Why Black Indie Authors Are the Future of Publishing

Posted by The Ink Spot

Let me be real with you: the publishing world hasn’t always made space for us. For generations, Black authors have had to fight to get a foot in the door, and even then, we were often told our stories were too “urban,” too “unrelatable,” or just plain not what readers wanted. But here’s the truth they weren’t ready for—we are the culture. We’ve always been the culture. And now, we’re finally claiming our place at the table—by building our own.

This is why I believe with my whole chest that Black indie authors are the future of publishing.

We Took the Long Road to Get Here—But Look at Us Now

Traditional publishing is still a tough game. Even today, Black authors make up less than 6% of published writers at major houses. And even when we are published traditionally, we’re often boxed into very specific types of stories—ones centered on trauma, pain, or hardship. Those stories matter, yes. But so do the ones filled with joy, love, laughter, fantasy, and power.

That’s where indie publishing changed the game. It allowed Black authors to bypass the gatekeepers and go straight to the people—our people. With platforms like Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, and Draft2Digital, we don’t have to wait years for a “yes” or water down our work to fit someone else’s idea of “marketable.” We hit publish, promote, and connect directly with our readers—and the results speak for themselves.

Legacy on the Shelves: The Oldest Black-Owned Bookstores in America

Every time I walk into a Black-owned bookstore, it feels like stepping into a sacred space. Not just because it smells like paper and possibility, but because the walls hold the echoes of ancestors who wrote, resisted, and remembered. These places aren’t just bookstores. They’re community hubs, cultural archives, and battlegrounds where Black stories have fought to survive and thrive.

Growing up, we didn’t always see ourselves in school books. The history was watered down, the heroes barely mentioned, and the trauma sanitized. But when I found Black-owned bookstores? That’s where I met the truth. That’s where I learned that our brilliance ran deeper than what they were teaching in class. And that’s why these bookstores are so important. They don’t just sell stories—they protect our history and our future.

Let me tell you about three Black-owned bookstores that have been doing just that for decades. These aren't just shops—they're legends.

Marcus Books – Oakland, CA (Est. 1960)

Just a year after Hakim’s opened, Marcus Books was born in Oakland, California. Named after none other than Marcus Garvey, this store has been a literary sanctuary for the Black community on the West Coast for over 60 years. It’s not just a bookstore—it’s a cultural institution.

Marcus Books has welcomed everyone from Angela Davis to James Baldwin. Its shelves are stacked with stories from every corner of the diaspora—history, politics, poetry, children’s books, sci-fi, and spirituality. For generations, it’s been a place where Black folks could gather, learn, heal, and organize. Through movements and moments, Marcus Books stood tall. And despite threats of closure and displacement, the community fought for it—and won. That’s how deeply rooted it is. That’s how much it matters.

When you walk into Marcus Books, you don’t feel like a customer—you feel like kin. Like you’re part of something bigger than yourself. And that’s the power of a space built with purpose.