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Not just listening but watching too.

Recently an article was published on the Oprah Magazine website, “119 Black-Owned Bookstores in America That Amplify the Best in Literature.” While I was not attributed as a source of the list, I know I was because my bookstore list contains at least one bookstore that is not a bookstore 😉. But the list was widely copied so who knows where they sourced the info (including my rouge “bookstore”). Unlike many of the other sites which used the list, Oprah Mag at least included AALBC as a store, so I’m good. Oprah Magazine also created another article, "12 Authors Share Their Favorite Black-Owned Bookstores." This is was an really cool thing to do too! One of the 12 authors, Mitchell Jackson, even cited AALBC.com as his favorite bookstore! But here’s is the thing, and it is a big deal, when mentioning the author’s books, the Oprah Magazine did not send readers to a single Black-owned store. Instead they linked to a white-owned business (bookshop.org), for the book sales — missing a tremendous opportunity to direct those sales to Black-owned bookstores’ websites! It is fine to say how much you support indie booksellers, but the biggest thing supporters of Black-owned bookstores can do is to send book buyer to our stores and websites. Far too many “supporters” send book buyers link to Amazon, and now increasingly, to Bookshop, while voicing support of Black owned bookstores (read more on why linking to Bookshop.org does not support Black-owned Bookstores). Several authors have told me that they don't want to show favoritism for one Black independent over another. However these authors easily show favoritism by linking to Amazon or Bookshop. In 2020 no one needs to be told they can buy a book from Amazon, and Bookshop gets free promotion that really was intended for Black-owned stores If you want to support Black-owned bookstores, stop promoting Amazon and promote a Black-owned bookstores instead! I know most supporters of Black-owned bookstores simply don’t know this, and this is why I'm writing the message. I didn’t know either; While I've been selling books, on the web for almost 23 years, most of that time I was selling books as an Amazon affiliate. Despite my advocacy for Black owned bookstores, I was completely unaware of how my affiliation with Amazon was undermining independent booksellers. Once I started selling books directly, boycotting Amazon just made common sense. However replacing Amazon with Bookshop is only a marginally better solution. Amazon pays affiliates 4% and Bookshop pays 10%, far less that what an indie bookseller would make on a sale. You have to actively support Black-owned stores if you believe they are important. The idea that Amazon has the best prices is often not true, so that argument no longer holds. Often books sales on Amazon are actually fulfilled by third parties anyway, so Amazon is not really adding any value. Indeed, they are reducing value by acting as an intermediary who make money on every transaction with zero risk. The American Booksellers Association (ABA) used to tout an solution called Indiebound.org which allowed supporters of indie bookstores to provide book links without showing "favoritism" to any particular bookseller or linking to Amazon. For example, if someone wanted to provide a buy to Mitchell S. Jackson's book, Survival Math: Notes on an All-American Family they could use a link like this: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781501131707. Once the book buyer reached the indiebound site they could enter a zip code, say my local zip code 33647, and a list of local booksellers would be shown. Indiebound would send readers to local indie bookseller sites to complete the sale. It seems like the ABA is pushing the Bookshop solution which is a mistake in my opinion, but again I advocate for independence. Reliance on Bookshop or Amazon to process our book orders and take most of the profit, is the opposite of Independence. Clearly Amazon wants us to be dependent upon them. I doubt Bookshop is any different. Now I understand that some brick and mortar booksellers are unable to sell books on the web and the pandemic has only made things worse by closing some — not all — physical stores. But imagine if the Black independent booksellers, who can handle the sales, got the business that we are sending to Bookshop. Support Black-Owned Booksellers.

Hi all, I hope this is alright to post here. I'm celebrating my birthday by hosting a bookclub birthday party where we discuss my book, Remembered. As part of the event, I'm having actors read extracts (also as a teaser for the Audiobook Live event I'm hosting in February). I'll also be reading from the book, answering some of my favorite questions, and genuinely celebrating getting a year older. Although the event is online, there will be a Remembered themed-playlist and Remembered-themed menu. I want to offer goody bags for people that help me celebrate. What sort of digital treat would you recommend? In my head, I'm picturing maybe a printable bookmark? When I attend online events that have digital treats, they seem to be newsletters and magazine samples. What digital treat would you appreciate? thanks, Yvonne

https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/books/2020/08/27/oprahs-magazine-makes-guide-117-black-owned-bookstores-america/5651873002/

The other thing is independent bookstores are also a nodal point for both the reader and the author. It's a culture that supports both and helps them both grow.

