Troy

I think I would put black male ahead of white female. Black men got the right to vote first. Black man handily defeated a white woman for the democratic nomination for president. I would also include class in the equation @Delano. Rich, white men rule the world. But a rich Black woman trumps a poor white man. As long as the difference in class is visibly obvious.

Yeah this process will jack up a lot of indie authors. The video (below) makes the transition it look simple, but even a simple process that is unfamiliar will cause a lot of frustration for the less than super tech savvy. Of course there will be no shortage of professionals to help authors make the transition. I already see that CreateSpace Cover Creator designs aren't compatible with Cover Creator on KDP. What is MOST amazing is the "Amazon Royalty." Here is where Amazon gets you and their own price calculator make the very plain. I will write more about this when i get a second. But here is the gist: For a 240 page book if you print with me (AALBC Prints Books) the unit cost is $3.87 per book (assuming a 200 book print run, less for larger print runs). If you sell the book you will make $11.13 (ignoring shipping). Now if you print and sell the books via Amazon, the pricing cost is $3.73/book, but Amazon wants an astonishing $5.27 or $7.54 (with expanded distribution) that is 2/3's of the profit of the book! @Mel Hopkins I gather KDP requires that authors give Amazon the exclusive right to sell their books -- unless the author pays for expanded distribution. Is that right? Amazon can get away with this because they monopolize the online sale of books. For Black books, they essential monopolize the sale of ALL book bt electronic and physical ebooks.

@Delano Serena was behind and clearly losing the match. The notion that the umpire was trying to hurt Serena's chances is a stretch and unnecessary. That is another problem with social media it exaggerated everything. The cartoonist can rest assured social media will be on to the next shiny thing is 2 minutes, his cartoon will be completely forgotten, and he can fade back into obscurity.

Digital Book World to Launch Publishing Hall of Fame; DBW Takes Place Oct. 1 – 4, Nashville DBW 2018 Gather as Many as 1,000 Leaders from Publishing and Technology NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Sept. 7, 2018) – As part of the 2018 Digital Book World – the gathering of the wide world of publishing – two industry veterans will be the first to be inducted into the new Publishing Hall of Fame. Digital Book World will take place Oct. 2-4 in Nashville, Tenn. at the Music City Center. The conference and expo will gather publishers large and small, traditional and untraditional, and the technology companies which serve all of them. Conference details and registration are available at DigitalBookWorld.com. The first inductee into the Publishing Hall of Fame is Marie Dutton Brown, the iconic editor and literary agent who successfully championed diversity in publishing over the course of her 50-year career. “Beginning her career at Doubleday, Marie Dutton Brown dealt with persistent racism directed at both her and her work, but she persevered in championing African-American literature and identity,” said Bradley Metrock, DBW 2018 executive producer and the CEO of Score Publishing. “In a new era defined by increased social awareness of marginalized voices and perspectives, Brown stands tall as a trailblazer, helping move the entire industry in a more progressive and accepting direction.” ### Marie is my friend and mentor, so this is a particularly cool honor 🙂

Now was the cartoonist engaging in satire, a racist trying to put her in her place by demeaning her, or reflecting a culture that elevates whiteness and marginalizes Blackness subtly, directly, and everything in between? I doubt Serena's reaction was just about that specific penalty, but a culmination of a entire career of unfair treatment (perceived or otherwise). When people fly off the handle that way it usually is not about that specific event, but more like the straw that broke the camel's back.

Yeah, Google also does a good job serving up new videos to keep you engaged on their platform -- happens to me all the time, which is probably why stopped watching network TV.

I read your blog article Believe in Yo’Self; yep, you can be in a creative business without believing in yourself.

That is how Facebook (social media) works. I have not seens a single favorable reaction to this cartoon -- not one. The cartoonists Facebook page would certainly skew favorable, as it is his filter bubble of friends and fans. My filter bubble is mostly Black women. It is worth considering if that fact is one of the reasons I've changed my position... It would be interesting to read what the female posters, @Cynique, @Mel Hopkins, @Chevdove, and readers here think.

N. K. Jemisin the Only Writer to Win 3 Best Novel Hugo Awards in Consecutive Years The language on the graphic is "technically" incorrect, but I'm too tired to update it.

I image most of you all -- especially @Cynique will be pleased to know, your corporate savior, Nike's sales have increased 30%. Nike is brilliant, but we are so very easily manipulated 😞 It is interesting how many media outlets (including Time Magazine) are spinning the information from the source (linked below), by stating definitively that the Kaepernick campaign was the cause for the difference where the article itself makes no such claim. This is not journalism. Time Magazine is feeding to the social media driven click-baity-controversy-driven-social-media-driven news apparatus. Nike sales grew 31% from Sunday through Tuesday over the Labor Day holiday this year compared with the previous year, according to Edison Trends.

Someone just forwarded me this article on the Huffington Post in which the writer has a completely different perspective. She views the situation purely from a racial perspective the game of Tennis does not factor into her calculus at all. It is curious as the writer points out the Osaka is drawn as a lilly white women with blond hair! Why? I have to admit now that the cartoon is indeed a bit racist considering that the cartoonist is exaggerating Serena's tantrum by contrasting her with a blond opponent, as if the blond girl is the standard for behavior on the tennis court. Again, why not draw Osaka as the Black woman she is. Seems everything is distorted by "race" in the Western world The Whitewashing Of Naomi Osaka: The U.S. Open tennis champion’s biracial identity is inconvenient in a racist narrative that turns Serena Williams into a stereotype. "But there are actually two narratives at play here. There’s the one in which Osaka is reduced to a silent and silenced victim; tearful; not quite white, but not black either. Reporters ask her whether Williams’s “behavior” made Osaka lose respect for her, reinforcing coded stereotypes that have everything to do with colorism, model minority myths and the culture’s implicit hatred of black women like Serena Williams."

