AfroCyberspace - Meet the Authors Podcast Interview

Author News - July 2009

Author Stafford L. Battle (AfroCyberspace) has won 2nd prize for his story 'The Legend of Shango' in the First Annual Sword and Soul Short Story Competition on BlackScienceFictionSociety.com and his story 'The Lynching' is published this month in issue nine of the online speculative fiction magazine: Expanded Horizons.

What Sells in Today's Children's Book Market?

The saga of Percy Jackson in ex-teacher Rick Riordan's Last Olympian - that's what sells. It is the fifth in the series published by Disney Hyperion aimed at the 9 to 12 years of age market.

While others say it may be derivative, children love this modern day view of old myths. Like the Harry Potter series, it empowers the youngsters with the abilities to save their world. Mr. Riordan remembered just how enamored children are of the Mount Olympus myths and gods, and has created a series that is sure to hit the big screen.

So how does this affect you as a writer? It seems everyone wants to write a book for children because they think it's an easy ride. This could not be further from the truth. Many parents know that it takes more than bright colors and an idea to keep a child's attention.

Simply put - write what children want to read. You may have a particular story to tell, however if you are interested in selling a lot of books you have got to write for your audience's preferences. Find what they like and make the story or lesson fit into that creative suit. Mr. Riordan has done a fantastic job of this idea.

Don't hate, emulate.

Click here to read a book excerpt of The Last Olympian in the Wall Street Journal.

Time Experiments with RSS Feed Personalized Magazines

mine's experimental run is free, with a 36-page print edition available to the first 31,000 respondents and an online version available to 200,000 others.

On Our Way to the BEA!

This will be the first year we are exhibiting. Booth 2142 - somebody play that number! It's been hectic, but I think we will get through. We will be introducing our initial catalog for 2009 - four books.

We will be blogging, twittering (!?), and video interviewing all weekend. Check us out daily for fresh news.

Here's hoping this weekend in New York is fun and productive.

Federal City View

Federal City View
Ralph Spencer
978-0-9818262-3-3
$27.95
June 2009
Color Photographs
Paperback
Photography of the Nations's Capital.A photo essay of Washington, D.C. from a different point of view.


Before "Chocolate City" there was "Federal City" — destination of
freedman, aid station for Union soldiers, and mecca for dreamers.
Article One of the United States Constitution provides for a federal
district, distinct from the states, to serve as the permanent national capital.

The centers of all three branches of the federal government of the United
States are located in the District, as are many of the nation’s monuments
and museums. The United States Congress has supreme authority over
Washington, D.C.; residents of the city therefore have less self-governance
than residents of the states.

The District has a non-voting at-large Congressional
delegate, but no senators. D.C. residents could not vote in presidential
elections until 1961. D.C. has always had a significant African American
population and this is reflected in the architecture and scenery of the city.

2008 Shows Extraordinary Growth in "On Demand" Publishing

Bowker released their 2008 U.S. book publishing statistics today and it showed that short run printing and "On Demand" or POD have increased while traditional book publishing has declined.

On Demand books showed a 132% increase over last year's numbers, while traditional publishing decreased by 3.2%.

"Our statistics for 2008 benchmark an historic development in the U.S. book publishing industry as we crossed a point last year in which On Demand and short-run books exceeded the number of traditional books entering the marketplace,"

said Kelly Gallagher, vice president of publisher services for New Providence, N.J.-based Bowker.

According to Gallagher, the Bowker data reveals the top five categories for U.S. book production in 2008 were:

1. Fiction (47,541 new titles)
2. Juveniles (29,438)
3. Sociology/Economics (24,423)
4. Religion (16,847)
5. Science (13,555)

Read the full story on the What They Think website.

Quick Book Ideas - Let Your Fans Do It

David Pogue, New York Times columnist and publisher of the Missing Manual series is creating his next book by compiling the responses to his Twitter entries by his 200,000+ followers.

