Overview

Yeah, Amazon sales figured are opaque. The fact that they hide customer information is really inexcusable. There are folks making money on Amazon, but I'd argue that more people would be making more money if Amazon did not exert monopolistic force. This is very difficult to convey to someone currently making decent money on Amazon. The problem is Amazon can kill their business over night.

am*zon #'s indicates slow sales but people keep commenting that they purchased the from them. With little royalties and no listing on whom they sold to, I'm considering taking my book off too, any advice?

Interestingly, I never did aggressively promote the book to Booksellers. I do have some in a few stores most notably The Dock Bookshop in Fort Worth, Texas, and Community Book Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, and a few others. You can find copies offered by third parties on Amazon. however, I’m not sure how those copies have been secured. At the time I created this video I’m sure I was still boycotting Amazon. I not boycotting Amazon today. I got tired of telling Authors I can’t promote their book because it’s only available through Amazon. Besides, they never was a great deal of support for boycotting Amazon. @Wendy Jones that video is only four years old, but it seems like decades ago.

These are imaginative promotional ideas. How's it going?

Are you reading anything this year? Yes, I read about a book a week. If Yes, what genre? African American History, American History, Literary Fiction Fiction or Nonfiction? Both Is the format Digital, Audio, or Print (Paperback, Hardcover)? Print -both Paperback and Hardcover Are you consuming the material with a digital device such as an iPhone, Android, or electronic reader (kindle, PC, etc)? Nope. Are you reading the traditional way, such as an actual book in hand where you turn the pages? Yes Which is your favorite way to read now? A book in my hand with my feet on a cushion. - After awhile, I get screen phobia What is your preferred way to consume media content if you no longer read books? Can't even imagine this. When I die, I will stop reading books. I have goofed up the numbers here, but the words still make sense. Thanks for this fine questionnaire. Mel Hopkins 1 Quote

Are you reading anything this year? yes If Yes, what genre? Literary Fiction and Mystery/Suspense Fiction or Nonfiction? Fiction Is the format Digital, Audio, or Print (Paperback, Hardcover)? Paperback Are you consuming the material with a digital device such as an iPhone, Android, or electronic reader (kindle, PC, etc)? No. Are you reading the traditional way, such as an actual book in hand where you turn the pages? Yes Which is your favorite way to read now? Physical book followed by audio book. What is your preferred way to consume media content if you no longer read books?

I know. it is counterintuitive. There are many things I like to do but don't do as much as I like. Hopefully in a year or so I make more time for myself

QUESTION: Are you reading anything this year? If Yes, what genre? Fiction or Nonfiction? Is the format Digital, Audio, or Print (Paperback, Hardcover)? Are you consuming the material with a digital device such as an iPhone, Android, or electronic reader (kindle, PC, etc)? Are you reading the traditional way, such as an actual book in hand where you turn the pages? Which is your favorite way to read now? What is your preferred way to consume media content if you no longer read books?

Oh snap, your vocation revolves around books but with little time to read! My oldest daughter (millennial) listens to many podcasts (on YouTube). She reviews and negotiates contracts for work, so reading a book is the last thing on her mind. So maybe my next question in #readingblack will be a survey, "Are you reading?" If so, what genre? And how are you consuming the material?

@Mel Hopkins as you can appreciate I’m not the typical Book buyer as I get free books all the time and when I do buy and I can buy them wholesale. I visit independent bookstores all the time, and I always buy books from them. most recently I’ve visited liberation station bookstore in Raleigh, North Carolina, and purchased the book by a local author. It’s not just black owned independents that I visit. I find White owned stores to be super engaging. Once they find out I’m a bookseller they will give me a discount which is considered standard practice between Booksellers 44th and 3rd in ATL was kind enough to extend the courtesy. I have not purchased an e-book in a very long time. I’ve had several e-book readers over the years, but never used them very much. It just seemed like extra baggage when I had a tablet laptop or cell phone with me. I’ve purchased audiobooks most recently. But in the last several months actually find my time, mostly consumed, listening to podcasts. I’ve been working a lot of hours, and when I do take a break, I travel to see friends and family so when I do have downtime I’m actually too tired to read the next book I’ll read is The Savion Sequence but that is work related as I’ll be helping to proof read it.

If you couldn't purchase a book through an independent bookseller - what stopped you? Do you have a strategy for buying from independent booksellers? How do you purchase digital books if the book is only available digitally?

Also discovered this Book Festival: https://aalbc.com/events/event-detail.php?st=England#Brighton+Book+Festival

Thanks Maurice! https://aalbc.com/bookstores/store.php?store_name=Afrori+Books

A fairly recently opened bookshop in Brighton,East Sussex. Visited the once. https://afroribooks.co.uk/

Right now, a human ghost writer would be better. But this may not be true for very long... Shoot it may not be true today, but we don't have access to the versions with that capability. I have ChapGPT generate the first draft of author bios now. Welcome to the forums @Monica

A pretty good question was raised here for discussion. I don't have a publisher, and I plan to start writing a fiction book. I don't have enough experience writing books, because I only read them before that. Therefore, I think that a ghostwriter would be helpful to me. I do not trust artificial intelligence and am convinced that only a professional writer can present the main ideas and plot in the best way. I even found one service https://penfellow.com/fiction-ghostwriting/ and plan to use it to write or edit my book. Therefore, to answer the question, I will say that I will choose fiction ghostwriting instead of Artificial Intelligence software.