When you are new you may miss some of the requirements. " reviewing your title "Auntie I Don’t Want You To Get Married: Danielle Girl of New York" and there are a few issues that need to be fixed before we can send it out for distribution. Issue: Title stated in the opening track does not match the title on the cover image or the title that is listed in the metadata. Everything must match 100% Issue: The opening track cannot contain a dedication. The dedication must be placed in a separate track Issue: Incorrect spacing. Each audio file must have 1 second of silence at the beginning and 3 to 5 seconds of silence at the very end" I had our voice talent make the adjustments and I resubmitted it this afternoon. I will keep you posted on the progress.

... and another thing @Mel Hopkins you know AALBC does not get get pre-publication galleys for any of the "big books" that come out. Books like Caste or How to Be an Anitracist , etc -- books that I sell a bazillion copies of... If I get one I have to request it every time. where white owned store get multiple copies final copies -- just because. I don't have to do this with indie publishers, like Akashic Books or Lee & Low or Red Sea Press or Black Classic Press or Kensington Books or Blue Nile I could go on ... Indie presses reach out and nurture relationships. with me. One exception, for me is is Amistad an Imprint of HarperCollins, they are exceptional, but that is due to the imprint's editorial director leader Tracy Sherrod. Our course I can go on about how Black booksellers are over looked by the large publishers for events. t is also true that big name Black authors themselves do not want to do Black bookstore events! In fact big name authors should, follow Walter Mosely's lead and do a lot more to support Black platforms. It is not just that the "Big 5" publishers do not give large advances to authors. Besides writers like Jesmyn Ward and NK Jemisen quickly earn out their advances and make a pretty penny on royalties. In fact, that is really what the conversation that should be -- forget advance size -- how much are Black authors earning and why, because the vast majority of published authors, or any color, do not get large advances. Where are The Big Five spending their ad dollars? Where are they touring their authors, do their in house publicists have a clue on how to reach Black readers? Do they even know the Black stores, sites, events to support utilize? At the end of the day the industry is steeped in classism founded in a culture of racism. the people who can made the changes are the ones writing Dana's check. Dana sounds serious about trying to make changes. I'm willing to give her a chance, but I'm definitively not holding my breath.

I thought you had wrote more than one book but I could only see JUST the one unless my eyesight is failing me, ha ha.

It is a good thing I clicked the link @Mel Hopkins I initially thought you were referencing Black Voices the site that AOL took over and the Huff Post ultimately killed (if memory serves). I do track Black Voice News here on AALBC. Sure get the money while the getting is good. But I can't ignore the fact that journalism is increasingly dependent upon the largess of the very entities that help destroy it. Facebook's platforms are almost single handedly responsible for propagating the 5G WIFI, Black people are immune, created in a lab, and God know what other Covid conspiracy theories. How many lives were lost as a result? Will a 100 million dollar cut of their profits -- which be will reduce their tax liability -- makeup for the havoc they caused? I do not think so. Sure take their money, but lets be clear, it is blood money.

If you are a bookseller and do not have a copy of Isabel Wilkerson's new book, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, in your hands right now, you are probably gonna have to wait until the end the month to score any copies -- assuming you placed your order soon enough in advance to get copies before they sell out again. That is unless of course you are Amazon. Now Amazon is always doing something devilish when popular books are really scarce. Today they are selling a paperback version of Caste, for $41.18 -- more than the $32 retail price of the hardcover. OK Amazon will argue that they are not actually selling the book, but Amazon is providing the platform and profiting from the transactions. Now Caste has been published in hardcover and audiobook formats, but not paperback. So how is Amazon selling paperback version of this book? Are they selling pre-publication galleys (you are not allowed to sell galleys)? Are they selling a bootlegged version (piracy is illegal)? Did Random House give them the exclusive right to sell this the paperback version (that would not surprise me)? Any ideas how are is selling a paperback version of Caste?