Category Archives: myspace

5 minutes 5 questions with, african american author, african american authors, african american book, african american books, amazon.com, apricot books international, down low sistahs, interview, myspace, street lit, urban fiction, urban lit, urban/street lit, wakiem freeman

5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Wakiem Freeman, author of Down Low Sistahs

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Wakiem Freeman, author of Down Low Sistahs
(Apricot Books International)

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Down Low Sistahs?

Wakiem Freeman: The idea came from an ex-girlfriend who confessed to me that she was sleeping with her cousin who was a female. Years later, I was going through old photos. I ran across her picture and was inspired to tackle the touchy subject.

JP: What sets Down Low Sistahs apart from other urban fiction novels?

WF: Down Low Sistahs is innovative. It stands alone with a unique twist.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Down Low Sistahs getting out to the public?

WF: Discipline, distribution and word of mouth. I’m focused and screaming “they on the down low and you don’t even know, they on that lo-lo” every time I hit the streets of N.Y.C. The public has spoken. I’m on my ninth print run.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish Down Low Sistahs?

WF: First, I pick a topic. Then decide if I want my brain to tackle the topic. Next is research, which can take any where from 2 to 4 months. Next is designing a book cover. Then I write my outline of all chapters, which takes about two weeks. I finished Down Low Sistahs in 4 days.

JP: What’s next for Wakiem Freeman?

WF: The re-release of Down Low Sistahs, re-edited, with a NEW cover, summer 2009

[include file=current-advertisers.html]

5 minutes 5 questions with, african american author, african american authors, african american book, african american books, amazon.com, barbara grovner, even numbers, interview, myspace, third eye publishing, violence

5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Barbara Grovner, author of Even Numbers

1 Comment

JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Barbara Grovner, author of Even Numbers
(Third Eye Publishing)

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the idea and inspiration to write Even Numbers?

Barbara Grovner: The inspiration to write Even Numbers came from a very close person in my life who had gone through a very similar experience. I actually wrote the book for her.

JP: What sets Even Numbers apart from other urban fiction novels?

BG: Even Numbers is written in narrative form because it was the type of story that had to be told. I found it extremely difficult to give James a voice. It seemed to give him too much power. For a pedophile, power is the one thing we do not want them to possess.

JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that lead to Even Numbers getting out to the public?

BG: I have been trying to target single-mothers who date in an effort to hopefully alert them to some of the red flags. Those red flags may make them take a closer look at the men they bring home to their innocent and unsuspecting children.

JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take for you to start and finish Even Numbers?

BG: I am a bit “Old School” when it comes to writing. I prefer to write in a notebook. Then I transfer everything to my computer. My thoughts flow better when I am physically writing.

Even Numbers, although a very short book, took about a year to write from start to finish. There was a lot of research involved. Also the topic of child molestation was difficult to write. I found myself having to take breaks from thinking of the horrors some women have endured.

JP: What’s next for Barbara Grovner?

BG: My next novel We Belong Together is scheduled to release in December. It’s a “who-done-it” mystery beginning with a senseless murder of a nurse. The characters are colorful, and the dialogue is off the chain. Nothing at all like Even Numbers, which is a narrative and extremely thought provoking.

At this time, I am working on the sequel to We Belong Together which is also a “who-done-it” mystery as well. I hope to have that book out sometime next year.

I am also offering editing services at the lowest rate in the business. In fact, I am offering first-time authors who are enrolled in school an incredibly low low rate for a limited time. I can be reached at bgrovner@hotmail.com for inquiries.

http://www.myspace.com/barbaragrovner
http://facebook.com/bgrovner

[include file=current-advertisers.html]

african american author, african american authors, african american book, african american books, blogging in black, book reviews, criticism, monica jackson, myspace

Would you pay for a review?

5 Comments

money-in-book.jpg

I was reading a blog post by Monica Jackson on Blogging in Black that interested me simply because it’s something that’s been on my mind lately. Should I start charging for reviews? Somebody sent me a message asking me if I did on MySpace. (http://myspace.com/joeyreviews add me)

At this point, no. But in the future, I hope to broaden the amount of outlets that I have to put my reviews on. When that happens, I might consider charging a fee to review a book. Now that I think about it, I might charge the fee only if I’m going to broadcast it on multiple outlets. Otherwise, send it, I read it and it gets reviewed…

Monica stated that her ideal world would have reviews and advertising at separate entities. The reality is that reviews are indirectly advertising and marketing. It’s advertising in the sense of promoting the book in a public forum. It’s marketing because the strategy of getting reviews for a books is executed in hopes of generating sales of the book.

Another reason I should be compensated is the amount of time it takes to read a book and write something significant. I takes way more than 60 minutes to accomplish this. Why shouldn’t I get paid for my time and effort? Theoretically, you are not going to send me a book for it to “probably” get reviewed. No, you’re sending that book expecting proper time and effort goes into it to see what it’s about.

Right now, I have about 40 books to review. I’ve had to stop accepting books, so I can focus on the ones I have. The cool thing is that I like to read. I especially like to read books that everybody doesn’t know about. It makes if more fresh that way. But if I’m going to put your book out there, shouldn’t I make something off the front end?

What happens if you pay for a review, and I think you book sucks? Shoot, I might just give you your money back. Better yet, half…I still had to suffer the reading of it, lol.

At this point, I’m just coming up with ideas. But I might be asking for a little ching-ching if I’m going to be doing a lot of promoting of my reviews.