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ABOUT 21 BLACK STREET

21 Black Street is a boutique self-publishing shop catering exclusively to the African American market. Authors and publishers self-manage their own inventory and content online, earning revenue from each copy sold. Our digital reader is just like reading a paperbound book, with an optional PDF version available to readers who want content sent directly to their cell phones.

Get all of the tools you need to self-publish your non-fiction, poetry or novels in a range of popular genres. 21 Black Street puts your name and voice into readers’ hands worldwide. We help you overcome the obstacles faced through traditional publishing avenues, empowering authors who simply don’t have the time or desire to wait for a publisher to pick up their book.

Drastically Reduce Publication Delays

Traditional publishers require authors wait six months to a year just to see their work in print or on bookshelves. During this time, authors might be asked to change their message to reflect the voice of the publisher or to better address its target market. Shelve the drawn-out publishing schedules. 21 Black Street publication is instant, and authors retain complete creative control over their work.

Eliminate the Middle Man

Traditional publishing requires team collaboration with multiple editors, marketing assistants and other parties. Your book is then distributed through bookstores and libraries after months of changes. But working with so many people creates the potential for content mistakes and can make the publishing process challenging. Authors completely eliminate this when self-publishing on 21 Black Street. We remove the middleman and put full creative control and greater proceed percentages in your hands.

Choose What Content You Publish

Traditional publishers reject thousands of submissions every year. Yet many of those manuscripts are exceptional, page-turning reads. With publishing houses driven by profits and executives motivated to sell the titles that appeal to their buying audience, it can be difficult for an author to get his or her work into the hands of interested readers. But self-publishing through 21 Black Street means you select what content you publish without ever having to wait for publisher approval.

Collaborate with Friends

21 Black Street lets you collaborate with friends to create, publish and sell quality content. Using the site’s built-in collaboration tools, members can team-up with friends or colleagues to write separate book chapters or anthology works within the same manuscript.

Start Selling Immediately

Unlike print publishing, which involves months of waiting before bound books are ever printed and distributed, 21 Black Street provides a means for selling your work the same day you sign-off on content. So you start generating revenue faster and boost book sales in a shorter period of time.

Frequently Asked Questions
Questions for Book Publishers

  • Q. Why should I publish my work on 21Blackstreet?
  • A. 21Blackstreet is a boutique self-publishing shop catering exclusively to the African American market. Authors and publishers self-manage their own inventory and content online, earning revenue from each copy sold. Our digital reader is just like reading a paperbound book, with an optional PDF version available to readers who want content sent directly to their cell phones. Our passion at 21Blackstreet is to help you promote your book and ultimately earn more revenue. We let you collaborate with friends to create, publish and sell quality content. Plus, publishing with 21Blackstreet is absolutely FREE.
  • Q. How do I get paid?
  • A. You will get paid through Paypal. Every writer is required to have a Paypal account and the money from the sales of your books will be transferred to your account within 2 days of withdrawl.
  • Q. How much will I get paid for my books?
  • A. You will get paid 80% of the total price of your e-book minus the Paypal fees (2.5%).
  • Q. What kind of files do you accept?
  • A. Right now only PDFs which will be converted to mobi and epub for the various e-readers.
  • Q. How can I change my cover or document?
  • A. Go into Author Merchant account, delete old cover and add new cover or book.
  • Q. "I keep getting an error message when I try to upload my files.
  • A. Are you sure you have a PDF, if so kindly take a screen shot of the error and email it to us. We will fix it right away. It's probably a bug in the coding.
  • Q. How much should I price my e-book?
  • A. You can price it whatever price you want. However for maximum success you should consider pricing your book from 99cents to $5.99.
  • Q. How do I check my sales?
  • A. There is a tab that reads Sales Reports check the appropriate time period and your sales report should be shown.
  • Q: Who will have the copyright of the books, 21Blackstreet or the writers?
  • A. The writers or the original copy right owners will maintain full copy right. 21Blackstreet doesn’t require exclusive publishing. So you’ll have your future options open and 21Blackstreet is more than happy to be the platform that helps you to be successful.
Questions for Readers
  • Reading your 21 Blackstreet title is very easy to do. Just follow these simple steps.
  • 1. Be sure you’re logged in via a Safari, Google Chrome, or Mozilla Firefox browser. Currently our materials cannot be accessed on Explorer. 2. Choose your free title and tap or click over the corresponding button that says “Free Book/Read It.” 3. You should now see the copyright page of your selected title. 4. If reading from an Apple iPad, Android tablet, or any smart phone read 4a. If you reading from a desktop or laptop read 4b. a. For Apple and Andriod tablet and phone users: Tap your screen on the far right of the current page and your story will advance forward. Tap your screen on the far left of the page and your story will advance backwards. b. For PC Windows and iMac users: Point and click over the far right of the current page and your story will advance forward. Point and click over the far right of the current page and your story will advance backwards. 5. You can easily find your place from a previous sitting by accessing the table of contents Icon on the bottom of your screen. You can continue reading from you left off when you come back. Enjoy your free title from 21 Blackstreet!
  • Q: Why would I want to buy an electronic version of a book?
  • A: eBooks offer many benefits. They are usually less expensive than paperback books because they are less costly to produce and publish. Moreover, you can purchase an e-book from the comforts of your own home or office so there is no need to drive or sit in traffic. Plus, you can take your e-book reader anywhere you want and have your book readily available. All your books will be available right in the palm of your hand.
  • Q: How do I purchase an eBook?
  • A: First, register at 21Blackstreet. Then browse through our catalog to find your preferred genre. You can also use the Search box to type in the specific author or title of your ebook. Purchasing your ebook is fast and convenient. And your ebook will be available immediately.
  • Q: Will it cost me anything to register?
  • A: No. Registration is free.
  • Q. I don't see my e-book! Where is it?
  • A: After you sign into your account you should see your e-books under purchases. If they are not there, please make sure that you did not sign in using your Facebook account, which might prevent the ebooks from showing up. If you signed in through Facebook and don’t see your ebook under purchases then please log out and sign back into your account. Your books should now be under your purchases.
  • Q. I don't see my ebooks under purchases.
  • A. Email us at info@21blackstreet.com and someone will get back with you shortly to help you resolve this matter.
  • Q: How is pricing determined?
  • A. Pricing is set by the publisher of the work.
  • Q: Can I rate the books I’ve read?
  • A: Yes! You can use our 5 star rating to share your thoughts on your books. This feedback is helpful to both the publisher of the book and other readers.
  • Q. How do I get a refund?
  • A. Go to the feedback button at the top of the page and email us. Kindly let us know what book you purchased and you will get your money back. Please note that refunds only apply to books that have not been downloaded.
  • Q. How do I download and read my new e-book?
  • A. Get ready to read page-turning novels in seconds from some of today’s most gifted African American authors. 21BlackStreet books are easily downloaded to your computer and read on your iPad’s iBooks App or on the Kindle or Nook readers. Both the iBooks App and the Kindle for iPad App are free downloads in the App Store.

