alternatives

I’m heading up to Scandinavia House for the Kweli conference this morning–hope to see you there! I’ve already connected with a great bookstore—WORD UP—that’s entirely volunteer-run and operates without big book distributors. Community-based publishing, community libraries/booksellers…so many possibilities! I’m looking forward to talking with The Book Smugglers soon about their relatively new role as publishers. They posted an essay of mine on Thursday in which I discuss what it means to “reach your readers:”

Last month I talked to students at Harvard who read AWAM in their American Studies class, and the following week I had an equally rigorous discussion with book club members at a homeless shelter in Manhattan. When that editor says “success” what she really means is sales, of course, though she forgot to mention that AWAM was never reviewed by any of the major outlets. My next novel with Amazon, Ship of Souls, did get reviewed by Booklist, who named it a Top Ten Sci-Fi/Fantasy Title for Youth in 2012. Did it successfully reach “my readers?” I suppose that depends on how you define “success.” I’ve found that when I dare to step outside the traditional publishing world, I find other “outsiders” who understand that publishing isn’t just about profit—it’s about power. I know how Black youth feel when they finally find a book in which they are the hero and they wield the magic that saves the day. Connecting “my readers” with my books can be a challenge, but self-publishing for me is an act of resistance in an ongoing battle to change the (mis)representation of Black youth.

Okay, I better hop on the train or I’ll miss all of Edwidge Danticat’s keynote address! You can find the entire program here. Only a few of my books will be available at the conference, but you can finally order your print copy of The Door at the Crossroads online.