black Power 50 Sylviane A. Diouf and Komozi Woodward 9781620971482 Nonfiction The New Press The New Press Black Power burst onto the world scene in 1966 with ideas, politics, and fashion that opened t...