Troy

You may have mislaid thing you felt was stolen. You should not spend time with people you don't trust.

I defintely appreciate the sentiment. Merry Christmas my Brother. Now I did not say anything about the media and truth. Truth is incidental with the media, which is increasingly social media. The coverage of 45 should tell you that, but they'd love a story about the patenting AIDS and using it in an effort to commit global negrocide. Social media is why conspiracys spread so quickly. Planes crashing into both towers and both buildings collapsing on themselves seemed unbelievable to me. Then a skyscraper a block away just collased for no apparent reason... like vaccines causing autism it seems very plausible and there is a ton of support of any conspiracy theory. But I don't believe we blew up the World Trade Center.

No I don't understand the patent document, so it is not proof to me that AIDS was created by the government to kill all Black people. There are however more indicators, like the complete absence of Black platforms and journalists covering this issue. Why are they not covering this and raising hell? Surely they've heard of this conspiracy. I was aware of it long ago. You say it is as simple as 2+2, so why hasn't main stream media picked up this story. It is the kind of story they salivate over. Why hasn't the New York Times, Al Jazera, or The Guardian picked this up. Has Democracy Now done as story? They love this stuff -- sticking it to the man I guess they must be all be in on it too. More likely the whole idea is so absurd it is not even worth refuting. Side bar: How can two relatively intelligent Black men, who are obviously supportive of Black people, "race men," even have such divergent views on this issue?

@Kareem So our Goverment created AIDS? You mean to tell me that the peanut farmer from plains Georgia was in on this? The evidence you referenced on the YouTube video was posted 13 years ago by someone you has only posted one other video (a rap video) and Google has flagged the video as misinformation citing a more reliable source (Google has serious problem propagating misinformation, pirated content, hate speech, and conspiracy theories.) I agree. The Tuskegee Experiment is well documented. Besides I previuosly wrote, "Obviously, they are capable of genocide every so often." No I don't think all white people are demons. Sure many over the course of history have behaved in demonic ways. But they have, more often been victims of evil than the perpetrators of it. No, that is not it. I don't believe it because your video and patent doc is not enough to refute common sense. I think you believe this conspiracy theory because you WANT to believe it. I understand why, because some white people over the course of several hundred years in the country have committed unspeakable atrocities. If you believe they are all demons, then the government creating AIDS to kill all Black people is perfectly plausible.

Sorry man I simply don't believe that white folks created AIDS as a weapon to kill Black people. Obviously, they are capable of genocide every so often. I just don t think they did this. Besides why would they file a patent? I followed that link and could not heads or tails of the text. Why would they invest so much time and energy looking for a cure and developing medications that render aids far less lethal than smoking cigarettes which kills 10 times as many people worldwide.

Well I guess it depends on where you get your information. I never heard of Nispey before he died either, but there are many Black people doing great things. their stories don't make mainstream media and most aren't goifing around on Twitter. This is one reason the lost of black owned newspapers and magazines have been so devastating. Our culture is obsessed with celebrity. It is a sickness...

Funny last year I would have said the site could not survive on book sales alone. But now that I stopped directing people to Amazon. I'm making more money than ever selling books. It could be holiday sales, but we'll see. After reading what you wrote about ads i removed some from this forum. The interstitial ads here get on my nerves too. Google used to say they would lower a site that served these ads in their search engine rankings -- now they put these ads in their own ad network! Google is full of sh-t, but they have a monopolies in search and their ad network, so you have to deal with them. The ads on the main portion of the site are really unobtrusive and most are directly related to Black books. I'd agrue you are missing information blocking ads. Here are a couple of inhouse "ads" currently running that you won't t see because you are blockings ads

To be clear, are you saying that one does not need to define an audience for their book? I ask because on this forum, just the other day I wrote: "If your goal is to make money with your book, marketing should begin before the book is written. The author should consider who the audience for the book is, how large the audience is, how will they reach the audience, and how much it will cost. Independently published authors rarely do this. After some analysis you may determine not to write the book. Indie authors produce the book then struggle with figuring out how to sell it." I do know this is common advice and the reason I share it is because I believe it to be sound advice. Of course I understand that some indie authors -- most perhaps -- have a book in them that they must to get out and issues of marketing are of little concern. In fact, issues of how to properly produce a book and sell it are of little concern as well ... until it is too late. I'm including a link to your book here on AALBC: An Extraordinary Life: Josephine E. Jones by Wendy Jones

@Mel Hopkins Yeah Living Single was one of the last network sitcoms that I regularly watched. Kim was certainly Black Famous back when the show aired. Do you think she is Black famous amongst millennials and younger? Eric Jerome Dickey is probably Black Famous amongst readers. Do you think he is Black famous amongst the Black general public? Do you think AALBC is Black famous within the the group of avid readers who are also active online? Sometimes I'll run into a Black author who is promoting a book and says they are unfamiliar with my website and I'll joking say something like, "well you must not use the world wide web?" Sometimes that is actually the case, usually with an older person. Other times it is a combination of how the person used the web and how they web actually works. People tend to gravitate to the biggest websites and everything on the web serves to elevate the biggest sites. You need the white co-sign to become famous. Increasingly however -- especially on the web you need the white co-sign to become "Black famous." The celebs of "Black Twitter" would, of course, not be possible without Twitter. The same could reasonably be said for the start of Black Lives Matter. Black Chitlin' Circuit events for books makes it possible for writers to become Black Famous. Without these events it would be very difficult for a writer to have a career based solely upon writing. These events help raise the profile of AALBC -- which is why I do these events. That plus I love being around Black folk who have a passion for stories and knowledge.

