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Black Book Websites Need Love Too


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I just blogged about an issue that gets zero attention and that is the virtual extinction of websites dedicated to books by and about Black people. In fact there are very few websites dedicated to anything about Black people that is created by Black people.

When I first started there almost no Black owned websites dedicated to Black books. Over the years new years were coming on-line all the time. But many of those sites have disappeared and fewer new sites are being created. While the number of websites over all is exploding year after year; the number of Black book websites continue to go down.

Have you noticed this trend too?

My concern is while everyone is wringing their hands over the bankruptcy of Borders, there is a crisis, in our own backyard this is going completely ignored.

Let me know what you think about the article: http://aalbc.com/blog/?p=476

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Troy,

I've always wondered why you don't have some type of "Awards" show to solidify your

place in the industry.

The Annual Black Pack Party is a wonderful tradition; it's growing. But you should have

an Award tie-in (not that crappy mess Yvette Naywood mis-manages either). Something

very serious that will become "elite" over the decades...the Troy Pen in literature

or something hooked into this website.

(Get a snobby group of 10 Professors to pool their year end opinions--I guarantee they'd

do it for FREE)....then throw in your Sales/bestseller's list Prize....hire a P.R. Firm

and get some literary celebrities to hand them out. You'd be a smash!

Your site is very popular, so are you, but you don't have the Landmark Signature elements

that a "Sylvia's Restaurant" or an "Ebony" magazine have--you need an Award of some kind.

Do you realize that Yvette Naywood's awards aren't even reported on GOOGLE??? She's got no

idea what she's doing! No next-day P.R.; no nothing leading up but grass roots.

My publisher didn't even know he had

nominees and had never even HEARD OF that

fucking award--and that was 2 days before the

ceremony!!!!

(Imagine if I hadn't told him)

You could SO trump that and you really need to.

You're already working your butt off with the traveling as it is. You might as well do something

more concrete to CONSOLIDATE your brand and do it before somebody else catches on.

You're in the heart of the Publishing arena, for all and sundry, you're in New York City!

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And that's another thing....

Your video "interview an author" thingy would be a hit by now if you conducted & promoted

it correctly.

Pick Sundays and have a SET time. People like to get into a routine and after about 2 years,

you'd have a SIZEABLE "routine" viewing audience who turn up no matter who you're interviewing.

If I lived in NYC, I'd do a book/celebrity video show for you. I know so many people to profile

and how to make it interesting and get people to tune in.

You could be a lot more creative and do a whole 30 minutes. You already know people like Tanunurive

and Terry McMillan. Come up with interesting topics "does aging as a woman age your writing?" and

get some women writers to talk on air about that.

THIS SITE COULD BE SO HUGE!

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I read your article, Troy, and found it very informative especially since this is a subject about which I know very little. I'm just a consumer so, unfortunately, I shop for books, always looking for a bargain. I also frequent the library. I am flirting with the idea of purchasing a kindle, however. Old habits are hard to break.

But, I do intend to do a little more reviewing, limiting critiques to books I enjoy so my favorable ratings can perhaps encourage others to purchase the books of authors I like, hoping that in my own small way I can contribute to boosting book sales through web sites.

What I most discern from your article and it's feed-back on your blog is that the book world is in a period of transistion, and things are evolving. Soooo, maybe those in the business have to make adjustments by recognizing what is outdated.

Kola's suggestion certainly sounds like a good idea.

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Kola's suggestions are excellent. Indeed, I've heard them before from others with a more vision than I.

I also realize how much work it would be to execute those ideas -- seriously jeopardizing my relative life of leisure ;-)

Cynqiue, I glad I was able to provide consumers some insight.

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