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Literary News
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New site launched for business news on blacks in the book publishing industry
Target Market News and Black Issues Book Review form strategic alliance to
create news and information source
(February 1, 2005) BlacksandBooks.com,
a new information Web site, has been launched to target those who want
authoritative business information about African-American authors, publishers
and booksellers. The new venture brings together Target Market News and Black
Issues Book Review magazine in a strategic alliance.
"We have long recognized the need for more trade information about
African-Americans' rising profile in book publishing - not just as authors, but
as publishing professionals, booksellers, agents and consumers," says Ken Smikle,
founder, president and publisher of Target Market News, which is publishing
BlacksandBooks.com. MORE
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Graceland by Chris Abani - The Latest
Selection for NBC-TV's "Today's
Book Club"
On January 26, 2005, Walter
Mosley compared Chris Abani's acclaimed GRACELAND to the novels of Charles
Dickens when he announced it as the new book club selection for NBC-TV's
Today Show. In this
fresh, fast-paced novel of a rapidly
changing Africa, the sprawling, cacophonous city of Lagos, Nigeria, provides the
backdrop to the story of Elvis, a teenage Elvis impersonator hoping to make his
way out of the ghetto. Nuanced, lyrical, and pitch perfect, GRACELAND combines a
world of military dictatorships and the international organ trade with the
moving story of a son and his father, and the result is this remarkable
examination of postcolonial Nigeria where the trappings of American culture
reign supreme.
The
San Francisco Chronicle
writes, "Abani's intensely visual style-and his sense of humor-convert the stuff
of hopelessness into the stuff of hope."
MORE
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Zora's Due: TV Brings Hurston To Life
In producing a television movie
of her favorite love story, Oprah Winfrey lined up good friend Halle Berry to
star, entrusted the script to a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and lavished
attention on the project.
Yet the talk-show queen has a
long-term hope for "Their Eyes Were Watching God," the film of the 1937 novel by
Zora Neale Hurston, Eatonville, Fla.'s most celebrated resident.
"My goal is to get as many people
to see it as possible and to elevate Zora Neale Hurston," Winfrey says. "If two
weeks after the film Zora Neale Hurston's name is on the best-seller list, we
would have won."
MORE
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Hurston/Wright Foundation Announces Winners
The Hurston/Wright Foundation has
announced their winners for the fiction, non-fiction and debut fiction awards.
Besides the honor of the prize, the winners get $10,000 and two semi-finalists
receive $5,000 each.
MORE
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EXHIBITORS WANTED FOR
THE AFRICAN AMERICAN PUBLISHERS’
PAVILION AT BOOK EXPO AMERICA 2005
Tony Rose, Publisher/CEO, Amber
Communications Group, Inc. (ACGI) and co-founder of the African American
Publishers’ Pavilion (AAPP) at Book Expo America invites you to participate in
the book industry event of the year.
We are seeking African American book publishers who meet the criteria for
exhibiting in the African American Publishers Pavilion at Book Expo America, New
York City, June 3-5, 2005. ACGI will be exhibiting during the 2005 BEA at Booth
#1233.
All interested publishers should mail their catalogue and mail or e-mail the
number of titles in their catalogue, number of years in business and their
company’s publishing genre or categories. Please include your name, company
name, address, phone number and email address.
All inquiries should be directed to: Tony Rose, Publisher/CEO
ACGI
1334 East Chandler Boulevard, Suite 5-D67
Phoenix, AZ 85048:
Phone: 480-460-1660 / Fax: 480-283-0991
Email: amberbk@aol.com
Website: WWW.AMBERBOOKS.COM
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Zane - NY Bestseller List
Zane lands in the #11 Position on the New York Times Bestseller List.
1st Annual Grand Prairie
African American A uthor
Showcase
Themed “Imprint on Our World”
Hosted by Vivi Monroe Congress
Author of The Bankrupt Spirit: Principles for Turning Setbacks
into Comebacks
In
observance and celebration of Black
History Month,
Author Vivi Monroe Congress will host the 1st
Annual Grand Prairie African American Author Showcase to support the efforts of
local African American Authors from the
Dallas/Ft. Worth area as they leave their
“Imprint on Our World.” Free
Admission.