Good idea Mel!

@Troy, The article refers to Ms. Dillon like she was an afterthought smh. I hope you will follow up on your post here and Interview her! Seriously, that would be “so dope!”

Wow, this is incredible news @Mel Hopkins -- thanks for sharing! I have not read the article yet but will get to it. I believe this may make Sanyu the most senior Black person in Publishing! This reminds me of a conversation from 5 years about when I posted an article, published 10 years before that conversation, sharing the people behind Black books: We talked about how publishing was dominated by white people. Sanyu's promotion is a step in the right direction This is a change that Random House did not have to make. I was not previously familiar with "All Ways Black," but I'm not active on Instagram... Though I did start Tiktoking (is that a verb?) a few minutes ago

Sanyu Dillon, Black Executive CMO Alliance Founding Member, will head up Random House Publishing. According to the New York Times, the publishing company's former chief marketing officer will now lead Random House, the Dial Press, and One World imprints. One World is described as having a multicultural focus. And its editor-in-chief, Chris Jackson, has worked with literary luminaries such as Ta-Nehisi Coates, the civil rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson and emcee Jay Z. From Forbes, "Dillon is also extremely passionate about driving inclusiveness in publishing, which is why she launched, "All Ways Black" a community and platform that celebrates Black literature. The Instagram account is curated by Cree Myles. Note: NYT link is a gift article. No paywall.

Independent Authors and Small Publishers I found " The Other Madisons " by Bettye Kearse through the duck duck go search engine. I was looking for an African/Black authoritative voice on the meaning of Griot/Griottes, which led me to the author's website. Ms. Kearse gives a detailed definition and a book recommendation. Although the domain name and the author's name are the same, I rarely stumble upon personal websites with such strong SEO that land on the search engine's first page. So, if your SEO game is strong, forget what I said about publishing a website for each title. If you have a website promoting your book -be sure to fill it with helpful information, and it will help you bring attention to your book(s), and you'll sell books too.

I was unaware of the Griot's efforts regarding WritingBlack. But it was a great compliment to ReadingBlack. The WritingBlack.com domain name is going for $2K+

When I suggested "WritingBlack" I thought it would be a great companion to ReadingBlack. There are quite a few of us that read and write too. Now, TheGrio has a podcast with the same name. So unless @Troy created an affiliate, The Grio's Writing Black is a separate entity.

Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Amerie pens a children's literature book, “You Will Do Great Things," illustrated by Raissa Figueroa, under the imprint, Roaring Brooks Press, published by Macmillan Books. Publication expected date 03/282023. ISBN: 9781250817020 Hardcover price; $18.99 The Host and founder of Amerie' Book Club on YouTube gives a sneak peek. #readwithamerie #ameriesbookclub

@Troy was a panelist on the Wall Street Journal May 18, 2022 event "The Future of Publishing. He gave an excellent presentation, and representation for #readingblack.com. So much of what the panel said resonates with what we tackle here on Readingblack.com. It also resonates within the independent and traditional black publishing world. One part that struck me as tone-deaf was the panel's talk of more mergers in traditional Big 5 publishing due to its valuable "back list." So you probably know, I cheered when Troy pointed to the richness of our "black book backlist that is selling handily, 20 years or more after its debut. The "BLACK LIST" seems like an opportunity for some authors to republish their out-of-print books. I recently bought an out-of-print book published on September 11, 2001. Sympathy for the Devil is timeless, and its subject matter is still relevant. Troy mentioned Discoverability was a pain point for publishers, authors, and readers. Well, I first heard about this book on Twitter in 2021. The thread I followed came from another black author "Victor LaValle ("The Devil in Silver.") The Topic: "Worse day for a book release." The Discoverability of this title didn't come from a pitch but rather from an exciting topic. Since this panel discussion is beyond a paywall, I'll share some notable points raised during the panel. As Troy mentioned, Discoverability is the first challenge in the publishing world. Frontlist books (new releases) have a hard time gaining attention. The less time and money you have to promote your book, the worse your chances for discovery. Book packaging/platform. Readers consume books in different ways, including accessibility (braille, audio, digital, paper, etc.) Most publishers start with digital, but It is important to know your audience before spending money on packaging/platform. Word of mouth /trusted voices promotion. For example, it's difficult for some books to get mainstream reviews or be short-listed for awards. Shortage of hand-selling booksellers who can get the right book into the right hands. If your book gets shelf space - it will stay put if the bookseller doesn't know how or who needs a recommendation. The moderator wanted a solution for getting Black-authored books into the booksphere. Troy's suggestion of a hybrid approach to bookselling, "take advantage of the data but infuse that with a personal touch," will help readers discover new books. The bottom line: The future of publishing depends on Building awareness and making the book available to those who need to read it.