The Old Neverending PublishAmerica Thread (Publish America)

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zizban

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I find it odd that you assert black authors dont get shelf space because they are black. My B&N and the Waldenbooks in the mall all carry Terri McMillan, Maya Angelou and Toni Morrison. Call it what you will, but bookstores will stock whatever will sell, no matter who wrote or what color they are. A publisher will publish those books for the same reason.
 

CaoPaux

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ResearchGuy said:
Nonetheless--I have to agree that writers who are writing to a particular ethnic or lifestyle experience, no matter how good their writing, face a barrier. If that experience focuses on a limited segment of the population, rightly or wrongly market potential will be judged accordingly. Not everyone is going to make a point of seeking out good books that emphasize those viewpoints, and publishers take that into consideration. It would be a better world if everyone did seek more broadly, if everyone understood that the experiences of folks from different backgrounds are of as universal a value as the experiences of folks from their own backgrounds.
That was pretty much my point. A "major" publisher may not cater to a particular segment, but there are hundreds of legit, advance/royalty-paying small presses that do.
 

gena140

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Julianne said:
Gena, do you mean Terry McMillan, author of "Waiting to Exhale" and "How Stella Got Her Groove Back"? I think my local B&N carries those (I'll check and let you know), and I live in a pretty "white" area. Still, I realize that purchasing could vary from store to store.

Yes. Excuse the spelling of her name.

B&N in Greenville,SC does not carry either of her first books. Mama and Disappearing Acts. I know because I tried to get them both for my neice as a Christmas gift and I had to order them.

Terry is not hot right now. The black authors who have new releases are who make the shelves in this area.

I realize also it varies from area to area but most of the people I know shop online, through blackexpressions.com because that's where they can find any black author.
 

Literary Lola

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Literary Lola
Why? People love good writing, even if the author is green and orange and hails from the outer reaches of Mars.


gena140 said:
That's a good question, but reality is reality.

I mean why did someone who writes as well as Eric Jerome Dickey not get picked up by a big house on his first book.

Very few of the big name black authors were picked up.

It's just the way it is.
Sorry, I'm not buying it. There are thousands of PEOPLE who aren't picked up by a publisher and their writing it terrific. Let's not play the worn out race card. I could care less about color, religion, or if someone has two left feet. Good God, we could all make those plaintive cries about why such and such wasn't pubbed.
 

Susan Gable

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gena140 said:
I wasn't LITERALLY speaking of flying Susan. *sigh*

Yeah, yeah, I get the metaphor. I'm not stipid, either.


gena140 said:
It will eliminate any confusion, misunderstandings, or arguments.

Gena, you didn't read very carefully, did you? (and I've seen you accuse a number of other people on the board of that very thing.) I said IF you did that, then you would be stipid. And you have to agree with me, you would be.

I had more to say, but I've decided that now I am the one who is :Headbang: :Headbang: .

So, I'm taking Ed's advice.

Susan G.
 
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gena140

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DreamWeaver said:
This is really interesting information--thanks, Gena. You are showing a different dynamic at work, one which I certainly hadn't thought about. I am curious, does Dumas (the elder) sell well, or is he consigned to the ranks of boring old classic authors? I love his books (especially The Three Musketeers) but one doesn't hear much about them nowadays, except for the multiple re-re-remakes of the movies. Of course, his books don't exactly deal with black issues--they're just great fun.

He is one of my favorites but I is also difficult to find stocked locally.
 

gena140

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Susan Gable said:
Yeah, yeah, I get the metaphor. I'm not stipid, either.




Gena, you didn't read very carefully, did you? (and I've seen you accuse a number of other people on the board of that very thing.) I said IF you did that, then you would be stipid. And you have to agree with me, you would be.

I thought your challenge of "Hey, just because you tried to fly and crashed and burned doesn't mean I'm going to if I try it," was...well...arrogant in the way you presented it, which shouldn't surprise anyone since you already admitted to said character trait.

Like your arrogance that "the white folk" can't understand you and your situation. You've definately mastered the art of alienating people who are trying to offer you advice.

I had more to say, but I've decided that now I am the one who is :Headbang: :Headbang: .

So, I'm taking Ed's advice.

Susan G.

Why is it arrogant? My mother taught meet to reach for my dreams no matter how many failed before me. To accept failure because someone else failed is stoopid.

I never said "the white folk" but most white authors don't understand the differences in the black book buying market.

I've been accused of playing the race card, and using that as an excuse.

The truth is...it's a difference. No better no worse...but a reality.

I'm going to invite some black authors to visit and post here, and I hope those who are here will post as well as about the differences in thier experiences selling books.
 

gena140

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Julianne said:
But that's not the same as telling you that it will be nearly impossible to talk book stores into buying it and shelving it.

I respect your opinion that's it's next to impossible although I have not found any resistance at the stores I approached.
 

reph

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gena140 said:
Also how did they get out of their PA contracts?
Not everyone here has had a PA contract. Some people who post in this thread are or were PA authors; others are concerned bystanders...uh, sweetie.
 

bluwinteryfox

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Ed Williams said:
...none of us would be allowed to post anything on the PA boards. You make a good point - you merely told the truth and were summarily booted. Case closed.

