Published by the Author: Self-Publication in Nineteenth-Century African American Literature (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781469674124)

Publication is an act of power. It brings a piece of writing to the public and identifies its author as a person with an intellect and a voice that matters. Because nineteenth-century Black Americans knew that publication could empower them, and because they faced numerous challenges getting their writing into print or the literary market, many published their own books and pamphlets in order to garner social, political, or economic rewards. In doing so, these authors nurtured a tradition of creativity and critique that has remained largely hidden from view.

Bryan Sinche surveys the hidden history of African American self-publication and offers new ways to understand the significance of publication as a creative, reformist, and remunerative project. Full of surprising turns, Sinche's study is not simply a look at genre or a movement; it is a fundamental reassessment of how print culture allowed Black ideas and stories to be disseminated to a wider reading public and enabled authors to retain financial and editorial control over their own narratives.

Author: Bryan Sinche
ISBN-10: 1469674122
ISBN-13: 9781469674124
Publisher: University of North Carolina Press
Language: English
Published: 04/30/2024
Pages: 274
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.33lbs
Size: 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.75d