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Black Owned Book Stores Thriving......


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Troy, I saw this article in the AP and thought of you........

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Black-owned bookstores want action after influx in business

PHOENIX (AP) — A renewed focus on social justice in the wake of police killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd has seen sales soar at Black-owned bookstores around the country as customers seek out knowledge from their own communities.

 

 

Black-owned bookstores want action after influx in business | Newsday

 

 

Sales increased exponentially after calls on social media in June encouraged people to spend their money at Black-owned businesses amid national tension.

Ali Nervis, the owner of Grassrootz Books and Juice Bar, Phoenix’s only Black-owned bookstore, said in two days his store received 200 orders for books on race relations, more than all they had received since opening in September 2019.

 

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/black-owned-bookstores-want-action-after-influx-in-business/ar-BB18hCLZ?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=wispr

 

 

 

 

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Yep the article mirrors my experience. This may have been the first time I read any media coverage of this.  It is interesting, and good that Graassrootz Book and Juice Bar were selected to be highlighted.  I never heard of this store before.  I just added Graassrootz Book and Juice Bar to AALBC list of Black-owned of bookstores.

 

I first reported seeing a spike in sales of How to Be an Antiracst, on May 31st -- before I even realized what was coming.  Within two days I getting a months worth of sales every day.

 

I believe the surge this time spiked far higher than in any period before.  Every store owner I talked to saw record levels of sales.  Everyone was buying a handful of extremely popular "antiracism" books. This extreme demand for a small number of books actually hurt sales because many of us were unable to get enough copies to fulfill orders.

 

Some Black booksellers believe that large white stores were given prior by distributors for these titles.  This would not be surprising because larger bookstores, which are typically white owned, have long term relationships with distributors -- they are often personal friends, so they get preferential treatment. 

 

Is this preferential treatment racism? It makes little difference because this kind of thing will never go away, so Black booksellers will always be at a disadvantage.  There are Black book sellers but they have to get the books from publishers, and then they have to contend with the same problem.  White owned publishing companies providing priority service to the larger white owned-distributors.  

 

The privileged afforded white folks is built into the system -- it is institutionalized.

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Is this preferential treatment racism? 

 

Like the prison industrial complex, it is a PRODUCT of racism.

AfroAmericans can actually do the same thing if there were enough AfroAmerican sellers and distributors who actually had a desire for it.


I wonder how many BOOKS MAKING factories that actually print out the pages, glue them together, and bind them are owned by AfroAmericans?

Infact, how many of these factories even exist ON THE CONTINENT of Africa?
 

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Raisin in MilkI work with a book printer, Black Classic Press, in fact I'm a reseller of their services, https://aalbcprintsbooks.com, but I've only had a few clients. 

 

There one client I worked with a Brother, Dr. David Covin, who is also a publisher. EVERY business involved with the production of his book (Raisins in Milk), writer, editor, book designer, book cover artist, printer, distributor, publisher, book reviewer, promotion and advertising, and bookseller is Black.  In fact, when his book became an AALBC bestseller, he printed AALBC's Bestseller's seal on the book's cover for his second print run!  Dr. Covin is not the only author you utilizes Black-owned businesses to produce their books.

 

Imagine, if every indie author did this, rather than giving Amazon all their business?

4 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

Infact, how many of these factories even exist ON THE CONTINENT of Africa?

 

In Dependence by Sarah Ladipo ManyikaActually the Black book ecosystem is much stronger outside America.  I've work with publishers like African World Press who has offices all over the word.  Cassava Republic Press is based in Ghana and the UK.  Once of their books In Dependence by Sarah Ladipo Manyika has sold over 3 million copies worldwide.  

 

We don't heard about these business and books because we have no significant voice and we do not control the narrative.  White folks decide which Black writers are worthy and then every one else, including some Black book sellers follow the white lead.  Part of the reason people echo what white folks say is important is because the books that make the bestseller's lists and get the awards are the ones that sell the most and make the most money.

 

It is simple, we must support  the business in the black Book Ecosystem, it is the only way our voices will be heard, at least in this country (America). 

 

Right now there is a effort to get Big Five publishers to publish more books by Black writers.  This is tantamount to asking publishers to produce books that will lose money for them.  The books will lose money not because they are not worthy, but book sellers don't have a clue how to sell these books.

 

Sure it is easy to sell Michelle Obama's book or an Anitracist book (right now).  How would they sell the upcoming novel from Africa Work Press, Maasai: A Novel of Love, War and Witchcraft in 19th Century East Africa by Elliot Fratkin?  ...and that last book was written by a white guy 🙂 

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