Black Joy

Nobody talks about society’s addiction
to black trauma.
How much more profitable
it is to talk about pain
than poems,
depression
than joy.

Like we don’t have feelings
just bad experiences
turned into songs
of sorrows
and spirituals
of reaching heaven
cause there can’t be no freedom
here on Earth for Black people.

Maybe this world still doesn’t consider us
human enough
to be happy
someone hand society a roadmap
for getting to know black people.

Tell them they can find us laughing
even when life is lifeing
cracking jokes and turning sadness into praise.
Tell them we are not just guns and gangs.

Our hope does not hang on by string
on some cracked-out corner
or trap house
Tell them how we dream.
Big Mama musta had mustard seeds
underneath the mattress
cause she moved mountains.
Food and faith ain’t never been hard to find.
We gone eat.

Talk about our love
our sense of community
our building
our builders
our beauty.

We’ve had a wild ride here
in this country
But it was not all bad.

Together, we forged a world of our own
found solace in the cracks
made meals from scraps
and carved out our own sense of enjoyment and purpose.

Tell them about how the cells of a black woman
saved the world
and the genius of a Black man lit it up.
Talk about how we bless everything we touch.

Tell the whole truth
that we are not made up only of pain.

Joy lives here, too.

You can listen to this poem on TikTok and YouTube! I’m @yecheilyah on both.

Black History Facts is back! If you’ve been waiting for a signed copy, this is your chance to get your hands on it. We are back in stock. Go now to: https://www.blkhistorybook.com/.

This Precious Life

Photo by David Alberto Carmona Coto

The preciousness of this life has been on my mind heavily.

It could be because a sister I’ve known for years lost her oldest son to a senseless murder last week. Gianni was only 20 years old.

Then, I woke up this morning to see that O.J. Simpson had died.

Or, it could be that this September will mark four years since my mother’s death.

As generations pass, I reflect on the fragility of this life and wonder if I am making the most of it.

No, not I. We. I wonder if we are making the most of it.

When we say that life is short and that every day isn’t promised, do we understand the power of that revelation?

It humbles me to think that every day we are getting closer to our deaths and have no idea. That, when we were born, it also came with a death date that we will only know when the it comes knocking on our door.

What will history say about the lives we’ve lived?

What are we writing in the spaces?

Photo Cred: Tehilayah

I want to express my gratitude for your support in this work. If you’ve ever supported me in any way, I appreciate you and what you have contributed to this blog, my books, or me personally.

I do not take any of it for granted.

You are supporting not only me but also the community and a movement by bringing to life the stories of those who have been silent and resurrecting the voices of the voiceless.

Black History Facts returns! If you’ve been waiting for a signed copy, this is your chance to get your hands on it. We are back in stock starting Friday, 4/12 at https://www.blkhistorybook.com/.

Understanding the Power of Distribution as a Self-Published Author

We hear a lot of the cons to self-publishing. Now, let’s talk about some perks!

One exciting benefit of self-publishing is not just being in control of how you will publish the book and who you want to help you, but you are also in control of distribution.

Remember, all self-publishing means is you are your own publisher.

You can decide where to sell the book and offer discounts and deals to bookstores and larger corporations who want to carry your title.

Publishing with Amazon is just one step in your author journey. You can also set up an account with Ingram Spark to configure these discounts, returns, and wholesale prices.

This becomes important when you start petitioning booksellers offline.

Navigating this part is exciting for authors who always dreamed of seeing their titles on the shelves of bookstores and libraries. (Do people still visit the library?)

It can also be a learning curve, though.

For instance, while getting books into bookstores is thrilling, the job is only complete once the book has been sold.

If the book does not sell, it will have to be returned, which means that your books will be returned to you if they do not sell.

For this reason, booksellers tend to put self-published authors on trial periods, only accepting so many books for a specified time, to test demand for the title.

However, you can also sell your book to booksellers and corporations as a publisher.

The world of self-publishing is extensive!

Should we go deeper into this side of the business? Let me know if you enjoyed this post and want to hear more on this topic!

Check out more Indie Author Basics articles here.

Why Adding “Amazon Best Seller” to Your Book Cover Is Not a Good Idea

The Amazon Best Seller Badge is something to be proud of, no matter how small you believe your success is. However, I wouldn’t put it on my book covers.

Adding “Amazon Best Seller” or “#1 Amazon Best Seller” to your book cover is not a good idea because the title, unfortunately, holds little weight among industry insiders and quickly goes away when the book drops in rank.

I would also not add the badge if my book became a bestseller when it was free. This means people downloaded the book, I didn’t sell copies which could make the “Best Seller,” misleading.

If your book is picked up by a traditional publisher and reaches best seller status, they will create a new cover with the label.

“Being an Amazon Best Seller is a credential that could mean you sold 10 books in a sub sub sub category.”

Luvvie Ajayi Jones

What Luvvie means is you can get a bestselling ribbon or become a bestseller in a random, obscure category by selling just a few books.