The World According to Twitter will contain the best responses to questions that he poses over a period of several weeks. His website calls it

". . .a charming, irresistible, extremely hilarious little book, a book that couldn’t be written in any other way."

Here's the real kicker - if he publishs one of your tweets, he will send the tweeter a free, personally inscribed copy of the book. He will also credit responses in the book, using the tweeter's Twitter name.

Publishing Funnies

From the Typewriter to the Bookstore: A Publishing Story is the MacMillan Digital Marketing Groups amusing take on the industry.

The Long Steep Climb

The Long Steep Climb
Dr. Charles H. Epps
978-0-9818262-2-6
$27.95
Summer 2010
Hardcover

The Memoir of a World Class Orthopaedic Surgeon
Motivated • Determined • Achiever
Leader • Dedicated • Mentor
Advocate • Role Model
A Leader in
Excellence, Equality, and Diversity

These are words often used to describe Dr. Charles Harry Epps – a prominent orthopedic surgeon, professor, administrator, and board member. However, the road to these achievements was anything but simple.
Growing up in a time that marginalized even the best citizens that may have looked like him, Charles Epps made his way and paved the way for many others to obtain the American Dream.

Follow this intriguing story as he faces battles he could never have foretold to reach his dream of becoming a surgeon. Once he made this goal, the trials that could make the ‘less motivated’ give up did not stop. Life had much more in store for Charlie.

His challenges only made him more determined and lucky for us, he has chosen to share his journey as an educator, physician, and valued mentor and colleague. This memoir will show a side of the man that many never knew existed.

Dr. Charles H. Epps is the recipient of the Marymount University Annual Ethics award, author of African American Medical Pioneers (1994) and editor of several textbooks, former president of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and Dean of the Howard University College of Medicine.

The Long Steep Climb, the memoir of Dr. Charles H. Epps will be published by 22nd Century Press. A special preview will be at 22nd Century Press' booth at the BEA (Book Expo America) in NYC May 28 - 31, 2009.

Insane Messiah

Insane Messiah
Stafford L. Battle
978-0-9818262-1-9
$15.95
Spring 2012
Trade Paperback
An African-American scientist seeks to stop an invasion from within.



Global warming is making life difficult as raging tsunamis are ripping the continental coastlines causing considerable commercial and human loss. The world's economies again are drowning in hyper-inflation as the super rich struggle to secure better financial control and safer places to live.

However, according to one discredited African college professor, humankind has even bigger problems to consider. He tries in vain to warn his colleagues about the wrath of a superior alien species that has been living on earth for millions. But nobody will believe him unless he can produce proof and prevent a devastating retaliation that could utterly wipe out all human civilization.

Read a preview here.

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Gearing Up for the BEA

This is our first year as participants in Book Expo America - the premier event for the North American publishing industry - and we are plenty excited. BookExpo America will be held this year from Thursday, May 28 through Sunday, May 31 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York, NY.

We thought it would be a good choice, even though we are painfully small, since the expo was slated to come to Washington, DC in 2010. All of that has been changed (to our chagrin), perhaps due to the economy. The BEA is now staying at the Javits Center for 3 more years.

Sigh.

Anyway, we will be there with our three new books: Federal City View, The Long, Steep Climb, and AfroCyberspace. We will also have previews of Insane Messiah - a speculative fiction book that delivers in October 2009. We will be offering special discounts on all orders placed during the show and free shipping on full case orders. We will also be promoting the Black Author Showcase community.

Come by and check out our catalog, meet our authors, or just to say hi and give support. This is a big step for us and we look forward to meeting existing and new friends.

Visit us at booth 2148 Directly behind the Tom Joyner Foundation (2248) - don't miss us!

Online Consumer Orders

Order here for quantities 10 and under. Bulk orders please contact info@22ndCenturyPress.com, Subject: Bulk orders.

22nd Century Press Gets Publishers Weekly Mention

The article sidebar Issues of Race in SF in this weeks' (April 13th) Publishers Weekly has a quote from BAS founder and 22nd Century Press publisher, Diane Williams.

