New Blog Series: Best Black Book Tweets

This is a new venture for me born out of my personal research. I initially set out to track how visible books by people of color were on Twitter and how effective the marketing and reader engagement was. It is actually quite active, contrary to what I hear from others in the industry. Books by people of color are still somewhat marginalized in the market as a whole but not at all by their own constituency. The National Book Awards this year also proved that books by people of color are of interest. The interest needs to continue to grow, in my opinion. I am waiting for the day when I can walk into an ABA chain bookstore and easily find ethnic anthologies, classics, or poetry collections. And I may be a book snob, but I am not draw in only by urban lit, church scandals, and romances. I'd like more variety, please.

Merry Christmas From Paul Lawrence Dunbar

I wanted to wish you all a merry Christmas with a little touch of culture from one of my favorite poets. “Paul Laurence Dunbar was the first African-American to gain national eminence as a poet. His style encompasses two distinct voices—the standard English of the classical poet and the evocative dialect of the turn-of-the-century black community in America. He was gifted in poetry—the way that Mark Twain was in prose—in using dialect to convey character.” You can read more of his bio and works here.

VIDEO: Regina Brooks on the Role of a Literary Agent

In an interview with the Atlanta Post, literary agent Regina Brooks of Serendipity Literary Agency talks about her role as a literary agent, the benefits of self-publishing, and what makes her love her job.

VIDEO: Editor Karen Thomas Talks About the Publishing Process

In a November 2008 interview, Karen R. Thomas, executive editor of Grand Central Publishing at Hachette Book Group, talks about the publishing process with New York Times best-selling author Mary B. Morrison of Making the List. The show has since been discontinued, but this interview includes timeless insights on editing, working with authors, author expectations, top three reasons a manuscript is rejected, best advice for aspiring authors, and the true heart of a good editor. I love this!



Are there any questions from the audience?

Organizing Your How-to or Self-Help Book for Maximum Impact

While there is an overwhelming amount of unsalable personal testimonies or memoirs, the author submitting this kind of book could easily remedy that problem by revising their book and forming it into a how-to or self-help book based on principles they learned by overcoming the difficulties in their life.

The Introduction

You don’t have to write a whole long, boring piece on your life story right in the beginning, but just some bits and pieces about what caused you to write on a specific topic, why you are sharing it with the world, what you hope to see change as a result of your sharing, and how change can be brought about (e.g. “ten ways to improve your relationships,” “thirty days to a new you,” or “letting go of the past through forgiveness”). More of your story can be shared as little bite-size examples/anecdotes later in the book as it relates to the points or steps you identify to help the reader along the path you’ve outlined for them.

The Body

Most nonfiction books need to have a clear focus and road map from the door. Your chapters will flow out of that structure—each one building on the last and each one representing the rungs in the ladder for which you are leading the reader to climb.

For example, a book called Ten Steps to True Happiness could start with an intro for what happiness is, why you are writing about happiness, what incident in your life caused you to see the value of happiness, and what you see possible for people reaching the true happiness they deserve. Then each chapter following would discuss and highlight each step in how to obtain true happiness—and maybe with little short examples from your own life.

The Challenge, Charge, or Conclusion

Then you could conclude with a charge and motivation for the reader to maintain and continue to find ways to build happiness and maybe even share that happiness with others. I think it's cool to activate people into what they have just learned. Learning isn't powerful until you can apply it to change the world around you. Doesn't have to be big, but if you can give your readers a solid way to live out what you've just shared, then you know you have a winner and you wouldn't have survived the loss, failure, or experience you went through in vain.

This is a very simplified example, but many times, the manuscripts I review do not have even this kind of structure. New/first-time authors, you must understand that your thoughts need to be clear and organized so that the reader will feel safe and connected to you as you guide them down a well-lit road. At the most basic level, readers really like to have their information handed to them. Life is hard enough without having to search through a book to find the nuggets. Most likely, readers will not search.

What kinds of roadblocks are you facing as you develop your how-to or self-help book?

Publishing for African American Audiences

The question of the hour is, “How do we reach African American audiences?” But it seems that the question is far too infrequently directed at African Americans. Or if it is asked of them, it seems the answers aren’t good enough. As if somehow the majority knows what’s best for the minority. Answer is given, then “experts” say, “No, that can’t be it. That won’t sell.”

What if publishing for African Americans really is about smaller niche audiences within the larger audience? What if it really is about book clubs and independent reviewers, magazine featurettes and book signings/readings? What if African American audiences don’t trust or rely on mainstream/traditional methods of book marketing? What if it really is about accepting African American views on race, sexually, religion, and politics? And then not just accepting it, but realizing that it may be different than the mainstream and being OK with letting that voice speak out. Is that OK with the publisher asking the question? Are they ready to engage and develop relationships with the channels that would best position African American titles? Can publishers accept and handle the unique demands, expectations, and felt needs of African American readers? I think those are the better questions, not that I can claim to have any of the answers.

I’m not going to even touch the topic of where to place these books in the bookstores—do they get their own section or should they join the rest of the books on their particular subject? Nope, not going there. But here’s what I want to know from African American readers, reviewers, authors/writers, and publishing professionals:

What do you think are the best-selling trends in African American literature both fiction and nonfiction, especially, but not limited to, those with Christian themes? Then, what are the best ways for publishers to market those titles to African Americans? What publishers are doing it well?