Nah'Sun

You don't need a book store to grind...there are authors who sold thousands of books without the help of a book store

There are more than one way to skin a cat...especially with the rise of e-books

Book stores hardly promote newbie authors anyway...they cater to well established authors

I've done countless book signings where the stores DID NOT promote the signing...I had to sell books on the fly...and then they got the nerve to want 40 percent

Never again

Frugal Books in Roxbury Boston was the ONLY store that was gracious enough to allow me to keep all the proceeds from my sales when they failed to promote the signing

#Salute

I casted my vote

For readers, yes

For authors, no

Troy

The Coldest Winter Ever was unique for its era considering that the book was pretty much the only Street Lit novel that was out at the time of its release…a lot of books that are out nowadays are copying Sister Souljah’s formula

Sister Souljah didn’t invent the wheel…she just put rims on it

To each their own

The Coldest Winter Ever was multi-layered…you won’t appreciate the story if you take it for face value

If you read the break down of the novel from Sister Souljah in a later edition, you’ll see why I think it’s the best contemporary street novel

In my opinion, I haven’t read any Urban/Street lit novel released in the 21^st century that can compare to The Coldest Winter Ever

The scene where Winter had knowing sold drugs to her cracked out mother while living with a boyfriend who had something to do with her kingpin father’s downfall brings forth an interesting discussion ALONE

The book is pretty much about how materialism and superficiality can destroy the fabric of a family structure

THAT’S why the book is so dope to me…I hardly read fiction because I rarely get anything out of them

It’s more than sex, drugs, money and criminality once you analyze the interactions of the characters

Street has anything to do with the criminal underworld of the ‘hood

I don’t necessarily think race is an issue…Seth Ferranti is white, and he considers his fiction “Street”

Urban Fiction is a broader genre which Street Lit falls under

I don’t think Sister Souljah was confused…she just wanted to write a cautionary tale which accidentally pulled in another set of audience

You gotta remember that the publishing industry didn't think there was an audience for novels that came AFTER The Coldest Winter Ever

She breaks down The Coldest Winter Ever in later editions of the book which may answer your questions for her purpose of writing the novel

She’s a part of Public Enemy which was/is a revolutionary rap group…I seriously doubt she’ll write another novel in the same vein of The Coldest Winter Ever just to satisfy the audience’s thirst for another book of that kind...unless the constant demand pushes her to do so

I really don't think Sister Souljah had the readers of Urban/Street Lit in mind when she wrote The Coldest Winter Ever considering she constantly denies writing in that genre

It seems like she's targeting the international market with the Midnight series

I think it’s unfair for Sister Souljah’s fans to pigeonhole her when she wrote the Midnight series

You shouldn't expect a cook to bake the same cake over and over again

That’s another reason why it’s hard to grow and do something else besides what people are used to

A lot of people cannot accept change even when the vote for it…LOL

Milton

I’m actually agreeing with you

I’m not making any assumptions…”Black people don’t” because the numbers and product placement speak for themselves

Octavia Butler and LA Banks are the only contemporary well known Black authors in the Sci-Fi genre

The publishing industry doesn’t think that Black authors writing Sci-Fi is profitable, which is why you have authors who write Urban Fiction take up pseudonyms when they write in other genres that’s not “Black author friendly”

You’ll be a fool to ignore that fact

The only reason why Urban/Street Lit took off after the turn of the century was because they hit the streets and led an underground movement which snow balled into an avalanche

You also gotta take into account that Donald Goines and Iceberg Slim were already popular before the resurrection of Street novels

Science Fiction on the negro side of things has no predecessor

Another difference is that a good number of Urban/Street Lit writers were HUSTLERS before they wrote books and business savvy when it came to effectively marketing and promoting…they didn’t have problems with hitting the streets instead of waiting for the industry to accept them…they took matters into their own hands

Are Black Sci-Fi writers willing to do the same???

The question remains

Cynique

Black authors won't be encouraged to write in different genres when:

A.) Black fictional readers generally don't read outside their comfort zones

And

B.) Non-Whites won't accept a Black face to write anything other than Urban/Street Lit

The demand has to show its face before you see the supply

Because not for nothing, die-hard Urban/Street Lit readers GO HARD for their authors

The same needs to occur for fans of Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Thriller, etc

Milton

I hope you're right

All it takes is ONE book to change the game...just like how Sister Souljah did with The Coldest Winter Ever to reshift the focus back to Street Lit

Good points, Troy

And the main reason why those 3 authors you named had crossed over was because they got co-signed by the white man by the way of Hollywood and college/university English departments

50 Shades of Grey selling 31 million copies and counting convinced me that the media is more powerful than Jesus

Anybody who can convince a massive audience to think that a trashy novel that's so elemetary is good gets props from me

