Top 10 Street Lit Authorsby The Urban Book Source
True to the Game. B-More Careful. Dutch I & II. Shannon Holmes. Kwame Teague. Need more really be said? Ms. Woods is the visionary, motive, and machine behind the success of the above mentioned titles. All of these are modern-day classics and the authors are among the best Street Fiction story-tellers in Street Lit history. Regardless of what the naysayers gripe about, the bottom line is that Teri Woods stands as a living legend in this genre. Take a look at who is included in this list of "Top Ten Street Lit Authors;" number four and number ten are both authors whose work was produced and published by Teri Woods; when these writers were faced with rejection, Teri said "Yes" when others said "No." She has branded herself to the point where she sells thousands upon thousands of books, before they are ever printed, to distributors, wholesalers, and retailers. As an independent publisher, she still out-shines her competition and some major publishers, who release Street Lit titles, in sales each year. She revitalized this genre and paved the way for the future players. All respect is due.
Vickie Stringer is the best-selling author of Let That Be The Reason and founder/owner of Triple Crown Publications (TCP). TCP is one of the most recognized publishing companies in the Urban Fiction renaissance which houses over 20 authors. How many times have readers purchased a book simply because of the logo/name on the cover without even knowing who the author was? The brand speaks for itself. Vickie is the reason that fan favorite titles like Gangsta, A Hustler's Wife, Sheisty, and Larceny were published and recognized. In addition, she is also the reason some of the top writers in the genre got a chance to be heard and become published authors. Currently she is also a literary agent who has made deals for many of the authors who were once on her label; landing them deals with traditional publishing houses, propelling their careers as authors. So recognize, realize, acknowledge, respect, and pay homage to a woman who has made Urban Fiction history.
Sister Souljah has penned one of the greatest Street tales in today's renaissance of Urban Fiction. The Coldest Winter Ever, is without a doubt the quintessential novel that has inspired and influenced many of the novels which have since followed. Sister Souljah is responsible for single handily rejuvenating the genre during its dry spell since Donald Goines and Iceberg Slim. At present she is at work on the sequel to her modern day, timeless classic, The Coldest Winter Ever.
Mr. Holmes is the most anticipated author in the industry; his freshman novel B-More Careful was an immediate cult classic, selling over 100,000 copies in its first six months of publication and continues to sell today as though it was just released. Shannon's second novel, Badgirlz, was published under the Atria imprint of Simon and Schuster, making him one of the first Street Lit authors to land a deal with a major publisher. On the back end of it all, Shannon has also dealt with two of the most successful and influential women in the Urban Fiction market. He was the first author to be published by Teri Woods—igniting the fire for B-More Careful in 2001—and he aided Vickie Stringer in the launch of Triple Crown Publications.
Gangsta, Road Dawgz, Street Dreams, Hoodlum, Eve, Hood Rat, Flexin & Sexin, Blow and Still Hood. K'wan is Street Fiction at it's rawest. Five years in the game, his own publishing company, Black Dawn Books, and over half-a-dozen exceptionally crafted tales, with an arsenal more waiting in his chamber, K'wan has shown what great story-telling can do for a young man at his lengths. K'wan has pioneered the road for many of the authors who have come after him and deserves the respect and admiration given to him by readers the world around. With his staying power, K'wan is miles ahead of many of his colleagues in the industry and has worked hard for his place in Street Lit history.
Wahida's Thug series, which includes: Thugs and the Women Who Love Them, Every Thug Needs a Lady, and Thug Matrimony has made her the Queen of Thug Love Fiction. Even though Wahida was in prison for almost as long as her books have been in print, her presence and power has always stayed relevant and indubitable. Ms. Clark's works have become a beloved treasure for readers of street fiction. With over 100,000 copies of her novels sold, the Wahida Clark Brand has become a force that cannot be ignored. She is also a literary agent.
From Triple Crown to Random House to Nikki Turner Presents (an imprint of Random House), and it doesn't stop there! Ms. Turner was also the first author signed to the G-Unit Books movement, a book publishing venture created by Hip Hop artist 50 Cent. Her first novel A Hustler's Wife is one of the bestselling books published by Triple Crown to date; during its release, it out sold Love by Toni Morrison, and at present there is a film deal in the works for her ground-breaking novel. Nikki's contributions to the Urban Lit genre are incomparable to most and she remains one of the industry's leading favorites among readers.