Man this is hyperbolic. Thinking people know better than to prejudge an entire group of people based upon the behavior of a few individuals. Besides the most dysfunction behavior, as you define it, is engaged in by white men. There is a white gay man who is a front running for POTUS. The catholic Church, which is run by white men, is riddled with pedophiles. Surely, the people from abroad that you say are judging us can see a stark difference between President Obama and 45. Why would they not use this as an example by which to judge Black people -- using your analogy?

Well Amazon has already begun to replace the USPS. You see the trucks and vans everywhere now. Since I've been selling books directly I use the USPS daily and can't imagine a world where I have to pay Amazon to ship something. Actually I can image it... When Amazon produces a book for a self-published author, Amazon also makes it impossible for another bookseller to sell that book for a profit. When Amazon controls shipping they'll make it difficult to ship products that they have not produced or somehow have their greedy hand in.

Hey @Chevdove good to read you again; happy holidays Queen! @Pioneer1, come on man... You actually believe that some white men have arranges for these contest to be won by Black women to cull the Black population? Seriously? You are giving white folks too much credit. Good old fashioned colonialism has far more effective. We don't need the conspiracy theories. Happy holidays Pharoah!

Yeah after 15 years, The Black Woman: An Anthology Edited by Toni Cade Bambara is still in print

Here on AALBC.com, I maintain a list of bookstores in America and a few that are abroad -- stores that I've visited in Nigeria, Jamaica, and other places. The Source of Knowledge Bookstore in Newark is a store that I have not yet viewed but from what I can they are definitely worth a visit -- I plan to check it out.

@B.D.C., that was a very thoughtful message and I appreciate you posting it. The vast majority of people coming do not share their ideas or opinion. Perhaps it is the fear of being ridiculed or appearing uninformed. I'm learning something new all the time here. The main reason for my message was to help authors understand that when you pitch your book to a bookseller to carry your book in their store, or website, you can not start the conversation with "Order Now on Amazon." This should be obvious, but it apparently is not, which I why I wrote the message. I wanted to help authors and publishers understand a bookseller's perspective. Amazon sells books indiscriminately, they could be bootlegged, retrieved from a dumpster, written by a terrible writer, or poorly produced. Amazon simply does not care; they are only concerned with revenue. All other booksellers curate they books they sell. We select books we think are worth reading and will benefit our customers. Marketing is a Beast -- definitely. If your goal is to make money with your book, marketing should begin before the book is written. The author should consider who the audience for the book is, how large the audience is, how will they reach the audience, and how much it will cost. Independently published authors rarely do this. After some analysis you may determine not to write the book. Indie authors produce the book then struggle with figuring out how to sell it. Don't discount the "views." People use the site to discover books. If you email me directly to pitch me a book to review -- only I see the book info. If you post it here others will see it -- perhaps someone interested in reviewing or reading it. We review very few books that are pitched to us. Part of the challenge is that having a book reviewed costs money, time, and energy. All the author invests is a book, but the entity doing the reviewing invests far more. We must be very selective in the books we choose to review -- otherwise we'd be out of business. This is one reason we offer a fee based book review service. Finally there are a lot of ways for authors to get their book on AALBC. In our FAQ, I mention 8 ways and most are free.

Amazon as been selling bootleg books for as long as I can remember, but the idea that they allow 3rd parties to sell trash as new under the Amazon brand is disgusting. You Might Be Buying Trash on Amazon—Literally Wall Street Journal Article, December 19, 2019 One publisher describes how they bought 34 of its books from Amazon and Amazon’s third-party sellers. At least 30 were counterfeits! New York Times Article, June 23, 2019 If I did any of the above I would be thrown under the jail. The tide a turning regarding public sentiment of Amazon. Everyday there is another article revealing Amazon's shady business practices. When I stopped selling books as an Amazon affiliate my book sales went up -- way up! I'm certain this would not have happened just two years ago. Today I'm getting more order and larger book orders. Yesterday someone purchased 100 (different books) in a single order! That never happened when I dealt with Amazon. I've been told more than once by a customer who said that they are happy to buy books from me now that I don't use Amazon. While our government serves as Amazon's hand maiden, it seems that the people are beginning to reject Amazon.