But that's another topic

Back to the subject...it's hard for a Black author to crossover whereas as someone like James Patterson can get Black readership with ease

Negroes are giving Sister Souljah hell for her Midnight series

Troy

I’m pessimistic also

I’m capable of writing Science Fiction, but I’ll be a fool if I invest and lose money in that project

In fact, a few Street Lit authors write Sci-Fi, Fantasy and other genres under different names

They, like Hollywood, know that the Black audience won’t support those genres in large numbers…at least if it comes from a Black author

That’s where the “write in white” philosophy comes from; write as a white person to get sales for a general fan base

I don't know Nah'Sun, folks never seem to get tired of the redundant beats, and the rehashed gangsta lyrics we now call hip hop. While we may tire of this stuff there is always a new crop of youngsters ready to consumer the music. It seems more and more folks never grow out of the music, made of children: sorta like grownups gettin' down to the theme from Barney and Friends.

True

And to add on to Milton's post...

The solution is to have more Black book stores and publications push OTHER genres like Science Fiction and Fantasy instead of staying in the comfort zone by banking on Urban/Street Lit

This one book store owner in Baltimore once told me at the Harlem Book Fair two years ago that he won’t sell anything UNLESS it was Street Lit

We discriminate against ourselves…LOL

Troy

I applaud brothers and sisters for doing something constructive in and outside the penal

However, it's like picking the lesser or two evils when they repeat their exploits on dead trees instead of resurrecting the paper they write on

It waters down the industry and devalues the art

Which means they won't eat by selling books because people are going to sooner or later get tired of the same ol war stories

Nah'Sun the parallels with Rap, unfortunately, seem quite valid. Oh, yeah I owe you a "Why Facebook an't sh-t rant". I'll probably blog about it when I find 5 free minutes.

Hahahahahahaahaha...I can't wait

I rarely promote my projects on Facebook

If anything, I promote myself

And just like rap, writing books is a new hustle...especially for heads coming home from prison or currently incarcerated

In reality, an increasing number of Black authors obtain book deals after demonstrating commercial success on their own -- so much so, if seems as though self publishing success is a requirement to get a deal.

Aaaaaaah yes

The rap game all over again

I see some great things brewing for HBF Newark

Black and Nobel

North Philiadelphia

Broad and Erie

http://blackandnobel.com/

It's all good...I get the point

Thanks for the run down

Nooooo doubt, brethren

Please drop a jewel about Facebook posing a problem to the pub industry

To be honest with you, I think literary novels only sell if they have a kick ass co-sign from someone of influence

A lot of classic American novels would've lived in obscurity if it wasn't for college and university English departments

Popular Fiction (I'll place Urban Fiction under that umbrella) sells more because of escapism

I would like to know what "holes" in the case study did you see?

Of course the vast majority won't sell because it's too many hustlers on the same block unless they hustle from state to state (untapped markets)

New York City is painfully saturated with authors hawking their books on the street level

I too think it's a wash to set up shop at a book fair with only one title...I think that's laughable...you're only as strong as your catalog

I don't mind writing for free...it's practice to me...that's if you're not trying to take my kindness for a weakness and the publication is true and positive

I'm a contributing writer for Urban Grapevine as a matter of fact

But more importantly a fair populated with a large number of unknown authors with a single book will attract fewer people than a fair with actual book sellers, and publishers.

EXACTLY!

That's one of the reasons why HBF is falling off

By the way...

I AM NELLICITO

www.facebook.com/nahsun1

Aaaaaah yes

Thanks for the links

I think we need another Renaissance to get people back reading

Yes, Urban Fiction is economically empowering, but we need more writers (and readers who financially support them) to write books in other genres

I think they're scared because they won't sell...and the perception is that it's hard for Black authors to appeal to other persuasions of readers outside of the Urban Fiction market

The lack of balance in the Black publishing industry is killing the game

I don't read fiction anymore...I read non-fiction...and I make it a POINT to support Black owned business

Black and Nobel in North Philly added a gift and arts section in their store...smart move

That's my favorite book store...not to mention Max's Cheesesteak lampin across the street

http://blackandnobel.com/

I wasn't saying her exaggeration was the only factor

It just played a part with understanding the pyscho-demographics (mentality of the target audience) of buyers she wanted to serve

There's no coincidence that authors come up with gimmicks and street teams to draw readers in, especially since we're living in a microwave society where people unofficially got ADD...it's hard to keep up their attention

It takes A LOT for our people to buy books...especially the casual reader

You got authors selling their books damn near half naked at vendors just to get a sale

As far as Mejah, that bookstore is located at a Mall is that is "dead"...the movie theatre that was once there is boarded up, and hardly anyone goes there...the location is in the middle of nowhere

Urban/Street Fiction is keeping A LOT of businesses open...I normally don't read them...however, I can't deny their economical power