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September/October 2002

A Chat With Author Tracy Price-Thompson (cont'd)

AR: Some people tend to think that the recent success of black books is just a trend or that will simply run it's course and dwindle out. Do you think AA authors will run the risk of being exploited reminiscent of the early exploitation of black films from the 70's and 80's?

TPT: Absolutely not! Today’s authors are crafty and resilient. They are bright and astute, and have a lot more publishing and business sense than did their predecessors. In addition, we are hiring agents and attorneys, and then reading contracts over their shoulders and asking questions until we understand each detail. No, we have come too far to allow ourselves to be exploited today. We have too much knowledge. Too much education to be hoodwinked or bamboozled.

AR: Are you in tune with some of the online book and reading clubs that are prevalent today? Do you think that they are important to how books are marketed?

TPT: Yes, I have had great successes with bookclubs, both online and in person. I think bookclubs are an excellent vehicle for promoting your works and for reaching readers en mass. I love visiting bookclubs and performing one of my infamous readings from Black Coffee, however I don’t always agree when bookclubs post highly critical reviews of a book or reveal plot details in reviews because they can sometimes spoil things for other readers. I find that book club members can become very loyal to certain authors, and often their word of mouth endorsements do a lot to push a title forward. There are, however, many readers who do not belong to bookclubs and who are supportive of African-American fiction as well.

TPT: Yes, this is an ongoing situation, but one that seems to be slowly changing. I believe it is up to your publisher to have enough clout and resourcefulness to get your books properly displayed in bookstores. As for self-publishers, again, distinguish yourself. Be sure your cover is top-notch and that your book is a high-seller that creates a buzz.

AR: I've noticed in recent years how much White authors are either featuring major black characters in their books, or are writing completely across the board producing books wholly AA. What are your thoughts on this phenomenon? And, in your opinion what makes a book black?

TPT: Hmmm. Well, I probably don’t have the politically correct opinion here, but it is my opinion and I’m big enough to stand on it. For so many years white authors have had complete freedom and autonomy in the publishing world. Not only didn’t they write about us, they certainly didn’t read about us. Because of the explosion in black publishing, and more importantly, the book purchasing power of the black dollar, white authors now want to cash in on the boom.

Although I advocate that each of us has the right to write in the manner in which our muse leads us, I also believe that some white authors who are beginning to use AA characters and market their works to AA readers are simply looking to lure or divert some of the black dollars in their direction.

Case in point, there is a title on the shelves now called White Girl, and it is the story of a white chick who sinks her teeth into the only popular and educated brother on her college campus, despite the fact that there are beautiful, educated and positive sisters available. The brother is portrayed as one of those head-in-the-clouds black men who pretends that race doesn’t really matter--until he is accused of slashing this white girl’s throat and she turns on him.

The author of this novel is a white woman who has repeatedly asked me to do joint signings with her and to help her promote her O.J. Simpson-like book to black female audiences. I have refused. What makes her think sisters want to read another O.J. Simpson story simply because she threw in a self-hating character who has dark skin? It doesn’t matter how many white characters I write about, I will never capture Danielle Steele’s audience or Melissa Eldridge’s audience, nor will I have the opportunity to market or be promoted in their circles or in their periodicals.

If white authors were so in love with black characters and black stories, they would have been writing these stories and providing us with positive examples of ourselves in fiction long before this great publishing boom. Can we stretch our lips to say dollars and cents??

AR: In keeping with the aforementioned theme, are whites qualified to write about a culture that's not their own?

TPT: Don’t know what constitutes “qualification” because creativity is an awesome tool that allows many writers to slip out of their comfort zones and delve into the lives and cultures of others who may be very different from them. However, I have read hundreds of white-authored books and have seldom seen myself or my life portrayed properly in their stories--as a progressive, educated, and self-loving Black woman who is married to and loving an employed Black man who has common sense, decency, and dental benefits, while simultaneously raising self-confident and esteemed Black children (six of them!) Although there are many white authors whose works I enjoy, I’m not sure if most white authors can tell my story because most of them have not felt my particular brand of pain, or experienced the sensory things that make me who I am as a Black woman. We each have our biases, and it can be difficult to refrain from reflecting them in our writing.

AR: In the last conversation we had you mentioned some of the writing projects you have in mind, or are working on. Are you at liberty to discuss any of them? If so, give us an idea of what's on the horizon?

TPT: Gloria Naylor because she writes on a level not many of us can reach. Steven Barnes and his wife, Tananarive Due, because between the two of them I am always astounded and blown away by their storytelling. Sandra Jackson-Opoku, because she created Hot Johnny, a man whom I loved dearly, J. California Cooper, because she brings me comfort and common sense, Marita Golden, because her title, A Woman’s Place, helped me to redefine my own place, Walter Mosely, because I just HAVE to find out what happened to my man Mouse, James Baldwin, because--well, that’s obvious. Timmothy McCann, Eric Jerome Dickey, E. Lynn Harris, TaRessa Stovall, Timmothy McCann, Lolita Files, Kim Lawson Roby, Karen Quinnones- Miller, Gloria Mallette, Zane, and Blair Walker for raising the literary bar and opening their hearts and their arms to me as my literary sisters and brothers.