Putting Readers in
the Mood

By Marsha Jones

More than 300 black-owned bookstores do their best to keep pace with the rise in African-American literary expression. The businesses carry the latest works of Omar Tyree, Terry McMillian, Maya Angelou, Ernest Gaines and Toni Morrison, easily found in major retail stores. They are also places you are more likely to find even the older works of Marsha Hunt, J. California Cooper, Terry Wallace, Marita Golden, E. Lynn Harris and tens of other lesser knowns, because most black booksellers are on a mission to spread more than words.

Since the first shops opened in the late 1960s, places that sell African-American literature and artifacts have been cultural havens. They have loyally served a niche market, buyers interested in cultural products, keeping relative pace with the mass market retailers whose main focus is whites. So there is little surprise that as whites moved into e-business, black booksellers followed.

An estimated 100 million people in the United States use the Internet for everything from trading to keeping in touch. Studies have shown African Americans and Hispanics are not represented in large numbers, but they are present. How fast the numbers will grow is uncertain. Although, Internet experts say they must.

A recent Association of American Publishers survey shows African Americans spend about $296 million on books. Until the past two years, most of the money exchanged online went to Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Borders and other major white-run outlets. Some black booksellers realized the trend, which birthed sites such as BLACKBOOKS.COM, yet most of the stores still don't have a web presence. Still, the interest in service and quality have moved some owners to scramble to meet black readers' needs.

In Rochester, New York, Mood Makers Books capped off its fifth year by joining a small, but expanding group of black Internet book outlets. WWW.MOODMAKERSBOOKS.COM opened in November. Owner Curtis K. Rivers said the online inquiries and orders have begun.

"That was the only way to go," said Rivers, who worked as a marketing manager in Eastman Kodak's Business Imaging Systems division. "You not only need a brick and mortar store, but to be competitive you need an online presence. It gives you access to so many more customers and communities. One of the main advantages to black bookstores on the Internet is you can find out what's going on in the various communities. I enjoy reading about who's doing signings and readings in other cities. It brings us closer together."

His thoughts are similar to those echoed by Vanderbilt University Professor Donna L. Hoffman. Citing a scarcity of cultural products online, in a September New York Times article, she said retailers will be forced to use the web because of competition with online retailers and the demands from Internet-educated shoppers. "Retailers will have online divisions that they can use to augment their real-store services by, say, providing more information about items through a computer that customers can use in the store."

As most African-American booksellers, Mood Makers, on the second floor of the Village Gate Square Center, in the city's Neighborhood of the Arts, sells books and multicultural artifacts. Yet, the store is also a gathering spot for writers and book lovers. It hosts a monthly poetry reading. It has a book discussion group. The owner also gives guidance to authors who want to be published.

Still, as the best black bookstores, what Mood Makers does best is make a home for the hard-to-find books. With today's competition for writers to produce high volume, best-selling works, many times the books of lesser-known authors are pulled off shelves and relegated to discount bins or stored in back rooms. Rivers said he and other black booksellers do their best to hang on to books and keep the interest in African-American writing alive.

What's in a Name?

"I wanted something very simple," says Rivers. "It had to be easy to remember, easy to spell, something we could play off." After developing a long and short list of names, he narrowed it down to two and both names had double M's. Mood Makers won out and soon the dream became reality.

After a few years selling mostly books, the store expanded from the original 250-square-foot space to 1,350 square feet. With that, came an expansion in its offerings. Mood Makers now sells books, cards, figurines and artwork. Also, it has a gift section for such items as cups, book markers, candle holders, baby books and magnets.

This year, Mood Makers opened a second outlet in the city's Frederick Douglass Museum and Cultural Center. The Austin Steward Gift Shop is named after Rochester's first big black merchant. Also, as of November, the stores have moved into cyberspace.

"Books are our biggest sellers," explains Curtis. "They are the initial reason people walk in our door. People are surprised by the numbers of titles and authors we carry and the quality of the store's merchandise. We constantly get new book titles."

Within its 1,350-square-foot home, the store also carries a special section featuring the works of local writers such as David "Sankofa" Anderson, Vincent F.A. Golphin, Renee Prewitt Killingsworth and Mary-Frances Winters. In addition to poetry readings and independent film screenings, Mood Makers also hosts author book signings and special community events for Kwanzaa, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Black History Month.

Co-owner Marie Rivers says community contacts were helpful in getting their business started. A fifth grade teacher at School Number 36, Marie had contact with students and their parents and passed out information about Mood Makers. The Rivers used their own personal savings for business start-up costs; they didn't apply for any bank loans.

