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LATEST BLOW TO BOOK INDUSTRY Update- 3/31/2020 - “A” has ordered a few books from a publisher I know, one tenth of their usual order. There is no such thing as a “kind” slave master. Sell your books through your own website. Hello from Amazon, We are closely monitoring the developments of COVID-19 and its impact on our customers, selling partners, and employees. We are seeing increased online shopping, and as a result products such as household staples and medical supplies are out of stock. With this in mind, we are temporarily prioritizing household staples, medical supplies, and other high demand products coming into our fulfillment centers so that we can more quickly receive, restock and deliver these products to customers. Beginning today you will see: Reduced Purchase Orders: We have temporarily paused ordering for products that are not household staples, medical supplies, or other high demand products. Extended delivery windows for existing purchase orders: We have extended the shipment/delivery windows for some existing purchase orders to give you more time to fulfill the order. Please ship your products toward the end of the extended window. This will be in effect today through April 5, 2020, and we will let you know once we resume regular operations. We understand this is a change to your business, and we did not take this decision lightly. We are working around the clock to increase capacity, and on March 16 announced that we are opening 100,000 new full- and part-time positions in our fulfillment centers across the US. We appreciate your understanding as we prioritize the above products for our customers. Thank you for your patience, Amazon (Okay, Troy and Mel, you were right. It is a tag. But the box with the pull up menu is on this screen, it's not on the other one.)

Here is a quote from a comment on one of the authors pages. I deleted a few moments ago. "I abominate this black jigaboo who wouldn't even make a good field hand. Pretending to be an intellectual? With a 400,000-year evolutionary shortfall, she needs another two centuries to learn how properly to wipe herself." I delete comments like this all the time. For some reason this one struck me as particularly unnecessary -- gratuitous even -- because the subject of this attack is a very nice women. Perhaps the only "controversial" thing about her is that she is lesbian, something the "commenter" did not bring up. Why do people invest so much time spreading hate?

The has been a lot of noise about Bookshop lately. Bookshop's affiliate model is superior to that of Amazon, in that their affiliate revenue share is 10% versus Amazon's 4%. However the comparison is not as simple as that, for Amazon also pays affiliates for everything customizers buy during that tranascation (unti the cookie dies 24 hours). So if they also buy a lawn mower affiliates earn commissions on that sale as well. It was not unusual for AALBC to earn more on commissions on the sale of other items books. The problem with Amazon is that they abuse other business and use them only as long as they need them. Amazon will use their website to identify popular product then manufacture those products under their own brand and bury the the competition in the search. I no longer do business with Amazon not just because commissions on book sales suck, but because they have undermined Black books by providing a platform for bootlegging our books, monopolizing ebook sales, ripping authors off by encouraging them to sell exclusively through Amazon and making their books unattractive to any other books sellers to sell, etc, etc. Bookshop is touting themselves as a solution to booksellers, While 10% is better than nothing it pales in comparison to what can be earned by booksellers, or even authors who sell books directly. When I buy book from a distributor my discount is 45% from the published it is 50% to 65%. 10% is a relative pittance. However Bookshop and I have a common enemy, so I reached out, via email, to them to learn more: Hi Bookshop, How do independent web based booksellers, like AALBC, benefit from your support of independent booksellers? AALBC is a 22 years old web based bookseller with our own database, using Bigcommerce to process transactions, and Ingram, mostly, to drop ship. Obviously 10% commissions do not help us, but we have a common goal of preventing Amazon creating a true monopoly in the sale and production of books. I notice the AALBC is not listed as a bookseller on your site. I also noticed that a popular brick and mortar store in New York City, Sisters Uptown Bookstore, as well as a bunch of others, are also missing. How do these stored get listed on your website? Peace, Troy Johnson Founder AALBC.com Honestly I don't expect much love from Bookshop. Indeed they will probably just be another competitor. I'll let you know what response i get, if any.

You could be right there. I did actually think about that a while ago. Anyway,I should never rise to the bait but when I read the terrible things people,whoever they are, come out with and they are terrible, I can't help myself.

@Pioneer1 that is sufficient reason right there. Most Black strive for white validation, because white folks have all have the money and power. We see this in every corner of society. Black people may use Black business as a stepping stone to work for a white one. I could write a book out how this plays out on the web. Of course there are those of us who struggle to build and support Black businesses and institutions, but we are in the minority. I have no illusions of it being easy, for there is so much to overcome. The structural inequalities made plain during this pandemic, keeps us dependent upon white folks because we have and control so little.

What larger point, that Covid19 was manufactured in a laboratory to kill people?

America is far from a melting pot as current hyper partisan politics illustrate. @Chevdove my point to Pioneer was simply that any "look" he attributed to a Puerto Rican is based upon a prejudice caused by American indoctrination. @Pioneer1 have you visited PR and ventured beyond the hotel swimming pool? In terms of what you call racial diversity PR is pretty diverse. , Again the issue of trying to determine if the speaker is part "African-American," is of little consequence. By your definition I'm "part African -American." From my perspective it is not based upon your skin color it is a function of the culture you identify with. Again you can't determine this by someone's nationality ot skin color. You have to get to know them. I know our country people prefer simplicity, there is no room for gray areas, subtlety, or even a little uncertainty. BTW, I'm sure Spike think Perry films are "Coonery," and probably laments the fact that he has been able to enrich himself to a greater level than he has. Spike is not dumb enough to continue publicly degrading another filmmaker for the amusement of Hot 97 listeners. Even the title of the Hot 97 Video uses the word "beef," when there is no beef. A Tyler-Spike beef is something that Hot 97 is promoting for ratings. I use the "Welcome to America" phrase as a sarcastic response acknowledge America's ills. Someone expresses surprise that America incarcerates more people than any other first world nation, I say "welcome to America." Shocked we elected a dim-witted, con artist as president; I say, "Welcome to America."

I suspect you, like myself and most people, to not go to other sites a spew racist hatred against the people there, for a variety of good reasons like it being a complete waste or time and energy. Still what is you partial explanation, because other than a combination of stupidity or evil I can;t think of one that makes sense -- maybe it is that simple....

You beat me to the punch @Wendy Jones i was gonna share this today. Amazon's effective monopoly over the sale of independenly published Black books is now they can decide when it is important to stock, sell, and ship them. As long as USPS, UPS, FEDEX, and any number of other delivery services are out there AALBC, nor any other bookseller, has to slow down your book delivery. Amazon stocking fewer books and delaying delivery is only a problem for authors because they put all their eggs in one basket -- Amazon's I'm still doing three day delivery on the books in my store and im getting more customers everyday.