Either the product makes money like "street lit" and sex novels do, or it fades into obscurity like a VHS video tape machine. But if the only way I can earn a living now in African-American adult fiction is to sell my people the same poison that they've become addicted to, then I quit with my artistic integrity still in tact, while moving on to a more progressive mission.
--Bestselling author Omar Tyree on why he's done with street lit and anything that resembles it.
I'm always thinking about what to write next, and what's already out there. I've been surveying what's popular to see how I stack up. I have tons of things written, but I'm always ready to start fresh with a blank Microsoft document(or pen and pad depending on the mood). This week I took a trip to the library to see what was on the shelves as far as "African American Lit". I saw the staples of any well stocked library. Your Terri McMillan, Toni Morrison, and Maya Angelou selections. I was shocked by the abundance of what we call "Hood Novels", "Street Lit", or even "Urban Lit". . .there was more of that than anything else considered African American lit.
I am not against writing what you know, or what some people may experience in their lives. My problem comes when there's an overindulgence in a certain lifestyle, with very few alternatives.
Where is the balance?
I'm a fan of Iceberg Slim. I love Donald Goines and Chester Himes. This is CLASSIC urban lit. It's gritty and well written. The Coldest Winter Ever by Sista Souljah is a classic, in my opinion. It's gritty, yet cautionary. You can read and know that it was written as a labor of love.
I can't get with all the wannabe rappers, gangsta girlfriends, and formerly incarcerated ex-g's who put a book out every week. There's a gross over saturation in the market right now, and people seem to forget that quality will ALWAYS reign supreme over quantity.
How many of us read Flyy Girl by Omar Tyree? I loved that book, and I still have the first copy I purchased almost 13 years ago. So many people feel like this book started the wave of "hood novels", and the writer himself cringes at what his creation has birthed. It's to the point that he is considering retirement because of the current state of black lit. Tyree has compared it to the destruction of hip hop, which is a whole different story. After him came Teri Woods, K'wan, and Nikki Turner. The market is so flooded with stories of drugs, sex, violence, and that neverending climb to the top of the rap game. Puh-leez. . .
is there anything else we can write about?
I know a well known author who writes awesome books featuring Black characters with respectable jobs, and desirable lifestyles. However, her books aren't selling like they used to so she has taken on a pseudonym and began writing hood novels, which sell like hotcakes. So, in order to make money in the publishing game, should I sacrifice my craft? Should I dumb down my the good stuff fades into obscurity.
I have a concentration right now when it comes to my writing, and some people might ask is there more. I can honestly say yes, and I don't plan to pigeonhole myself into one genre. Let's branch out, peoples.......