This doesn’t mean the author shouldn’t be proud of themselves.

This means the author should wait until they see themselves on the list consistently (holding steady for days, weeks, or months at a time) or if they are in the top categories of all books on Amazon, not just one random category.

There are many bestseller lists, and being named on any of them is an accomplishment worth celebrating. 

Unfortunately, Amazon Best Seller holds the least weight, and people are so inundated by it that it no longer means much. Adding it to your book cover looks cool, but it will not help you sell more books, nor will it help you look like an accomplished author.

It could, in some ways, make you look like an amateur.

In fact, unless you are among more recognized lists, such as USA Today or the New York Times, I would leave bestseller off the cover altogether.

However, this is only my opinion so if you do it, I advise:

  • Award Winning Author (if you’ve won any notable literary awards)
  • Best Selling author of (Your Best Selling Title) but leave the Amazon part out
  • USA Today Best Selling Author (If applies)
  • New York Times Best Selling Author (If applies)

Check out more Indie Author Basics articles here.

For Those Who Make a Home on Social Media

Photo by cottonbro studio

I’ve discovered the deaths of family members on social media from people who have my number.

I’ve watched loved ones be more open on Facebook than they are with the people they can reach out and touch.

I’ve watched passive aggression and sneak dissing become new forms of communication.

I’ve watched as people open themselves up online in unprecedented ways. I don’t judge them, but I do wonder, does this person have something to come home to?

In an age where it’s expected to parcel pieces of our souls to social media platforms in the name of vulnerability, I wonder if there is anything we still hold sacred.

Anything still holy?

Is there any part of ourselves we still keep personal? Intimate?

I wonder.

I am not a big Beyonce fan, but I agree that “we live in a world with few boundaries and a lot of access. There are so many internet therapists, comment critics, and experts with no expertise.”

For those who make a home on social media, I hope you are not giving it everything.

I hope there is still some things you keep to yourself for yourself.

Black History Facts Book Review by Jeremy Lamkin

The reviews are coming in! Here’s what Jeremy had to say!

“This book is full of the kind of history that should be taught in school but instead, is relatively unknown. The author did an outstanding job putting this material together, which took ten years and tons of research. It’s a must-read for anyone who’s into history.

The author focuses on people and groups who have been pivotal in black history. She gives a voice to the marginalized and makes us aware of the contributions of the family of historical figures like Frederick Douglas and Martin Luther King Jr. Each chapter gets the dirt on whitewashed or forgotten pieces of history.

Read this book to learn about the aftermath of the Civil War and how slavery was reconstructed in the form of criminal justice. The book is compelling and hard to put down as you discover a series of horrific truths about history.

This book contributed significantly to my view of American history, as it has put a lot of things in perspective. I see how slavery was reworked into other forms of slavery and evolved in complexity into the Bernaysian economic system based on Freud’s fear of human nature.

Reading this, a lot of light bulbs went off for me. It dawned on me that nothing that ever happened is ever really over, like slavery and public relations. I can’t recommend this book enough!”

Jeremy Lamkin, Amazon Customer Review

Thanks so much Jeremy!

If you read this book, please be sure to leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads! The book is also on Barnes and Noble; reviews are welcome there as well!

Here’s how:

Facts to Know:

  • You don’t have to like a book to review it. All reviews help the author!
  • If you don’t have the book, it is currently 99 cents for Women’s History Month (all March) and free with Kindle Unlimited. After march, the ebook goes back to its original price of $9.99.
  • Blog reviews count! Simply link to my blog or let me know you’ve reviewed it and I’ll repost it.

Review or Grab Your Copy Here!

The Journey

Photo by Josh Hild

When I decided to write the history book, I was intentional about taking people on that journey with me.

When I visited museums, I shared video clips, took pictures of historical landmarks, and shared screenshots of my writing progress.

I wrote about where I was in my writing, such as when the book was going in for editing, and continued to educate on topics I would cover in the book. I vividly recall how excited I was to finish the first draft and celebrate with my team.

I’d built up so much awareness and excitement about this book that people were searching for it on Amazon before it came out. This was part of the reason I put it on preorder so early. It was in demand. It is what the people wanted.

As a result of taking people on the journey with me, I’ve had more fun writing this book than I’ve had writing any other book. I’ve also sold more preorders for this book since The Stella Trilogy through my website. The level of trust that people who didn’t know me from Adam put in ordering directly from me was humbling.

But it didn’t come cheap.

People trusted me because I put in the work. The work is not done. Far from it, but it has started. With this foundation, I look forward to continuing to build with the people who believe in me and the mission of continuing the work necessary to restore the forgotten heritage to the forgotten people.

What I hope new authors will take from this is the power of taking people on the journey with you and having fun with the process of writing the book.

Purchase Your Copy of Black History Facts Here. It’s Only 99cents As An ebook for the Month of March!

ps. If you’ve read this book already, please be sure to leave a review on Amazon!