"I had a feeling for what kids were reading in school," she explains, noting that children enjoy reading historical books about such figures as Harriet Tubman, Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver and Frederick Douglass. "My vision for Mood Makers was to increase the flow of African Americans reading about our history. People just don't realize how much of our history is now recorded in books."

While interest in black literature and authors is at an all-time high, Curtis notes there is still a strong need in the marketplace for more African-American bookstores. "Black people need a place where they can relate to their culture and that is something that is not going to happen at a white-owned bookstore," he continues. "In most major retail bookstores, if a book doesn't sell, it gets moved off the shelf and room is made for something else. In our store, we keep books on the shelves and we are able to talk about or creatively package them so they attract attention."

Curtis and Marie attend four major conferences a year: The American Booksellers Association (ABA), New York Stationary Show, International Black Buyers and Manufacturers Expo and Conference (IBBMEC) and the Western New York Gift Show. While there are other conferences throughout the year, Curtis says at these shows they hear firsthand what's coming out.

"The ABA is one of the most important venues we attend," he says. "It gives us a chance to meet new authors and see what new books are coming out. We also attend workshops and have an opportunity to meet other African-American booksellers and talk about some problems that are unique to our business."

What's Going On?

Major white-owned bookstores have expanded and refocused their efforts to create a "literary haven" within their surroundings. Black bookstores were at the forefront of this marketing trend. Rather than be labeled as "just" a bookstore, African-American bookstores became cultural settings and were able to incorporate such innovations as book clubs, storytelling sessions, poetry nights and perform community outreach with colleges or other stores.

Curtis stresses that most black bookstores are undercapitalized. The lack of funds means most businesses go under within three to five years. "Buying books represent the last purchases on the list of many African-American families, because rent, food and other bills take precedence," he says.

When African Americans do buy books, their purchases center on very specific interests or trends. Women tend to buy a lot of self-help, beauty and hair books. Men tend to buy books on philosophy, Africa, sports, jazz/song books and heritage. A growing number of African Americans are collecting "soul," Cajun or Caribbean cookbooks. Literary lovers come in to check out the latest books from the Essence Black Board list or to view the latest issue of black magazines.

The biggest dilemma facing African-American bookstores today is the encroachment of larger retail chain stores. "The big retail chains have found that black people do read," jokes Curtis. "Now, when you walk into a Wal-Mart, K-Mart or Sam's, they are selling African-American books that appear on the New York Times Best Seller lists. These stores also are selling books for 20 to 30 percent less.

Curtis notes that by today's publishing standards, Carter G. Woodson's 1933 work, "The Miseducation of the Negro," wouldn't be considered a bestseller. In publishing circles, Woodson's book would have to sell 100,000 copies in six months to be considered a major seller. However, the book has sold more than 200,000 copies and can be found on bookshelves today. That's why many African-American writers have had to self-publish their first book in order to later secure a literary contract.

"Many books written by African-American authors aren't crossover books," Marie explains, adding that authors E. Lynn Harris and Iyanla Vanzant published their first novels before being picked up by a publishing company. "Most of today's hot authors were self-published. When an author has a hit, the publisher will sponsor a six-month tour and give him/her a lot of support. Then after the initial six months, they are on their own." Harris, Marie adds, sold books out of the back of his car trunk and credits black bookstores with keeping his books on their shelves and keeping his name out in the public eye.

Curtis adds: "A publisher will do what they need to do to keep a book selling. In 18 months, it'll be in paperback. A small bookstore will hand-sell books. It is a more personalized approach. A small bookstore can make or break an author. As a black bookstore, we can call the New York Times or ABA to report what books are selling."

"Book signings are the best way for authors to promote their books and for people to get a feel for the writer and his/her work," says Marie. She says many readers wait for the paperback edition because the price of a hardcover book may be too expensive.

Even though major publishing houses such as Doubleday and Random House now are more receptive to attracting readers of color, Curtis and Marie Rivers believe the trend will wane and black authors will have to find new ways to have their voices heard.

They offer suggestions to authors pursuing the self-publishing route: Develop catchy titles and produce eye-appealing graphics, they recommend. Have the book bound with a flat edge rather than a spiral binding so the author's name and the book title can be seen by the reader when it is stacked on a shelf.

While Rochester has the good fortune of having other black-owned bookstore outlets in the area, such as Kitabu & Culture at 439 Central Avenue and All Day Sunday in Midtown Plaza, the Rivers' see Mood Makers expanding. As more people discover this gem, the Rivers' feel they will pick up a new legion of fans.

"We see it every day," says Marie. "People walk by our store to ask directions and they are surprised to find a black bookstore here. I let them know who we are, what we offer and you can see the lights going on in their heads. As long as we can get people ingrained to read more, to discover their culture and history, then we know that we will still be here."