Troy

@Queen X in not sure about religions being cruel, but the practitioners often are. @Cynique they will connect RGB to a life support machine, if they have to keep that seat blue. But some republican will cut the power...

This is the essence of what I gripe about all the time regarding the web. I guess the complaints one has are subjective and relative. Most people can't understand my bitching about facebook, amazon, and google henceforth to be reffered to as "FAG," indeed expecting me to be happy i have many followers and both amazon and google send me checks every month. Ill be less critical of what people complain about moving foward, but i'll continue to contend that the media, particularly social, aggitate (in the bad way) people for profit.

@Queen X Why? The answer is that belief is neither a matter of reason, science or logic, but one of faith. History is full of examples of evil people living long full lives usually at the expense of righteous people. The son of a multimillionaire klansman is the father of the president.

Looking forward to your contributions @ProudOne!

I feel the same way Queenx. Of course men who rape women should have their penises cut off, but the media have really made a mess of things conflating these relatively minor incidences from decade ago with serious crimes and the public is going apeshit because they can;t tell the difference. In movies from the 50's women would just slam a man, or toss a glass of water in the face of a dude, who got out of line -- was that complete fiction? What happened to women who could stand up for themselves, knew how to avoid compromising positions, or get themselves out of one? Side Bar: I was in a club last night there were a few women dressed and dancing in a way that was completely indistinguishable from a strip club. Obviously in a strip club men engage with women completely differently. I could not help but think if a Brother stepped to these sisters they way one might in a strip club, they should not be surprised.

Lol! Classic Cynique! Okay we are done. While the mass incarcerstion of black people is terrible it damn sure aint worse than shattle slavery. I just dont get y'all @Chevdove, (anyone) Please do the following; rank these 3 years in the order you would prefer to raise yout family here in the US: where most prfered is number 1 and least preffered is nunber 3. 1817 1917 2017 Thanks. Your response us help me understand if we are occupying the same space/time continuum. My response is 2017 1917 1817

@Milton I searched for some "Sword and Soul" book on AALBC, created a new category: FICTION / Science Fiction / Sword and Soul I looked at the list of books Google has listed in their Sword and Soul category and they apparently have been obtained from Amazon's Goodreads Sword and Soul books, who in turn got the information from goodreads visitors (at no cost and no effort). Again, this is a categories NOT the brand new list of BISAC codes ,so the information has to be compiled manually. The hundred billion dollar firms get the information handled to them from the users, while I have to do it all by myself -- it is not even available for sale.. If I copied the data from Goodreads (as Google appears to be doing), I'd be delisted from the search engine. Oh well on to the next thing.... #booksellerblues

All it takes is one Bruh. Don't forget to post the book's isbn13 @Milton

Nuff said. Read about filter bubbles. Yes, because you are reacting to the social media fueled frenzy not seeing the trival incident it was. Read Barracoon: https://aalbc.com/books/bookinfo.php?isbn13=9780062748201 or any nonfiction book about American slavery or try read some slave narratives: https://aalbc.com/search-results.php?cx=017439764859730021228%3Awao9k7jsaba&ie=UTF-8&q=Slave+narratives&sa=Search I'm profoundly surprised by that statement. American slavery is inextricably bound to racism. The notion we lack freedom is misguided. Our problem is not a lack of freedom, but an unwillingness to use it or seeing imaginary impediments to it.

Hey @Delano i assume you saw the NYT investigative report: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/10/02/us/politics/donald-trump-tax-schemes-fred-trump.html

