Dibs

GalleyCat addresses an article in the Newark Star-Ledger about “gangsta lit” — novels such as G-Spot, Candy Licker and Thug-A-Licious aimed at “serving the appetites of a certain segment of young black urban America … 18 to 35 and interested in rap music and street life.” A Pocket Books exec calls it “the largest growing and consistently growing genre,” pointing to the success of Sistah Souljah’s novel The Coldest Winter Ever — a million copies sold and 1,048 Amazon.com reader reviews, such as those headlined “This book is the Mother of all HOOD Books!” and “where da movie at?” (Remember back in ‘92 when Souljah was quoted in the Washington Post as saying, “If black people kill black people every day, why not have a week and kill white people?”) Other authors cited in the article include Wahida Clark, a Trenton, NJ native who started writing while incarcerated in Kentucky for money laundering, conspiracy, and money and wire fraud. Her books are the Essence bestseller Thugs and the Women Who Love Them, Every Thug Needs a Lady, and the latest, Payback Is a Mutha. And it is! As author-consultant Earl Cox explains on his Web site: “When author Wahida Clark received bad checks in lieu of royalty payments from her former Brooklyn-based publisher, she turned to Earl Cox & Associates for help. We successfully terminated her previous contract, recovered a percentage of the money due her, and found her a far better deal with Kensington Publishing.” Cox charges $250 per hour for personal consultations. So if you’re an ex-con having troubles with your publisher, start filling your piggy bank. Or commit some wire fraud.