Spring 2013 - Best Selling African American Books - The Power List

As an Urban Publisher, we would be remiss if we didn't share this information:


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Troy Johnson:  troy@aalbc.com
Gwen Richardson:  grichardson@cushcity.com
Ron Kavanaugh:  ron@mosaicbooks.com

African-American Literature Web Sites Launch “Power List” of Best-Selling Books

(April 22, 2013 — New York, NY)  — Three leading African-American literature web sites announced the launch of the Power List, a quarterly compilation of best-selling books written or read by African Americans.  The Power List is a joint project of AALBC.com, Cushcity.com and Mosaicbooks.com, three Web sites which have promoted African-American literature for more than a decade.

The founders of these companies believe there is a need for a comprehensive list of best-selling African-American books.  “Currently, the data is dispersed over a wide variety of sources,” said Gwen Richardson, co-founder of Cushcity.com.  “We wanted to compile and analyze the data across the board and present those findings to the public.”

Besides collecting data from online book sellers and random samples on relevant Facebook pages, the Power List has a unique feature:  Its findings include a quarterly survey of 1,200 African-American book clubs.  “African-American book clubs are well-established in urban communities across America,” said Troy Johnson, founder of AALBC.com. “The survey results tell us not only which Black authors are gaining traction among Black readers, but they also let us know which non-Black authors have garnered their attention.”

The Spring 2013 list is divided into separate categories:  Hardcover fiction, hardcover non-fiction, paperback fiction and paperback nonfiction.  Best-selling ebooks and classics will be added in future editions.  The list will be released on the fourth Monday in the month following each calendar quarter.

Notable information about the Spring 2013 list:

• Urban fiction author duo Ashley & Jaquavis have a total of four books among the top ten paperback fiction best sellers
• Author Sister Souljah has titles on both the paperback and hardcover fiction lists
• Best-selling author E. L. James’ Fifty Shades of Gray was a top seller among African-American readers
• Two titles by politically-conservative African Americans were among the best-selling titles in paperback non-fiction books

“Our ultimate mission is three-fold,” said Ron Kavanaugh, founder of Mosaicbooks.com.  “To promote African-American literature; to assess the reading habits of African Americans; and to report those findings to the public.”

The Spring 2013 lists may be viewed at the Power List web site:  www.powerlist.info.  Updates will be included on the Power List Facebook and Twitter pages.  For more information, contact one of the individuals listed above.

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Recipe For A Best Selling Novel …According to Best Selling Author Dean Koontz

Let’s face it; we all think we have a story inside of us to tell. There are some of us that have been told “you should write a book and tell your life story.” Many of us think that we are sitting on a best seller! Is there really such a thing of just getting it right every time you pen your next great novel? Are you writing what you would want to read or are you putting rigid constraints on yourself and writing what you think people want to read; hoping to hit that sweet spot? We all dream of the six figure advances, the mindless spending of penned earned money on the once dreamed of home, cars, clothes, etc. Paying things off in cash, being debt free….well, you get the picture, and you probably carry that mental image around with you on a daily basis back and forth to work which makes that dream even more desirable and your current life and reality the lesser.

So how are you to be transformed into this mega writer? Well, bestselling author Dean Koontz sat down with Beliefnet and has some tips worth mentioning that could possibly lend a hand and push you on your way to the top. He is worth an ear seeing as though according to Beliefnet’s editor, he was reported to have annual sales of at least $24 million. But remember, as authors, we all have our own way of writing and there really is no wrong or write (and yes, I meant to say write) way to go about this, but it won’t hurt to take in these suggestions. Who knows, maybe you could be the next best sensation!
 

Here are his tips:

1. Your writing should be personal to you. It should come from deep inside of you. (Well, so much for writing what you think people want to read, or mimicking.) Zombies may be in now, but who knows what will be in in 4 or 5 years from now. You will struggle trying to tap into a market you are not really interested in.

 

2. Drop the outlines; they hold you inside the box. We as authors love to think outside the box and outlines don’t seem to support that line of thought.

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3. Get rid of the self-doubt. Nothing like self-sabotage, huh?

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4. Love the language and fill your writing with metaphors, similes, and other figures of speech. In other words, be more than one dimensional and flat. Be vivid in your writing, enrich it and be colorful. That may be a challenge for some and easy for others.

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5. Write with passion. Write what you are passionate about. See tip #1.

All of these tips are awesome pieces of advice. Challenge yourself; push yourself to higher aspirations in your writing. You may surprise yourself when you just let go and flow freely.