    For Kindle
    Select the Mobi file download to read your book on a Kindle reader. Then follow these simple steps:
  • 1. Download the Mobi file to your computer’s desktop.
  • 2. Using a USB cable, attach your Kindle to your computer.
  • 3. Once connected, you’ll see your Kindle by selecting the Explorer on your PC or through Finder on your Mac computer.
  • 4. Highlight Kindle to view all folders stored.
  • 5. Double-click the Documents folder to open.
  • 6. Drag-drop your 21BlackStreet Mobi download to your Documents folder to copy it onto your Kindle.
  • 7. Once the transfer is complete, you may disconnect the USB cable and access your new book on your portable Kindle device as you would with any other book downloaded to your library.

  • For Nook
    Select the ePub file download to read your book on a Nook reader. Then follow these simple steps:
    1. Download the ePub file to your computer’s desktop.
    2. Using a USB cable, attach your Nook to your computer.
    3. Once connected, you’ll see your Nook by selecting the Explorer on your PC or through Finder on your Mac computer.
    4. Highlight Nook to view all folders stored.
    5. Double-click the Documents folder to open.
    6. Drag-drop your 21BlackStreet ePub download to your Documents folder to copy it onto your Nook.
    7. Once the transfer is complete, you may disconnect the USB cable and access your new book on your portable Nook device as you would with any other book downloaded to your library.

  • For iPad/iBook
    Select the ePub file download to read your book on your iPad’s iBook App. Then follow these simple steps:
    1. Download the ePub file to your computer’s desktop.
    2. Launch your iTunes application on your computer.
    3. On your desktop, click to highlight your 21BlackStreet ePub download then click the Choose button.
    4. In your iTunes application, highlight Books from your Library list on the left-hand navigation panel. You should see your new book icon now in your Books library.
    5. Connect your iPad to your computer to synchronize both devices.
    6. In your iTunes application on your computer, highlight your iPad under Devices on the left-hand navigation panel.
    7. With your iPad device highlighted, click the Books tab from the top navigation options.
    8. Check Sync Books.
    9. If Selected books is set, either toggle this preference to All books or manually check the box next to your new 21BlackStreet book to ensure this title is transferred to your iPad device.
    10. Click Sync.
    11. Once the transfer is complete, you may disconnect the USB cable and access your new book on your portable iPad device as you would with any other book downloaded to your iBooks App library.