Copywritten by Black Butterfly Press in 2006
When my friend and fellow writer Patricia Phillips, author of the recent novel Last Bride Standing, and others came up with the idea of writing an anthology together two years ago, I had no idea that a book written by three authors could have so many possibilities.
Later, when I told the publisher I wanted to do an anthology, he said, "Anthologies don't do well." However, to his credit (and my eternal gratitude), he bought the manuscript anyway, even though he didn't want to.
Even though the publisher was unsure about buying the book at first, I think he has since been pleased. For one thing, the anthology, which is now called Secret Lovers and was written by Patricia Phillips, Maxine Thompson, and Michelle McGriff, was not only picked up as a Black Expression's Alternate Choice, but it also made their best sellers list in the first month it was out. A lot of people know that Black Expressions' Book Club is very big. (I know of one author who got more royalties from this book club's hardcover books than from her mass-market books.)
Since the release of our anthology, Secret Lovers, on June 6, 2006, I've seen that this type of genre can be good for a self-published writer or any writer, as shown by the number of New York writers who are now writing anthologies. (Think about Intimacy, Erotic Stories of Love, Lust, and Marriage by Black Men. Robert Fleming edited it, and authors like Stephen Barnes and John Edgar Wideman wrote in it.) Or, who could forget Terry McMillan's Breaking Ice: An Anthology of Contemporary African-American Fiction and Clarence Major's Calling the Wind: Twentieth Century African-American Short Stories?
So, you might ask, what is an anthology? An anthology can be a collection of works by many authors, like Proverbs for the People (Kensington Books, 2003), which includes my published short story "Valley of the Shadow," or Saturday morning, which was written by the Saturday Morning Literary Workshop, of which I am a member, and published by Black Butterfly Press, LLC. Or there can be three authors, like Janice Sims, Melanie Schuster (BET Arabesque writers), and Maxine Thompson, who wrote the upcoming book "All in the Family." In All in the Family, each writer tells the story from the point of view of one of the four sisters. In Secret Lovers, on the other hand, each novella is different, but they all have the same theme: star-crossed lovers.
But, in general, putting together an anthology will give you leverage as a business person, which is what many literary entrepreneurs are. That's when you do the work only once but get paid more than once. Sometimes you will get paid by having your other books advertised.
Not only that, but you will learn about marketing from at least three different points of view, and the publisher's wide distribution will help get your name out there. This will also help you build your platform and brand recognition, which are both things that are hard to measure. This can also help people understand that your work is yours, so hopefully there will be less copying of your work.
Then, you'll pick up the fans of the other authors who are taking part. For example, you can build on the success of other authors' books. For example, Black Expressions had already bought June in Winter, Nice Wives Finish First, and Last Bride Standing by Patricia Anne Phillips. So, it was easier for Black Expressions to get back to work.
Please be aware. When putting together a group of three or four writers for the anthology, don't underestimate the talent, reach, and influence of a self-published author. Michelle McGriff is the third writer in Secret Lovers. She is a prolific, multi-cultural writer who has a large number of friends on MySpace and has been on Iuniverse since 1998. Several reading groups were already interested in her work. Her stories are interesting, new, and fun to read.
Still, all of these formats will keep you up to date with the latest technology.
Also, if you have a platform like Booking Matters' Magazine or other articles on the Internet, people will visit your websites, which will lead to book sales.
We all have different ways of writing in Secret Lovers. But what do the three of us have in common? We were all self-published at first.
So this is good news for people who want to publish their own books. If you can, work with writers who already have a following in New York. If all of the stories in the anthology were self-published, work with talented writers who know how to market their work well.
Here are a few more good things about an anthology:
It brings together many different writers like a gumbo.
-If you're a writer, an anthology can bring readers from other writers to you so they can try your work.
-It gets the word out about each writer, sometimes even writers in different genres, and gives the public a chance to hear new voices.
-Anthologies are a good way to sell books, especially in popular genres like romance, science fiction, and mysteries.
-Anthologies can help the authors who are part of them sell more of their other books. As a writer who runs a business, this anthology has helped me sell my other books, like The Ebony Tree, No Pockets in a Shroud, A Place Called Home, and others.
In the end, writers, please think of your job as a bridge. In an anthology, each writer can build on the success and readership of the others.
Try writing with people whose audiences are different from yours, and then watch as your readership grows.
Just one thing to watch out for. Be willing to do your part to get the word out about the book and sell it. When you have a book signing, give out bookmarks or post cards from the other authors.
Schedule both one-on-one and group radio, podcast, and web interviews. (Everyone benefits.) Send out print mail and emails, and send out press releases.
Don't think you can ride on the success of other writers. Do your part.