Hey @Milton when do you sleep? Seems like you have a book coming out every other day What shopping cart software are you using on your website? Do you offer an affiliate program where you pay others for referring sales? I noticed that you are not linking to Amazon and are selling your books directly . I could update all buy links for the the MVmedia, LLC books I have on AALBC to go to your website. Right now they are defaulting to Amazon, B&B, Indiebound, etc. I could add the link to you site as a prominent option as I have with Terminus: Tales of the Black Fantastic from the ATL, or I can just link to your website as the only option. Amazon only pays 4% commission now so we could both potentially make more money selling books through our own channels. Would you be willing to help create new codes for the Black science fiction genre, an extension to the BISAC codes which don't really go far enough for the genre you publish. Right now BISAC has a code for Fiction / Science Fiction / Steampunk Category but nothing for Sword and Soul. These are the newly released categories for (yesterday) for science fiction and fantasy: FIC009110 FICTION / Fantasy / Arthurian FICTION / Fantasy / Christian see Christian / Fantasy * FIC009040 FICTION / Fantasy / Collections & Anthologies FIC009010 FICTION / Fantasy / Contemporary FIC009070 FICTION / Fantasy / Dark Fantasy FIC009120 FICTION / Fantasy / Dragons & Mythical Creatures FIC009020 FICTION / Fantasy / Epic FIC009130 FICTION / Fantasy / Gaslamp FIC009030 FICTION / Fantasy / Historical FIC009080 FICTION / Fantasy / Humorous FIC009140 FICTION / Fantasy / Military FIC009050 FICTION / Fantasy / Paranormal FIC009090 FICTION / Fantasy / Romantic FIC009060 FICTION / Fantasy / Urban FIC028000 FICTION / Science Fiction / General FIC028010 FICTION / Science Fiction / Action & Adventure FIC028090 FICTION / Science Fiction / Alien Contact FICTION / Science Fiction / Alternative History see Alternative History FIC028070 FICTION / Science Fiction / Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic FICTION / Science Fiction / Christian see Christian / Futuristic * FIC028040 FICTION / Science Fiction / Collections & Anthologies FIC028140 FICTION / Science Fiction / Crime & Mystery * FIC028100 FICTION / Science Fiction / Cyberpunk FIC028110 FICTION / Science Fiction / Genetic Engineering FIC028020 FICTION / Science Fiction / Hard Science Fiction FIC028120 FICTION / Science Fiction / Humorous FIC028050 FICTION / Science Fiction / Military FICTION / Science Fiction / Romance see Romance / Science Fiction * FIC028130 FICTION / Science Fiction / Space Exploration FIC028030 FICTION / Science Fiction / Space Opera FIC028060 FICTION / Science Fiction / Steampunk FIC028080 FICTION / Science Fiction / Time Travel If you could define the categories to add like AALBC1100 FICTION / Science Fiction / Sword and Soul Now Google is already on it but but the publishing industry is not. So it you can give me the categories and the books they belong in I can update my database and make it easier for readers to find these categories of books by Black writers.

But it does not answer mine.

@ErnestLiving not a problem. Can you send me a headshot and bio Something different that what is on your website than I can use here: https://aalbc.com/authors/author.php?author_name=Ernest+K.+Aning yes I'd like to see your book.

How are you arriving at your conclusion of what the black consensus might be? Is it what you see streaming across your facebook feed or some other filter bubble? What makes you the arbiter of defining who or who is not in the black consensus? I still lament this fact, and relative to racism I feel it is a much bigger problem for Black folks today. Racism is FAR less of a problem for Black folks that it once was. I'm not saying racism is nonexistent -- in fact it is I who have been called nigger by white folks, not you. It is I who has lived in the segregated, dilapidated underserved inner city created by white racist policy, not you. It it I who has been pulled over by white po-po for doing absolutely nothing wrong more times than I can count, not you. It is I who have deal with racist elits in corporate America who were blind to their own racist-elitism because because they were never around anyone powerful enough to conscious enough to check them -- This all pales in comparison with what my parents went through. @Cynique I assumed you might know what racism actually feels like and could put it into proper historical context. Seems like as far as actual racism is concerned you are a spectator and don't really understand what being a victim of racism actually feels like and the generational impact that it has on people. I'd MUCH rather live with 45 as president in 2018 than live with Andrew Jackson as president in 1830. Wouldn't you @Cynique? It is true I'm optimistic about the racism decreasing over time -- because it has. I can also believe that wealth equality will continue to rise, because nothing is currently being done to stop it. These ideas are not incompatible. What I'm struggling to understand is why the fact that racism is less of a problem today that it was just 50 years ago is a point of contention or debate. @Chevdove do you think racism is worse today when compared to the jim crow era? If so why?

I've actually meet and had dinner, with a few other friends, with Goldie. She is smart, down to earth, and a Sista. We are not best buds or anything so I'll speak about her they way I would anyone. I would not call her a "clueless AfroAmerican woman." That would be inaccurate. I'm sure she knows many white women followed the leads of their husbands and voted for what they perceived as their own self interests. I think however Goldie is trying to appeal to white women on another level, the sorority of gender. I don't think it will work, because money trumps gender in America. But the click baity title will probably grab attention for the daily beast's website; which is the point of the article right?

At this instant noone. But consider China, Don't sleep. @Pioneer1 China is as gangsta as the U.S. They greatly outnumber of us, so they have more smart people than we do. On an economic front the US owes China trillions of dollars. Don't discount Russia either. Americans tend to think we are invincible. This comes from provincial thinking created by a diet of American propaganda. We obviously learned nothing from Vietnam -- who incidentally kicked our asses all up and down southeast asia.

LOL "pompous" oh my, have we resorted to name calling? Not even Pioneer resorts to that tactic No, I don't fashion myself as a "seer" either (that's Del's realm). Indeed, I'm a student of history, and looking at the trajectory of racism (or tribalism if you prefer), the trajectory, as far as Black folks is concerned in America, is pretty damn good -- I'l take 2018 American over 1818 American any day of the week. I suspect you would too Cynique. We've gone from enslavement, to jim crow, to being challenged when entering our building without using a key -- in just over 100 years. All indications are that we will continue to make progress over the next 100 years. I see things like 45's precedence as the last gasp of the dying legacy of old style white male dominance -- racist or otherwise. The results of the midterms have made this pretty plain. But lets be clear rich white men exert a great deal of control, a few elected officials, while a step in the right direction is not the solution. Real power needs to be wrested from these people and that will take a lot more action than we've, collectively, demonstrated a willingness to exert.

