This post is about supporting each other. We all know folks that have written books and we buy them to support them. What you may not know is that many publishers that are not diverse in their thinking as they want you to believe they are pressure our Black writers to tone down their characters, beef up stories etc. At times what you are reading is not the voice that the writer wanted you to hear but the voice that the publisher thought would sell best.
Now I don't claim to be the all knowing of the publishing industry or anything close to it. However, what I do wholeheartedly believe in is support our own. Supporting the start up Black companies. Which relates back to my post Financially Fit.
We as a collective Black community need to be Financially Fit....The only way to do that is if we support each other in any business venture(s) we start. As you know once black people start buying something all the other cultures will follow suit. So why haven't we paid attention to that and made some money??? I don't even know how to answer that.
I'll just end my post by introducing you to a new Black Publisher who publishes books by Authors that you may not have heard of before. He publishes their words not his. Chuma Spirit Books' mission is to SUPPORT independent artistry. This company is innovative in it's attempt to get Author's who may not have the resources or the know how of some to be published.
Support this brotha and good friend of mine, along with the Black writers that he hopes to sore into the world on the back of a Butterfly.
1 comment:
You were right on the mark with your comment about a number of publishers and black writers. In many cases, not all, a black writer may be asked to take certain elements out of his or her work to appeal to a wider audience. Even a number of black writers for magazines, gay and straight, will nutralized their work at the request of editors. A writer's integrity can sometimes be called into question when they compromise their core values for greater success. What is the price to be true to one's voice? What is the price to compromise one's voice for larger appeal?
I definitely agree with you about black folks, especially gay men of African descent, supporting one another. Our ideas are often taken from us, processed, repackaged, and resold back to us for profit that goes far outside the community. Even Langston Hughes felt black folk needed to support one another to keep their community strong and vibrant.
I will be happy to support the black publisher you mentioned. Very Happy!
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