| Author | Message | ||
     Hen81 Veteran Poster Username: Hen81 Post Number: 224 Registered: 09-2007 Rating: |
A couple of years ago I did a signing at a prominent black bookstore and even though the sales were modest, the manager ducked and dodged and did not pay me for the books sold. My latest incident involves a bounced check from a store for books sold and I recevied no call after it has clearly been long enough that they know what happened. I am really getting jaded after several episodes of dealing with our people on this kind of issue. I know of the struggles, but people know what is going on in their own house and hearts. If I have to go with a cash only policy after signings, I don't think that it is worth it. When I sign at major chain stores, they order the books from their distributors and have them waiting when I get there. If black bookstores want to survive, they have to treat all authors right and not just the stars who roll through on tour. It is the in between times that will matter. There is one store that I have had no issues with, so this is not a blanket statement, but out of six black bookstores that I have dealt with, I have been burned by four in some form or fashion. http://DTPollard.com | ||
| Chrishayden "Cyniquian" Level Poster Username: Chrishayden Post Number: 8418 Registered: 03-2004 Rating: N/A |
"There is one store that I have had no issues with, so this is not a blanket statement, but out of six black bookstores that I have dealt with, I have been burned by four in some form or fashion." (Don't deal with the ones that burned you. Deal with the honest ones. Also, carry the ones that burnt you to small claims court. I am not going to excuse anybody for burning you. What I did was to have the bookstore order my books from the publisher or distrubutor themselves. Now, if you are self publishing, you should have them buy the books up front. Black bookstores are in a helluva bind. They are generally not sufficiently capitalized. They do not move enough books to get favorable treatment from publishers or distributors. White folks will burn you too--it ain't a race thang. It is captalism. Another thing you might do is threaten to go public, spread their names around. It ain't libel if its the truth. If they owe you money tell 'em you'll make sure their name is dirt. It is a rough game out here--stay with it. | ||
| Troy AALBC .com Platinum Poster Username: Troy Post Number: 2065 Registered: 01-2004 Rating: N/A |
Hen81, I hear this problem ALL the time. Self-published authors tend to get burned over and over simply because they are reluctant to reveal the names of the business that burn them. Even you did not mention the book stores that burned you. Why? Black people tend to stay mum about Black owned businesses that steal from them (and it is stealing) out of some misguided solidarity thing. Publishers don't give these stores credit, why should you? Unfortunately, I don't accept check from people I do not know (one bad check too many). And I can not give credit to individuals. Recently I made an exception to a past client, and 6 months later I have not been paid in full. There are a lot of sheisty shenanigans going on in this industry. The easiest way to avoid all of this is to get paid up front. Or as Biigie would say in Crack Commandment Number Six: "that god damn credit, dead it." | ||
| Hen81 Veteran Poster Username: Hen81 Post Number: 225 Registered: 09-2007 Rating: N/A |
I did manage to get paid by going to a branch of the bank that the check was dawn upon and presenting it to get my funds. The thing that hacks me off if that the people at the store made no attempt to correct the situation themselves. The odd thing about this is that they have put together an author showcase event with registration fees, etc. There is no way I would pay to be a part of an event sponsored by this organization. That is the reason I don't particpate in another large event because of the participation of another store that did not come through. In business my motto is under promise and over deliver, not the other way around. One store that ducked and dodged over a very insignifigant amount was The Shrine of the Black Madonna in Houston, which is a bookstore attached to a church organization. Another was a now defunct bookstore in Beaumont, TX and Community Book Store in New Orleans. I can't tell you if everything was intentional, but some I know were intentional as all information required was provided for payment. The store that has been stellar in their treatment and pushed my book Rooftop Diva and help get it on the ESSENCE bestsellers list is Jokae's AA Books in Dallas, TX. The owner there is a real book person and knows how to hand sell and is not a flashy type who tries to project larger than their reach. Often times authors bring their own follwing to signings and that means money and new customer for these stores. I always point out in my marketing materials that local bookstore are a way to get my books. Rooftop Diva has sold more through stores than it did online. I have sold through all kind of venues and the organizations mentioned are where my speed bumps have taken place. http://DTPollard.com | ||
| Troy AALBC .com Platinum Poster Username: Troy Post Number: 2068 Registered: 01-2004 Rating: N/A |
I visited Jokae's, in Dallas, last year. They are indeed friendly book people. Dallas author, poet, rock singer Camika Spenser took me by there. While I'm pretty sure I move more product than the an independent Black book store. And while Black folks may learn about book online I'm pretty sure the majority of purchases are made in stores, for now. So it does not surprise me that Rooftop Diva sold more in stores than one online. Despite the increases every year, Black folks still lag the majority population in online purchases... I sold books for a Chtristain author at a church a couple of years ago. I got so many bad checks and credit cards declines from memebers it was ridiculous. I was foolish enough to think that church memeber would not deliberatly beat me out of a $20 book, so I accepted checks and took Credit cards to be processed later. I sent letters to the people who still owed me money. Only 2 out of 12 people made good on the purchases. I had to eat the cost of the books and bad check fees for these church members. I thought about contacting the church, but I did not feel like being bothered. Again back to commandment #6 "that god damn credit, dead it." Getting paid up front eliminates a bunch of problems and allows you to transact with entities you would not work with otherwise. | ||
| 904diva Regular Poster Username: 904diva Post Number: 51 Registered: 06-2008 Rating: N/A |
Wow... articles like these really help us newbies. What about making a page on here and name the bad bookstores as well as the good ones. | ||
| Troy AALBC .com Platinum Poster Username: Troy Post Number: 2085 Registered: 01-2004 Rating: N/A |
Problem with that 904diva is that people are mean and do things for spite and I don't have the resources to investigate allegations. It is one thing to post an unfavorable review (opinion) and an entirely different thing to proclaim someone a crimial as a statement of fact... It is a good idea though. Does the Better Business Bureau have any relevance nowadays? |
