When I was a full-time author in the ‘90s, February (aka Black History Month) was both an opportunity and a pain-in-the-butt. It’s a time when publishers prioritize selling books by black authors and on black topics, which meant readings in the frosty climes of Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia etc in the heart of winter. I have vivid memories of reading from my books during frigid evenings, grateful for every hardy soul who’s venture out to listen, talk and, hopefully, purchase a book.
The African-American reading circuit consisted of a mox of black owned bookstores, big box outlets like Barnes & Nobles, and musuems. It was easy for me to track the black books recently published since we’d be passing each other in the book tour night with them either just having appeared at a store or coming right behind me. I would anxiously ask the booksellers how many folks had attended other author’s events, measuring the interest in my works versus theirs. I was not only checking out the competition, but getting a grass roots look at the taste and passion of an black book buying audience that was expanding
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In the first part of my career as an author I solely wrote non-fiction based on my music journalism (The Michael Jackson Story, Where Did Our Love Go: The Rise and Fall of the Motown Sound, The Death of Rhythm & Blues, Hip Hop America) or my interest in sports (Elevating the Game: Black Men and Basketball), cinema (Black Face: Reflections on the Black Image in the Movies) and popular culture (Buppies, Bboy, Baps & Bohos: Notes on Post-Soul Culture.)
I also had an interest in commercial fiction and, in 1993, published Urban Romance, a black love story with a music background, that was a minor bestseller. In an era when commercial black literature was defined by Terry McMillian’s ‘Disappearing Acts’ and ‘Waiting to Exhale,’ I was a small part of a wave of books her success helped ignite.
Back in the ‘90s - and to some degree today - I witnessed a gender split in the African-American marketplace. When I did books on business, sports and culture my buyers tended to be largely male. Commercial fiction was dominated by female readers and high end literature (like the works of Toni Morrison or Alice Walker) was beloved by college educated women. So, depending on the book, the audiences at my readings could be radically different.
The events at the black owned bookstores where always my favorities. Not just because they were black owned, but the managers tended to be activist readers, who guided their consumers to good writing and had a great feel for what folks in their area should know. Visiting Marcus Books in Oakland or Eso Won in Los Angeles always felt like a home coming as the staff and the audience was always so welcoming.
I’ve mostly focused on noir fiction in the last two decades, having written five novels built around D Hunter, a bodyguard turned detective, which as allowed me to use African-American musical history to give these crime stories texture. All the books in the series are available via www.akashicbooks.com.
Unfortunately the network of African-American bookstorse that I once regularly toured has shrunk considerably (Eso Won recently closed), due on line shopping and rising real estate prices in gentrifying neighborhoods. Once certain books on black topics were hard to find. Now every title is a key stroke away. I don’t miss traveling across America in the winter. I do miss talking with the knowledgeable, dedicated folks I came across in the stores. The readings were always so informative, not just about my book, but what was going on in the city’s I visited. Now you do a Zoom event for a festival or book buying group. It’s cost effective and simple, but I do miss the human interaction.
P.S.
Most of the titles mentioned in this piece are available through Barnes & Nobles, Amazon or your local independent book store.
If you prefer listening to books most of my titles are on Audible. Use can use the link below.
https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Plot-Against-Hip-Hop-Audiobook/B00O7YP9YM?source_code=GPAGBSH0508140001&ipRedirectOverride=true&gclid=CjwKCAiAioifBhAXEiwApzCztse8EXD-GSN3Clic_7RVNXNnbvGxu1MlV4nnQM_izB5Li7L7KNM0iRoCGYAQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
The only title not available on these sites is The Nelson George Mixtape, which is sold only via www.pacificpacific.pub.