Folks, for over three hours now this troll has been fed. If she wants to think that she is going to use PA for her ends, let her. But reading basically the same post over and over and over again has little value, and we are aiding her in her ability to do that.

Don't we have something more productive to discuss?

Come on folks, this is the mighty Pickler's third try at getting everyone to stop responding to her. Just ignore her.

And please don't let his feelings be hurt, go enter the sidekick contest. Think of all the fun you'll have being with Him in public and doing good pickling deeds. Listening to 50's music (I promise Ed I won't bring any Perry Como CD's), eating hamdogs and/or Luther Burgers.

Please one of the mods move all of her stuff and replies to another thread. :Hail: Please :Hail:
 
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gena140

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CaoPaux said:
Here's what Ms. McMillan has on the shelf at Borders.

http://www.bordersstores.com/search/search.jsp?srchTerms=Terry+McMillan&mediaType=1&srchType=Keyword&doSearch.x=6&doSearch.y=7 The books you're looking for seem to be out of print. So it's not the store's fault they're not available.

Online bookstores are different than brick and mortar book stores.

I didn't say it was the store's fault. I only pointed out the reality of the situation.

But they must be in print somewhere because the store ordered them for me.
 

Sassenach

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gena140 said:
The black authors who have new releases are who make the shelves in this area.

I think it's fair to say that crosses racial lines. Stores won't necessarily carry an author's backlist unless she's a superstar--e.g., Toni Morrison.
 

Literary Lola

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gena140 said:
I'm going to invite some black authors to visit and post here, and I hope those who are here will post as well as about the differences in thier experiences selling books.
May I remind you that this is a PA thread, not a discussion about writing differences between the races? You may want to take that discussion over to Take It Outside.
 

DaveKuzminski

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gena140 said:
Now many here believe my lawyer is not repuatable and should be fired, but nothing was hidden from me.

The point we've been making about your lawyer and I believe someone asked is whether your lawyer is qualified in intellectual property law because that's the kind of lawyer you need for determining if a publishing contract is reasonable and fair to you.

After all, would you hire a lawyer specialized in criminal murder defense to represent you on a divorce? The answer is no, unless you murdered your spouse in which case divorce would be a bit late and, perhaps, an afterthought?

So, was your lawyer one of the small handful of attorneys with expert knowledge in publishing or just a generalized attorney?
 

CaoPaux

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Literary Lola said:



Sorry, I'm not buying it. There are thousands of PEOPLE who aren't picked up by a publisher and their writing it terrific. Let's not play the worn out race card. I could care less about color, religion, or if someone has two left feet. Good God, we could all make those plaintive cries about why such and such wasn't pubbed.
Exactly. I'd want my book to be judged on *gasp* its own merit, not my race or religion.
 

gena140

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CaoPaux said:
That was pretty much my point. A "major" publisher may not cater to a particular segment, but there are hundreds of legit, advance/royalty-paying small presses that do.

I actually considered submitting to one by the name of Genessis press.

But my partner submitted to them and waited over a year for a response before finaling withdrawing her manuscript. Their website advertises an answer within 90 days, and she had to literally fight for her manuscript back and had not signed anything.

One of their agents picked up her manuscript because she felt bad for the way she was treated by them, and promptly asked her to rewrite the first 3 chapters before she'd submit.

She wasn't willing to compromise like that.

That was a consideration.
 

Patricia

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I wonder what the dear author of "Roots" would have to say about all this. I have a copy of that book in my library. I consider it one of the best books I've ever read. I can remember a time when the display window of every major and indy bookstore contained that famous cover and picture.
 

gena140

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Literary Lola said:
May I remind you that this is a PA thread, not a discussion about writing differences between the races? You may want to take that discussion over to Take It Outside.

The question was asked of me why I did what I did and my race was the reason for that.

So I answered it.

But I will let those authors know where to post thier comments since none of them are PA authors.
 

gena140

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DaveKuzminski said:
The point we've been making about your lawyer and I believe someone asked is whether your lawyer is qualified in intellectual property law because that's the kind of lawyer you need for determining if a publishing contract is reasonable and fair to you.

After all, would you hire a lawyer specialized in criminal murder defense to represent you on a divorce? The answer is no, unless you murdered your spouse in which case divorce would be a bit late and, perhaps, an afterthought?

So, was your lawyer one of the small handful of attorneys with expert knowledge in publishing or just a generalized attorney?

I've already answered that she is a contract lawyer who specializes in contracts.
 

CaoPaux

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gena140 said:
Online bookstores are different than brick and mortar book stores.

I didn't say it was the store's fault. I only pointed out the reality of the situation.

But they must be in print somewhere because the store ordered them for me.
*sigh* That link is to Borders' Inventory System, which means it shows what’s on their shelves. Their online store is a separate entity.

"Out of Print" means the publisher is not printing any more, nor distributing it to stores. It doesn't mean there isn't a stack of books in a warehouse somewhere, available to order.
 

gena140

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Sassenach said:
Gena:

How do you know you're not already trading posts with Black authors here?

Where did I say I wasn't?

I said I would like those authors who are here to comment on their experience. If it's different than mine it would certainly prove me wrong.

However I have been warned it cannot be discussed in the PA thread.
 
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