Benay client, Akashic Books, is taking it to the street with
their new imprint, Infamous Books. Akashic has paired with Infamous Records to
release a line of urban fiction novellas. The first book, H.N.I.C., by rapper Prodigy (who also owns Infamous Records) and
Steven Savile will be released on July 16th. Prodigy (Albert
Johnson) is a member of the rap duo, Mobb Deep and the H.N.I.C. release will
coincide with Mobb Deep’s international tour.
According
to Publisher’s Weekly, Akashic Books will work as the distributor and
“co-handle the editorial and marketing duties with Infamous.” Marvis Johnson,
Prodigy’s talent manager, “will oversee the daily operations of the imprint.” Johnson
plans to use innovative marketing strategies to reach audiences wider than just
the African American demographic. “’The statistics are that 90% of urban music
is not purchased by African Americans. But urban books, when they are released,
are only promoted to African Americans,’” he said.
This will be Prodigy’s second book. His memoir, My Infamous Life (Touchstone), was
published in 2011. Interestingly enough, H.N.I.C.
began as a film script in 1999. “’After My
Infamous Life came out, I decided to take the H.N.I.C. script and [work with] somebody who was a book writer,’”
said Prodigy. He chose to work with Steven Savile who is an award-winning
British novelist and has published works in the fantasy, horror, and thriller
genres.
“’Steve brings the European style and mixes it with mine,’
Prodigy says. ‘I love street slang, and I listen to the street slang of other
countries. So Steve added twists and turns and changed the language.’ Savile
added, ‘each of us basically added our own unique skill set to the book. It's
certainly a book neither of us could have written alone.’”
The books will be in novella form (80-100 pages) with a
small trim size of 5” by 7”. They will be published in all formats
simultaneously (hardcover, paperback, audio, and e-books). As Akashic Books
publisher, Johnny Temple says, “’We’ve had a lot of success with small trim
sizes …With the Hip Hop street esthetic, there’s something about being able to
slip it in your back pocket.”
Infamous Books will release an average of four novellas a
year and will include novellas from other urban fiction authors such as K’wan (Hood Rat, Welfare Wifeys), JaQuavis Coleman (co-author of The Cartel, Murderville), and Miasha (Secret
Society, Diary of a Mistress).
Prodigy is not the first rapper to enter the publishing
world. 50 Cent, T.I., Jay-Z , and Eminem have all written books.
According to the New York Times, there is a stark
distinction between urban fiction and street-lit, which many of these rappers’
books fall into. The street-lit genre features stories that are more violent
and devious. Urban fiction tends to focus more on morality and issues of
loyalty.
Akashic Books has previously published urban fiction but
tends to stick with literary fiction and political non-fiction. “’It’s a
perfect imprint for the way the book industry is suffering,’ Temple said
recently. ‘It will bring in new audiences. I see this as crime fiction, and
there are not many black crime fiction writers beyond Walter Mosley and the late
Chester Himes. Akashic is a literary publishing house, and we’re in a perfect
position to crossover books like this and to say, ‘Don’t let the hip-hop
aesthetics scare you off.’”
- Marcie Gainer
