In a cover story, today's Wall Street Journal looks at the ongoing dilemma about whether black writers benefit or not from having
their books shelved in an African-American section, an issue given
renewed attention because of the increased popularity of black fiction
and the growth in spending on books by black readers. (Last year,
blacks spent $300 million on books, twice as much as the early 1990s,
according to Black Issues Book Review.)
Some authors quoted in the story said that being in the black fiction
section helped them connect with their most important audience. Others
said they felt the practice limited their potential.
One argument against black fiction sections: The story noted that "as a
practical matter, segregating books by race and culture makes it less
likely that black writers will hit the national bestseller lists."
Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com are the major retailers that, with
several exceptions, don't have African-American literature sections.
B&N spokesperson Mary Ellen Keating told the paper that the company
wants to expose "all titles to all customers."
To give some perspective to the debate, consider the policy of one
African-American bookstore. It shelves black fiction in its fiction
section. "Caucasian" writers go in the ethnic fiction section.
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Reminder: today is the release date of the Iraq Study Group Report: The Way Forward--A New Approach
($10.95, 0307386562) from the panel headed by James A. Baker III and
Lee H. Hamilton. The report is officially presented to President Bush
and Congress today. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to the National Military Family Association, a nonprofit organization that represents families of all ranks and services.
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[Bush fans please skip this story.]
Post-election, the Bush Out of Office Countdown Calendar: Two Years and Counting
(Sourcebooks, $12.99, 1402207905) seems to have found an ever-growing
audience. It's also getting a boost in the political blogosphere,
according to Dominique Raccah, head of Sourcebooks. Several dozen left-leaning
blogs are talking about the calendar, including Americablog (which gets
120,000 hits a day), Political Wire (100,000 hits a day), RawStory
(75,000) and TalkLeft (75,000). Moreover, the calendar is highlighted
at the top of whitehouse.org, a parody of the official White House Web site.
As a calendar complement and another stocking stuffer in blue states, Sourcebooks has published The George W. Bush Out of Office Countdown Handbook: Hang in There, It's Almost Over!
($9.95, 1402209045), which, like the calendar, contains "the best of
Bush bloopers and blunders" as well as accounts of various indictments,
scandals and more. The author is Deb Werksman, who was publisher and
co-founder of The Quayle Quarterly,
the satire magazine that
ended in 1993, when Dan Quayle left office as Vice President. Werksman
has been an editorial manager at Sourcebooks for the equivalent of two
presidential terms.