It's been hard to pick up a newspaper or magazine recently without a glimpse of the shining diamond dotting the "i" on hip-hop insider Erica Kennedy's novel, Bling. That first novel, along with the real estate romp Gotham Diaries by TV producer Tonya Lewis Lee and lawyer Crystal McCrary Anthony, are perhaps the year's most prominent works of fiction by African-American women so far. But while Kennedy's reported million-dollar advance and Lee's status as film director Spike Lee's wife present stiff competition when it comes to generating media buzz, it would be a mistake to overlook two new hardcovers by less flashy but more established authors.
Though they are very different kinds of writers, Mary Monroe and Mary Morrison have a couple of things in common—beyond the fact they both live in Oakland, Calif. Both have proven that they can consistently produce a book a year for Kensington—Monroe since 2000 and Morrison since 2002. And without receiving much attention from mainstream or black media, sales of their books have been growing fast enough to propel them into the top tier of authors at the mid-sized independent house. Some booksellers are even suggesting they could become brand names on a par with E. Lynn Harris and Zane.
Gals with Some History
At Borders, African-American fiction buyer Matt Campbell is taking an aggressive position on Monroe's fourth hardcover, Red Light Wives (Sept.), the story of six rowdy prostitutes and their "manager," named Clyde. Campbell's optimism is based on the performance of Monroe's previous hardcover, God Still Don't Like Ugly, which sold "well beyond expectations" last fall and remained an Essence bestseller for six months. Kensington has shipped more than 50,000 hardcovers of that book since last September, prompting a 40% increase in the initial orders for Red Light Wives, according to Kensington publicity director Joan Schulhafter.
God Still Don't Like Ugly is a sequel to Monroe's first book with Kensington's Dafina imprint, God Don't Like Ugly. Since it was published as a trade paperback original in October 2000, God Don't Like Ugly has sold more than 100,000 copies at mass merchandisers like Wal-Mart and Target, as well as chain and independent black bookstores, according to Schulhafer. Dubbed a "highly satisfying page-turner" by PW, the first book is an alternately terrifying and humorous tale of two girls who come of age in the South in the 1950s, while the second follows the characters into adulthood.
At Harlem's Hue-Man Bookstore, Monroe's books appeal to customers who have "done a lot of reading and may be looking for the next notch up," said co-owner Clara Villarosa. "They've read Eric Jerome Dickey and Michael Baisden, and now they're looking for more character development and more of a storyline. Monroe also focuses more on women's issues, while [Dickey and Baisden] write in a woman's voice but interject a male point of view." Monroe's editor Karen Thomas, meanwhile, calls her "a true storyteller who can take dark subject matter and make you laugh about it. In Red Light Wives, someone dies, but you find yourself laughing. You love all of the women and you feel sorry for Clyde."
Though Monroe's Christian-tinged stories of struggle and triumph are a far cry from Mary Morrison's raunchy erotic adventures, Borders has equally high expectations for Morrison's latest, Somebody's Gotta Be on Top (Aug.). The chain's position is based on her leap forward in hardcover sales last fall, with He's Just a Friend, which has sold about 50,000 hardcovers overall since last August. Though often compared to Zane, Morrison has been exploring explicit subject matter for at least as long. Her new novel brings together several characters from her three previous books, as they mix business and pleasure to disastrous effect.
Though Borders's Campbell characterizes Monroe and Morrison as the literary equivalents of "strong character actors, not stars," he observed that word of mouth is spreading as the authors get out and promote their work. "Both Marys seem to be growing faster from book to book than Carl Weber and Kimberla Roby," two other authors who've dominated the Essence bestseller list in recent years with similar novels about women's lives.
For Kensington, strong packaging and giveaways on urban contemporary radio stations have been crucial. "We're not doing just the 'A' markets this time," said Schulhafer, explaining that Morrison would visit military bases and smaller cities like Mobile, Ala., in addition to mainstays like Atlanta and Los Angeles.
For Villarosa, there's little doubt that Monroe and Morrison have a place next to splashier authors. "We will always have customers who aspire to a glamorous life and want to read about it," she said. "But we'll also have women who say, 'Now show me something a little more realistic.' People will always want stories that represent their lives."