Sunday, February 27, 2005
2:00 – 4:30pm
MORE
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For Immediate Release: Queens, New York - Queens
Book Fair set to feature top self-published authors nationwide at Book Fair
Queens, New York - Queens Book Fair April 30, 2005 set to feature top
self-published authors nationwide at Book Fair. The sponsor of the Queens Book
Fair C & B Books Distribution Inc. promotes self-published and published authors
through their online bookstore located at Cbbooksdistribtion.com as well as
their two store locations in Queens, New York.
Self-published authors in various literary categories will be participating in
the upcoming fair. Book lovers around the New York tri-state area will be
flocking the Queens Book Fair to support the literary works of today’s top
self-published authors.
C & B Books Distribution Inc. was founded by Carol Rogers & Co-founded by Brenda
Piper. C & B Books recently celebrated a milestone of 250,000 web site hits to
its online store.
The Queens Book Fair will be held at the Jamaica Market in the Harvest Room
90-40 160th St. Jamaica, New York. The Queens Book Fair will begin at 11:00 A.M.
and end at 7:00 P.M.
MORE
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I was sitting home, minding my business, messing around on the computer
Wednesday night, when I get this email from fellow author Victoria Christopher
Murray congratulating me on being nominated for the NAACP Image Award for
Outstanding Literary Work - Fiction.
I email her back to tell her she was wrong, and my name hadn't even been
submitted for nomination.
She emailed me back with the link to the NAACP Image Award event. She was
right. I was wrong. And I'm so happy!!!!!!!!!
Yes! I've been nominated for "Ida B." my fourth novel, which was released in
August. This has come as a complete, and oh so pleasant, surprise!
I was nominated along with such literary luminaries as Alice Walker, Eric
Jerome Dickey, T.D. Jakes and Aaron McGruder.What great company to be in!
You can find out more about the NAACP Image Award by going to the website at
www.naacpimageawards.net but I
can tell you that the Award Ceremony will be held on Saturday, March 19th at
the Dorothy Pavilion Center in Los Angeles.
Uh huh, that's right . . . a red carpet affair. My first! And yep, I'll be all
up in there! You can check it out on television on Friday, March 25th.
I don't know what else to say except that I know longer think it's corny when
people say, "It's an honor just to be nominated."
It really, really, is!
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The Atlanta Daily World, the
city’s oldest black-owned newspaper is currently taking nominations for the 3rd
Atlanta Daily World Atlanta
Choice Awards.
The ADW Atlanta Choice Awards looks to honor the best books published by, for or
about African-Americans in 2004. The Atlanta Choice Awards is reader nominated,
reader voted awards in all genres of publishing. It was created in conjunction
with the publication of the Atlanta Daily World Celebration of Books. The
Celebration of Books is a stand-alone newsmagazine supplement that highlights
the achievements of African Americans literature.
MORE
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Cherlyn Michaels
inks two-book deal with Hyperion
in October,
Cherlyn Michaels received her first publishing deal for her book Counting
Raindrops. It will be republished in September 2005 as a part of a 2-book deal
with Hyperion Books. Hyperion Books recently published The Gotham Diaries,
co-authored by Tonya Lee Lewis (Spike Lee’s wife) and the latest from Candace
Bushnell of Sex in the City. She's currently going through re-writes and edits
right now. While there are no MAJOR story changes, there are some minor ones
and the story is becoming tighter. The re-released version is going to be an
even better read. Her second title is scheduled to be published in September
2006. MORE
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Electa Rome Parks, from self-published to
mainstream
Electa Rome Parks, author of
THE TIES THAT BIND and LOOSE ENDS,
has signed a 3 book deal with New American Library (NAL), a division of Penguin
Group.
Her first novel, THE TIES THAT BIND,
will be re-released in October 2004, LOOSE ENDS will
be re-released in November 2004, and a third "untitled" manuscript is slated for
publication in August 2005.
