The African American Writer's Handbook: How to Get in Print and Stay in Print

With African Americans writing and buying books in record numbers, the time is ripe for a comprehensive publishing guide tailored expressly to the needs of this vibrant, creative community. The African American Writers Handbook meets this challenge perfectly. Written by veteran journalist and published author Robert Fleming, this book gives writers the heart, the determination, and above all the crucial information to publish successfully in this highly competitive field. Knowing the inner workings of the publishing industry provides any writer, novice or veteran, with a much needed advantage in the quest to get into print. Inside you'll find

- A complete, step-by-step guide to every aspect of the publishing process, from the germination of a winning idea to the nuts and bolts of book production
- Tips on submitting proposals, query letters, and preparing manuscripts for submission
- Advice on negotiating contracts that extend careers
- How to use on-line resources for research and profit
- Interviews with top editors, agents, publishing executives, and bookstore owners
- Updated information on copyrights, subsidiary rights, sales and marketing
- The trials and triumphs of self-publishing
- The art of promoting your work and yourself to a wider audience
- An insider's look at the economic realities of the book business
- And much more

Here, too, are scores of inspiring interviews and capsule biographies of leading African American writers both past and present. How did Richard Wright become America's first bestselling black writer? How did Zora Neale Hurston break through the artistic boundaries of the Harlem Renaissance long after her death? What was Toni Cade Bambara doing before she sold her first book? Why should Ann Petry, William Gardner Smith, Nella Larson, and William Melvin Kelley be revered wherever African American literature is read? Blending practical information and fascinating anecdotes with a mini literary history of African American writing, this upbeat, savvy, essential guide is a publishing primer with soul.

Author: Robert Fleming
Publisher: One World
Published: 04/04/2000
Pages: 352
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.96lbs
Size: 8.25h x 5.50w x 0.79d
ISBN: 9780345423276


Review Citation(s):
Ebony 05/01/2000 pg. 25
Publishers Weekly 05/22/2000 pg. 89
Library Journal 07/01/2000 pg. 108
School Library Journal 12/01/2000 pg. 169
Publishers Weekly 05/15/2000

About the Author
Robert Fleming has written for Essence, Black Enterprise, The Source, and the New York Times, among others. A former award-winning reporter for the New York Daily News, he is the author of The African American Writer's Handbook and The Wisdom of the Elders. His work was featured in Brown Sugar and he was the editor of After Hours.