Hi @ESP welcome to our online book club. The club's moderator, @Tony Lindsay will be posting questions shortly. In the meantime, did you read the book? What did you think?

@Pioneer1 is the idea that Black men have been on the planet for millions or billions of years a product of your imagination or did you get this idea from somewhere else? I know you read my question. I can only assume you are deliberately ignoring it why?

@Delano I write this in all seriousness: The advertisements that YOU are served are a function of what Google knows about YOU.

I actually watched this match in its entirety. Serena looked heavy (thick around the middle) and the younger, more fit, Osaka had her running the court. It looked pretty clear to me that Serena would lose the match. In her prime, Serena would have beat Osaka. Now I don't watch enough tennis to know if Serena's outburst was unusual or how they compare to other female players. I know John McEnroe was famous for similar outbursts, but I don't recall or know how he was treated by the officials. Serena was given her first penalty for coaching. It was pretty clear that Serna was being coached; the commentator said it during the match, there was video of the coach giving signals, and Serna changed her play (approaching the net). The next day I heard a commentator say "every player" is coached from the sidelines, but rarely is a player given a violation -- usually it is a soft warning. They felt this should have been done to Serena, in this instance. This sound plausible but again I don't watch enough Tennis to know if this is that case. What I do know is that Serena's reaction was over the top. She was talking about never cheating and not wanting to set a bad example for here daughter?! She was literally having a tantrum. Surely, she must have know the official was not going to reverse his decision after it was made. She should have sucked it up and played her game. Destroying her racket, continuing the tantrum, should have resulted in a penalty -- that was clear. The 3rd violation for verbal abuse -- folks better informed than I can argue that. But again Serena should have played her game. I've been pulled over driving a number of times -- for no reason. Once a tropper made me get out of the car. I asked him why I was pulled over, and he proceeded to yell at me about it being "his road." I did not crack my lips, because obviously yelling back at the trooper would have made matters worse--perhaps much worse (Black people who know what I mean). Serena was penalized an entire game -- a harsh penalty which many argue was too much, which I can understand and tend to agree. I don't think Serena should have been treated with kid gloves either because she is the GOAT. Osaka deserved a fair match. Osaka gave Serena the next game by deliberately losing it. I have not heard anyone say this, but it seemed pretty obvious Osaka threw the very next game -- negating the impact of the penalty. I'm glad Serena did not play the "race" card. That would have been unreasonable given she was playing against a Black player. The sexism claim did not make sense to me because there are no men in her tournament. Still, she had to deal with the game she was playing. Her father prepared her to be mentally tough... seems she has forgotten that lesson. As far as the cartoon, is concerned, it is not racist, and kind of funny. Now if image if a cartoon, like the one of John McEnroe below, was done of Serena. One could argue whether is is racist or not, but it would not be funny in the least bit. You can't make cartoon's of a Black person being lynched and expect anyone (save some 45 supporters) to think it would be funny.

@cristy n'bkl, welcome to the forums. I'm trying to understand your statement. Would you care to elaborate? Thanks.

@Chevdove Yeah there is a grain of truth in Mooney's jokes...

@Pioneer1 I thought about you Paul MOoney talks about DNA and race.

Author Roland S. Jefferson, MD shared this with me a few moments ago. I have never seen this and the first few minutes look good: "In 1968 ABC filmed a 30 minute documentary on musical prodigy Aretha Franklin. It is notable for the rarely seen interviews with her father, her husband, and producers. Importantly it features candid peeks behind the scenes that reveal how Aretha conceived and developed her approach to songs. And of course to watch the mesmerizing impact of her voice on the teens of the day is priceless. At your leisure, I encourage you to take the time to watch this amazing icon at the height of her youth. Enjoy!" --Roland S. Jefferson

OK forget my example @Pioneer1. What is an example of a code you think should be implemented? I ask because your reaction to my example is basically stating behavior that needs no code.

It is a start 🙂 But remember, Chevdove is married admitting you are wrong won't get you anywhere with her 😉

Hi Meg, your request is not surprising at all. Here are a few list that you may find helpful. This is a list of books I've selected that I feel will meet you needs in that they are not all about diversity. Many of the titles celebrate diversity: https://aalbc.com/books/children.php Here are a list of our bestselling book for the year so far. The book on the list are generally quite good: https://aalbc.com/books/bestsellers-by-year.php?year=2018&genre=Children%26rsquo%3Bs Here is a list of books that were recently published: https://aalbc.com/books/newbooks.php?genre=Children%26rsquo%3Bs nd a list of books that will be upublished in up coming months: https://aalbc.com/books/comingsoon.php?genre=Children%26rsquo%3Bs both of these lists show books that are worth checking out especially if you are focused on new books. There are other lists like one for Black Girls Hair: https://aalbc.com/top10/index.php?category=Girl%26rsquo%3Bs+Hair+Books We do not have reviews of the books, but I trust you will be able to discover a variety of books. Of course if you find books you think are really good it will be helpful if you share that information on the books page or in this discussion forum. Finally if you do have need to order book please consider AALBC just email me troy@aalbc.com

@Pioneer1 here is a simple case. Some Black people believe Black people should patronize Black businesses whenever they have can, some black people believe all Black businesses are subpar and never patronize them, while others look for the best deal regardless of the ownership. What code should we adopt when it comes to creating and supporting our own businesses? How would we enforce compliance to any of the rules defined?

@Pioneer1 will you reveal the source of the following information?

Sounds like a good idea in theory @Pioneer1 but in practice I can't see how it will work -- especially here in America, were there is so much diversity and individuality is a prized characteristic. The other problem is we look outside our community for validation.