Parks states, "This is just the beginning of
my literary journey that confirms dreams do come true and nothing or no one can
stop the predestination that is laid out for each of us."
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Books Picked up by
Black Expressions Book Club
Black Expressions is picking up Gets No Love
by Eric Pete and If You Walked in My Shoes
by Gwynne Forster as featured alternate
selections in their Winter catalog! Congrats to both authors!
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Woman Thou Art Loosed - The Movie
T.D. Jakes is hitting the big
screen. His book, Woman Thou Art Loosed will be playing on the big screen
this fall. Be sure to check it out!
http://www.womanthouartloosedthemovie.com
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RAWSISTAZ Book to Film
Nominations
The votes are in, and RAWSISTAZ is proud to announce our Book to Film
nominations. These books have been forwarded to the committee for the Book 2
Film Screenplay Search & Houston Black
Film Festival, Feb 24-27th, 2005 in Houston, Texas. For more info, go to the
Book to Film website at
http://www.booktofilm.com.
RAWSISTAZ Online Book Club - A Woman's Worth by Tracy Price Thompson
The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers - Sugar by Bernice McFadden
Atlanta RAWSISTAZ - Dark Corner by Brandon Massey
NY RAWSISTAZ - Harlem Redux by Persia Walker
Detroit - RAWSISTAZ - The Edge of Midnight by Beverly Jenkins
Chi-Town RAWSISTAZ - Mama Day by Gloria Naylor
Memphis RAWSISTAZ - Casting the First Stone by Kimberla Lawson Roby
NC Piedmont-Triad RAWSISTAZ - On The Eighth Day She Rested by JD Mason
NoVA RAWSISTAZ (Northern Virginia) - The Darkest Child by Delores Phillips
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S.I.S Magazine for Book Clubs
Sister In Spirit Book Club is pleased
to announce the launch of an online magazine that will provide enlightening
information for book clubs, reading group leaders, and individuals seeking a
literary circle in their area. S.i.S. Magazine strives to provide pertinent
information geared toward book club enthusiasts.
http://www.SiSMagazine.com
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NAACP Image Awards -
Submissions
FYI for all authors. Submissions for the NAACP Image Awards in the Literature
field are open. If you need more information, check the NAACP Image
Awards website -
http://www.naacpimageawards.net or contact Mr. Johnson directly at:
cjohnson@naacpnet.org. I couldn't
find a direct link for the upcoming Image Awards, so they may be in the process
of updating it. So, for now, you can find them at:
http://www.rawsistaz.com/naacp1.pdf
http://www.rawsistaz.com/naacp2.pdf
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The AALAS Open Book Awards is
the first of its kind. It is the most comprehensive awards show ever to
recognize, honor, celebrate and promote the
outstanding achievements and contributions that African-American authors and
writers make to the publishing, arts and entertainment industries.
(see
awards category page)
Please take the
time to vote at:
http://www.literaryawardshow.com/sections/voting.htm - Voting ends September
17th.
RAWSISTAZ is
nominated in the Book Club Category.
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Search for the next BET Arabesque Man
The search is officially on! It's
time to launch the annual Arabesque Man contest.
http://www.rawsistaz.com/BETArabesqueMan.pdf
The search is officially on!
It's time to launch our annual Arabesque Man contest. As your site is catered
to African American readers, we hope you will post the contest flyer or
information regarding. Our current Arabesque man and author are available for
online chats as well. Have a great weekend and I look forward to speaking with
you soon. Thanks.
http://www.rawsistaz.com/BETArabesqueMan.pdf
Kicheko Driggins
Publishing Manager
BET Books
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New Magazine - The
Literary Source
The Literary Source Magazine's website is finally up and running! Please take a
moment to check it out. The magazine will be available in select stores
nationwide, libraries, college campuses, and to subscribers. Pardon us while
we're still working to add more books to our Book Corner list. Feel free to send
comments either by replying to this email or directly from the home page of The
Literary Source. www.literarysource.com.
Thanks!
Stormy Steele
Publisher/Editor-in-chief
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