Urban Fiction: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Like Love Haha Wow Sad Angry

(ThyBlackMan.com) As Black authors we have to stop bickering and beefing over petty issues. A great example of this is how author Nick Chiles regularly criticizes Urban Fiction in the harshest of terms. (See video below) While he is certainly entitled to his opinion, wouldn’t it be better if he were to support these authors, or pull them to the side and discuss his concerns, rather than trying to bring down another group of Blacks in public?

[youtube DTBmn3JKQco]

Also, a disturbing trend that I’m starting to notice is the disappearance of African-American owned book stores across the country. Now some of you may ask, well what’s the big deal? We’re in a post-racial society, right? So we don’t need Black bookstores anymore. Well I believe that, for one, we’re not in a post-racial society and having Black owned bookstores is vital in order to keep what’s left of our culture alive. These establishments aren’t just a place to buy books, and be around African-Americans. They are places where we can re-connect with our culture and learn key lessons that lie within the covers of Black of literature, “Old School” and contemporary.

As an aspiring Street Fiction author, I myself need these Black bookstores because of the fact that there’s nothing like being around your own people. I’m not saying that to be racist or anything along those lines. I’m just saying that, as a Black author within the genre of Urban Fiction, it’s especially vital for authors like me to have an outlet where we can network, promote and discuss our work and possibly unite with other African-American authors.

The only possible solution to preserve what Black bookstores we have left is to support these establishments, not just as customers, but as writers and authors as well, and in order for that to happen we should respect each other and work together. Black bookstores should nurture all Black writers, and Black writers should nurture all Black book outlets, be they bookstores, book clubs, street vendors or whatever. Here’s a video that thoroughly explores the debate over Urban Fiction. It is, itself, a work of art. Look at it. Think about it. Support it. Pass it along. . .

Staff Writer; Shawn Hudson

This young man is an 18 year old college student and author who lives and writes in Harlem, New York.

Lonnie Radcliffe says:

March 1, 2012 at 10:10 pm

I am not a writer, and thus I am not equip join the debate about literary genre, trends, personalities or any of those concerns. But I am very well equipped to weigh-in on one of the major reasons our businesses fail, including bookstores. In general, we don’t advertise our businesses, and we don’t advertise because we don’t understand the importance of advertising. Black businesses see advertising as a fungible expense instead of what advertising really is, an investment.

And our failure to advertise, and hence position our businesses to compete and survive is about to worsen further as we enter the era of web 3.0. Advertising as gone digital, and to effectively advertise a business, including a bookstore, that business has to maximize and manage its presence across the expanse of the internet. This can only be accomplished by dominating the search engines and high traffic directories. Such domination can still be achieved in a cost-effective manner, but the window will close in the next three years as spending for online advertising is expected to double from $34 billion in 2012 to roughly $70 billion in 2015. As that transition occurs, rates will become out of reach.

I represent the largest search engine marketing and distribution company in the U.S. and welcome your questions and comments. We have affordable and effective solutions that will enable your bookstore to compete.

Best regard,
Lonnie Radcliffe