Fill Your Bookshelf at the 2025 QC Black Authors’ Forum

Just one day before the 2025 Black Authors’ Forum at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center in Rock Island, IL.

If you are looking to fill your bookshelf with new books, ask questions about the writing process, and interact with authors, this is the event for you. I am excited because the forum features returning authors with new works, new authors, and established authors who are new to the forum, all of whom are showcasing and discussing their works.

Each will have two minutes to speak about themself, their work, and/or read a passage from one of their books. Once this process is completed, the moderator will open the floor to the audience for questions. One question that is asked yearly is,

“Does Amazon own the copyright to my work?”

Answers About Amazon and Copyright

Copyright and Amazon are divisive topics for authors for various reasons, for which I do not have a complete repository of comments. What I hope resolves this division is the Copyright Act, which states,

“The author is the party who actually creates the work, that is, the person who translates an idea into a fixed, tangible expression entitled to copyright protection.”

With this in mind, Amazon does not write, edit, or publish books, but it does print and distribute them. For eBooks and audiobooks, Amazon applies manufacturing and distribution fees. These fees range from 30 to 50 percent, depending on the type of work, including virtual voice audiobooks. What remains are the authors’ royalties. This allows authors to distribute their work as they choose, thereby maximizing their earnings.

How Authors Make Money

How do authors make money? Through book distributors like Amazon and Barnes and Noble, but also through Author Direct Sales. Bookstores and wholesale distributors typically provide authors with royalties ranging from 50% to 70%. How do authors make the most money? Author Direct Sales. When authors buy books, they pay the printing or manufacturing costs. When sales occur, they retain the remainder of the proceeds.

Author Direct Sales can occur from book signings, having an online bookstore, and partnering with local bookstores. Although the proceeds are greater, the workload is tremendous. Below is an example of how I sell books through my online bookstore.

Regardless of how an author proceeds, it is you, the reader, who fills your bookshelf with those books that entertain you the most. For the author, their work is acknowledged, they earn a profit, and retain the copyright to their works.

So, will you be attending this FREE 2025 Black Authors’ Forum on Friday, August 22, 2025, 6-7:30 pm, at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center in Rock Island, IL?

And do not forget about the Black Authors’ Book Fair on Saturday, August 23, 2025, from 12-6 pm at the same location.

#blackauthors #blackauthorsforum #inspiration #muse

Dr. Burl Randolph, Jr., DM, is a writer, editor, publisher, and promoter of books and magazine articles through his company, MyWingman, LLC, where “We Help Leaders Design Legacies That Last “ since 2015.