A problem for 45? Compared to what?

...they would have been locked up a long time ago. America looks out for rich white men, it is in our DNA. There were many who believed that Trump would not finish the year, given his record and behavior. This was purely an emotional response for most, and magical thinking for others -- remember rich white men are benefiting from 45's presidency. The notion that anything will change, given the Democratic control of the lower house of congress is also wishful thinking. Some believe the Mueller probe will be anticlimactic. I don't know... What I do know is that I'm not pinning my hopes on any meaningful change as a result of this midterm election. Perhaps in two more years when the senate and president are both democratic (which seems likely) we will see some meaningful legislation that will help the poor, working and middle class in this country. Trump is not going to jail in the next two years.

To be clear maximizing ones wealth if fine, but not when the cost is the impoverishment or harm caused to others. We live in a world where a trillionaire is celebrated while the masses of people who work for him are struggling to make ends meet. Pharmaceutical companies executives are maximizing their wealth and that of their share holders, but look at how many people have died as a result of lobbying to make these drugs to easily obtained. Pioneer a drug dealer works very hard to maximize his wealth, do you think there is nothing wrong with that? Of course this is fine, but the same rule applies: if doing well for yourself, or family requires one to rob or harm someone else then it it wrong and civilization break down. Look if someone attacks you or tries to take something away from you, you have to defend yourself. This country was build on the principle or taking from and harming others, so it is no surprise the mentality persists, but if you are a bully there is always someone bigger and badder than you willing to kick your ass. American are much better off when we work to maximize our own benefits AND everyone else's.

I previously recommended that authors select 5 to 10 BISAC codes for their book. However BIAC recommends choosing three as a best practice: https://bisg.org/page/BISACSelection I find it is useful, at least in my database, to apply more if they are truly applicable. Again, it makes it easier for books to be found. I'm already creating my own codes and applying BISAC for books that don't have them. @ErnestLiving are you planning on writing any more books? Also email me at troy@aalbc.com ill send you my mailing address. I added your book here: https://aalbc.com/books/bookinfo.php?isbn13=9781732457300

I was seriously considering reducing my focus on book about celebrities. One reason is that there is too much focus in the adult market on celebrity -- at least for my tastes. Celebrities rarely promote their products on the website, so they don't support the site. The thinking by publishers is that the celebrity's platform is all that is needed to move the book. Sure a famous person with a mediocre book can sell far more copies that an obscure author with a great book. If the focus is on sales then books by non-celebrities don't get published or they get less support from publishers. I think there needs to be more attention paid to the obscure authors with the great books. I add all the books in the site manually. In the time it too me to write this post I could have added the book. I'm going to pass on this one... I'm open to thoughts.

Yep it looks like they will. Also Mueller already has them I'm sure. Democratic control of the house spells trouble for trump. But he is safe until the end of the year, I'm going to use my $50 from you Del to take someone on a nice dinner date -- thanks!

Yeah I spoke to someone else about Harvey supposed support of Trump and they basically said what you said. The Root article indicated that Harvey was a supported and this is misleading.

OK you are now making this conversation really dicey when you start commingling "race" and "skin color." One is subjective and the other is purely arbitrary, so a reasonable discussion is very difficult, still I'll try... I was talking about Black and White because that was what this conversation was about. Now you want to bring brown immigrants into the mix (another pioneer tactic ). Xenophobia does not equal racism, nor is it a function of skin color. Not all people south of the board are "brown" -- many are physically indistinguishable from what you know as white. This is a notion fueling social media hysteria and exploited by our president. Cynique when protestants were and catholics were running around killing each other was skin color a consideration? I may be an idealist, but racism will fade away. History tells us this -- and it should be obvious. I'm sure the majority of Americans know Black people are not genetically inferior. Little more than 100 years ago we enslaved on this belief -- a belief any educated person would reject today. Cynique racism is fading and it will continue to do so. A woman challenging a man from coming in behind her in an apartment is not proof to the counter While describing my impressions of social media a climate change as "panic" is a bit much () The difference between racism and climate change is that climate change will not go away unless we actually do something. Unless we do something there will be a calamity on a global scale. Now this will not likely effect you or I, but future generations certainly have cause for concern. As far as social media, I don't like it for a variety of reasons and it quite possibly may be a more serious problem that American racism, because it too is global in influence. 45 is in the whitehouse because of social media, the genocide in the aftermath of the Arab Spring is a result of Facebook. @Chevdove White on white hostility seems to go back as far as recorded history. Forget Chicago, something really needs to be done about this "white-on-white" crime