Writer Rose Fox takes a quick look at two presses who produce speculative fiction for non-white readers and authors.

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6651138.html

Respond To Your Crappy Reviews

Ever get the urge to respond to a review that definitely did not make your day? There's a website just for you - and others that would like to vent and commiserate the effects of a bad review.

The Worst Review Ever asks you to submit and/or link to your bad review, then you have a chance to discuss how it made you feel or to tear that crazy @$#%&$# down. It's the brainchild of Frenemies Harper Teen YA author, Alexa Young.
The blog says it's all about healing -

"we need to put the harsh words in perspective and re-access our will to live…our desire to create…our special purpose...or at least our sense of humor."

Now Alexa writes about a pretty snarky bunch of teens - perhaps she would be used to reviewers comments and could just dust them off of her shoulder.

Personally?
The less said, the better.

Our Books

Afro Cyberspace
Stafford L. Battle and Rey O. Harris
978-0-9818262-0-2
$16.95
Summer 2009
Trade Paperback
1000 plus websites that will enrich your world. The web is wide and it can often be difficult to find exactly what you need solely through search engines . . . read more

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Federal City View
Ralph Spencer
978-0-9818262-3-3
$27.95
June 2009
Color Photographs
Paperback
Photography of the Nations's Capital.A photo essay of Washington, D.C. from a different point of view. read more

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The Long Steep Climb
Dr. Charles H. Epps
978-0-9818262-2-6
$27.95
Fall 2009
Hardcover
Motivated • Determined • Achiever • Leader • Dedicated • Mentor • Advocate • Role Model • A Leader in Excellence, Equality, and Diversity - These are the words used to describe Dr. Charles Harry Epps – a prominent orthopedic surgeon, professor, administrator, and board member. However, the road to these achievements was anything but simple.read more

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Insane Messiah
Stafford L. Battle
978-0-9818262-1-9
$15.95
October 2009
Trade Paperback
An African-American scientist seeks to stop an invasion from within. Global warming is making life difficult as raging tsunamis are ripping the continental coastlines causing . . . read more

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Your Next Novel . . . On A Cellphone?

The Japanese have seen a swell of mini-novels sent through cell phones in the past few years. What was thought of as a flash in the pan has actually created more than a few bestsellers and novel-to-movie deals.

The Future of the Book website reported that this new type of serial has been popular since 2003 when the novel "Deep Love" by Yoshi - the story of a prostitute in Tokyo became so popular that it became not only an actual book (2.6 million sold), but also a TV series, manga(comic), and movie.

One hundred and forty characters at a time . . . writers block be damned! Write this form while on the subway, at a game, in between commercials even. This brings the ultimate in instant gratification if you can get a following. Twitter seems a likely place to get this challenge started for the American nouveau serialist. 

If ready to tackle this method that many compare to comics in its depth of character development, start with several beta American versions: textnovel and quillpill. With quillpill, one can post a mini-story with a Wii, PSP, iPhone, or other mobile unit. Create a serial with textnovel and become eligible for a $1,000 contest while readers check out and vote for favorites.

http://www.textnovel.com/

http://www.futureofthebook.org/

http://www.quillpill.com

22nd Century Press is at booth 2142 at the Book Expo America. We will be showcasing our new books and promoting the Black Author Showcase. If you are attending the BEA and would like to feature your book at our booth as a Black Author Showcase member, please contact Diane Williams immediately at diane@blackauthorshowcase.com

If you have promotional materials, submit a payment of $25 to the Google Checkout link below and immediately send the books and your promotional materials to: 22nd Century Press 12138 Central Avenue, Suite 223 Mitchellville, MD 20772. Items must be received by Tuesday evening or Wedneday morning, May 27.This is a very time sensitive offer! Scroll down to access the Google payment button.

Your promotional materials will be displayed as items from Black Author Showcase members. If you send a book and promo material, we will display the book until all of your material is gone. Then we will give the book away as a promotion at the BEA. This is a good way to represent when you are low on cash or cannot attend.