I blame their publishers more. Too much responsibility is expected of the writer to self-promote on social media. As the writers become "famous-famous" they probably should do less social media. This is the great loss of our generation. Journalism as been replaced by tweets. No other community has been more impacted than the Black community. yes, one can becomes "Black Famous" on the Chitlin' Circuit. I see someone mentioned Eric Jerome Dickey. Eric is a cool Brother -- a staple on the chitlin circuit. In fact @Mel Hopkins The day I ran into Kim Coles (when I texted you the photo), I saw Eric too -- at the National Black Book Festival. Eric has made a fine living as a writer. However, the risk as a Black writer who is "Black Famous" is that the platforms supporting your work (events, bookstores, websites, magazines, newspapers, radio, etc) are drying up. Without having the data I'm fairly confident in saying that collectively all the Black famous novelists are making less money today that a decade ago. Amazon is largely the cause. I think readers are beginning to see this. Yes, I recall Caldwell be white -- it is a great song IMHO. Literary agent Tanya Mckinnon is really doing her thing! She has several 7 figure deals under her belt. Yeah Kwame is Da Man now, he sponsored our Black Pack Party this year, which Jerry Craft attended 🙂

@Mel Hopkins' post about the 1st African American, Kennedy Ryan, to win the Rita Award and how neither of us were previously aware of the author, who has previously published 16 books. It also got me thinking about the importance of the predominantly white institutions (PWI) relative to Black institutions and how they both relate to an author's notoriety and success. I did an event recently in which a panelist described knowing another author for years because they met on the "Chitlin' Circuit." I immediately knew what the Brother, author Brian Smith, was talking about because I've run into him on numerous stops on the "Circuit." The Chitlin' Circuit is the variety of Black run book events across the country that host Black authors. I don't particularly like the term because it marginalizes the events. It is also, I believe, why some Black authors don't participate in these events. Omar Tyree, Troy Johnson, Brian W. Smith, and Clarence Nero at the Bayou Soul Literary Conference around 2009 I doubt Ryan has done any events on the "Circuit," otherwise it would have been far more likely that I would have known who she was before she won the Rita Award. It is during "Circuit" events that I discover and connect with writers. Some very prominent authors, who have garnered acclaim by PWI's, fully embrace Chitlin' Circuit events. One author who immediately comes to mind is Walter Mosley. I give Mosley a lot of credit, because to this day he still does Black events; long after President Clinton told the world Mosley was his "favorite writer." Mosley still supports these events. In other words, Mosley no longer "needs" to do these events, but he recognizes by doing them he is benefiting the hosting organization, which is good for everyone. Kirkus Award winning author Jerry Craft, Troy Johnson, and Walter Mosley at the African American Literary Awards Show (2012) Most, if not all, of the Chitlin' Circuit events may be found on my events calendar. The Harlem Book Fair, in its prime a decade or more ago, was arguably the premier event on the circuit. Other events on the circuit include the National Black Book Festival in Houston, TX, the National Book Club Conference in Atlanta, GA, and the Leimert Park Book Festival in Los Angeles, CA. There are many many others. The one I attended most recently, featured author Brian Smith (mentioned above), was the Black Authors and Readers Rock event in Oxon Hill, MD. The calendar also contains events hosted by PWIs. I think it is important to do both types of events. Back in October Kirkus announced the winners of three $50,000 prizes (fiction, nonfiction, and childrens). All of the winners and more than half the finalists were Black. I thought this was astonishing. I also know several of this writers, personally -- from the "Circuit." The Kirkus Prize is relatively new and honestly I did not pay much attention to it. When it launched in 2014 only one Black writer was recognized a finalist, Dinaw Mengestu, an Ethiopian refugee living in Paris. PWIs, at that time, were really fixated with African writers. Interestingly, not one of the authors I know, who were recognized by Kirkus, told me about their honor. This is potentially life changing recognition. As a bookseller I'm actively seeking good books to share with readers. If I happen to actually know the writer I'm actually more excited to share the information with readers. I talked at length with a couple of these writers after learning about their honor. Initially I was told it was "on social media." However the conversations would have made a fascinating article. I wish I had the time and talent to write it. The issues were fascinating... but I digress. I guess all I'm trying to say to authors is that you can embrace Black events and platforms and still garner the acclaim of predominantly white institutions. It is not an either or proposition. You can and should do both types of events. When you do earn critical acclaim, please let us know directly; social media does not share everything equally and many of don't use it at all.

Great words to live by ❤️

The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction, and young readers’ literature. There are 5 finalists in each category, 8 Black writers made up more than half of all the finalists and won every category! This is quite an accomplishment. When the award started in 2014 there was only one Black finalist and no winners.* *This is based upon recent research; if someone finds something that is factually inaccurate please let me know.

Yep @Mel Hopkins I found 16 books for her: https://aalbc.com/authors/author.php?author_name=Kennedy+Ryan#books

You think so? It does not appear to be more vocal to me. In any event it does not appear to be effective.

Yeah I created a profile for her and will add her books in my next upload. Ill probably highlight her award in the next newsletter.

Thanks @Mel Hopkins I was unaware of this writer. I'll add her to the website.

I'm beginning to think this is a global phenomenon, maybe even part of human nature. Even in all Black country people find not shortage of ways to hate each other; skin color, tribe, religion, gender, and on. Technology has enabled racism spread faster.