Black People : Does Anyone know of any good black publishers?

kbanks

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Nov 23, 2004
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I have written a children's book for African American children. My dream is to be a writer, however, it's hard to stay focused and continue to write, when my source of income depends on a job in which it gets harder everyday to even feel passion with life's daily struggles.

I wrote the book for my neice when she was 7 years old. I knew once she entered the school system, she would be taught only negative things about her ancestors or learn ignorant beliefs from other children and her self-estem would be snatched right from under her. I tried to teach her the positive and unique things about herself, her hair and her skin at a younger age, but her mom dismissed it and told me that she doesn't need to know all of that.

Well at the age of 7 we took her to the book store and she didn't want to read anything with pictures of black kids. Her mouth was all tooted up everytime we picked out something and we didn't understand at first until all the books she picked had pictures of every kid, but black kids. Then my sister got mad at her and fussed at her about it. So my niece just "went along to get along." After that I wrote a story for my niece and she loved it. She's 12 now and still asks me to read it to her from time to time and she even laid in my lap to hear it.

Everyone who's read it loves it, however, being that I'm considered a "new author" Dorrance Publishing wanted to charge me $11,000 dollars to publish it. I've sent it out here and there, but I hear most people don't even read it the first time.

Any advice?
 
kbanks said:
I have written a children's book for African American children. My dream is to be a writer, however, it's hard to stay focused and continue to write, when my source of income depends on a job in which it gets harder everyday to even feel passion with life's daily struggles.

I wrote the book for my neice when she was 7 years old. I knew once she entered the school system, she would be taught only negative things about her ancestors or learn ignorant beliefs from other children and her self-estem would be snatched right from under her. I tried to teach her the positive and unique things about herself, her hair and her skin at a younger age, but her mom dismissed it and told me that she doesn't need to know all of that.

Well at the age of 7 we took her to the book store and she didn't want to read anything with pictures of black kids. Her mouth was all tooted up everytime we picked out something and we didn't understand at first until all the books she picked had pictures of every kid, but black kids. Then my sister got mad at her and fussed at her about it. So my niece just "went along to get along." After that I wrote a story for my niece and she loved it. She's 12 now and still asks me to read it to her from time to time and she even laid in my lap to hear it.

Everyone who's read it loves it, however, being that I'm considered a "new author" Dorrance Publishing wanted to charge me $11,000 dollars to publish it. I've sent it out here and there, but I hear most people don't even read it the first time.

Any advice?

Sister, powerful story... It messes me up to hear that our children are still going through the same issues our people were going through during the times of Jim Crow segregation... Man, this is how Kenneth Clarke and Thurgood Marshall proved that Separate But Equal was doing major damage to the psyche of Black children for God's Sakes... Aint a **** thang changed I see...

As for the publishing of the book, sister, I think you might need to consider putting together your own website to market the book... That's just one option however... There are a bunch of Black Book Festivals that happen around the country now, and they cater to authors just like yourself... Here in Harlem, that book fest is actually attended by a lot of publishers and literary agents, and writers actually DO make connections with these people... You can check the web for the book fest nearest you, I am sure... Just a suggestion, and I'm sure others will chime in with theirs... Best of Good Fortune and success in getting your classic published, good sister...

Peace!
isaiah
 
Thank You! I'm going to do a search for the next Book Fest. I met a woman at this flea market selling African art and I gave her a copy. I saw her a month later and she said she had taken it to South Carolina and read it to parts of her family and they loved it as well. She then referred me to a publisher in New York that she had heard of, but I don't even know if they read it. Everyone says I have to get it out there.

I forgot to mention, my neices self esteem was lowered because one girl in her class had told her she was better than her ( U already know) My neice never had a problem with her esteem until she started school.

Well thanks for the help!

Much Love
 
peace

Hey Sis,
What you're workin on is truly beautiful..please don't give up on that. The children need this FoSho. The only thing that came to my head was self-publish, but what the brudda said about putting together a website, and working with those connections probably sounds a lot better and will get you a lil further. Either way, i'll rack my brain and let you know if i think of anything. Good luck, my prayers are with you...

One love
 

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