During the late 90's—at a time when there were only two (2) other publicly known gritty urban tales available on the market—when the traditional and major publishers were ignoring this budding genre of Street Fiction, Trendsettaz Entertainment was formed and Mark hit the streets with his self-published book entitled, Urban Massacre, which would later be changed to Paper Chasers. Though the production of these books was not quality and they were falling apart, he managed to successfully sell it to the public. Having survived the growing pains of the publishing industry, he would go on to build QBoro Books, which now manages over 30 authors and is one of the top publishers of urban fiction today. Later he would merge with Urban Books—who has major distribution through Kensington, a deal that separates him from all other urban book publishing companies—as well as ink deals with G-Unit Books. And to add to his long resume of success in this industry he is looking to produce films in the near future.
Dubbed the "Uncle" of Urban Lit; warmed-hearted and always willing and able to lend a helping hand; a fan favorite and readers champ, Treasure Blue is an asset to this blooming genre. Treasure's first book, Harlem Girl Lost, sold over 65,000 copies on an independent scale before capturing the attention of Random House. His Sophomore release, A Street Girl Named Desire quietly placed itself on best-sellers lists around the country.
Can you say Dutch? An instant Street Lit classic, hands down; no argument, no contest. Kwame Teague is responsible for the creation of one of the most highly regarded books to ever hit the Urban Lit genre. Both Dutch I & II has made best-sellers lists across the nation and he's also the author of the underground titles The Adventures of Ghetto Sam and Glory of my Demise. Such success is definitely honorable in this cut throat industry, but more credit is due Mr. Teague's way as he has been behind bars the entire time his books have been in publication. A powerful author with a powerful voice. Honorable Mention:
The Top 10 Authors of Street Lit are based on market research by The Urban Book Source and the preferences of its visitors and judged against the following criteria.
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TO THE OTHERS...I HOPE YOU GUYS SEE THE LESSONS TO BE LEARNED IN IT ALL AMONG THESE 2O SOMETHING PAGES OF COMMENTS. THANKS FOR SPARKING THE DIALOGUE UBS!
Therone, I see where you're coming from. Someone pulled my coat tails today and told me to get over here and read through some of the posts, so I did.
Just to make it clear to everyone, YES, I AM THE AUTHOR of all of those books. It's not like it's really a secret. Everybody knows. How, I don't know how they know, but they know. For a long time, Teri was like a sister to me. I did my thing with her. Eventually the whole story will make its way out there. It's a helluva story. I know Teri well, I just talked to her yesterday, and well... It reminds me of a story about a guy who found a rattlesnake lying in the middle of the road one night. He took the snake home, bandanged it, fed it, nursed it back to health. And then one day the snake turned around and bit him. Dude was like, "After all I did for you? Bringing you home, feeding you, nursing you back to health, you still gonna bite me?" The snake looked at dude and said, "You knew I was a snake when you picked me up." LOL Love ya Teri.
ANY WAY WRITERS KEEP WRITING. READERS PLEASE KEEP SUPPORTING BLACK BOOKS. I KNOW AS A READER YOU HAVE TO BE LIKE THESE F-CKING PEOPLE ARE CRAZY!!! I KNOW!! ITS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I PRIMARILY DEAL WITH THE MAINSTREAM MARKET IN SALES AND NETWORKING AND ITS BEEN GREAT. I GET MOST OF MY HEADACHES FROM DEALING WITH OUR OWN FOLKS IN THE BLACK BOOK MARKET. BUT KEEP READING PLS.
HAVE A GOOD ONE EVERYONE.
If you haven't already, check out my new product Ride Or Die Chick,
Happy New
J.M.
p.s.
Being as though I'm an avid reader I felt it was only right to drop my list. This list is only based on reads I read and enjoyed, no more-no less.
Top 5 Males Top Females
1.) Donald Goines 1.) KaShamba Williams
2.)Al-Saadiq Banks 2.) Nikki Turner
3.)K'Wan 3.) Wahida Clark
4.)Kwame Teague 4.)Ki Ki Swinson
5.)Shannon Holmes 5.)T. Styles
I know I'm kinda late to all of this, but... To all of the authors that made the list, congratulations. May the Almighty Creators blessings continue to flow in your direction. Happy New Year to all.
Much Love
Caleb
THERONE...YOU SPEAK THE TRUTH MAN!!!