Dear Brothers:

Hope you had a good weekend.  Congratulations to Beta Alpha Lambda in New Jersey on their rechartering. I have yet to receive my copy of the Sphinx. Hmmm.  I am sure my postman is reading it.  You can now retrieve back issues 1-26 of SHM on my temporary website (see address at the end of newsletter). They are up and running again. Brother Robeson is making the final changes on 
the site and trying to fit everything in that I sent him. Beginning next Tuesday, SHM will be distributed  once a week. I will try to make that issue as full as possible. I know you will understand the demands on my schedule in the ensuing months. I will probably be at the convention a little longer than planned, at least until Sunday evening or Monday. I do not know if I will stay for the Banquet. Nevertheless, you can find me somewhere in the Vendors area. Please plan to stop by and say hello. Oh by the way, you can take a book with you. To the brothers who have ordered books, please email me and let me know if you will be in Dallas. While the plans are to mail them to you before Dallas, I may have to give them to you there. Email me only if you are attending the convention. All others, your books will be mailed to you via priority mail for those who paid the postage and book rate for those who did not. 

Well, I have received word from publisher that they should begin shipping some of the glossy paperback copies  to me this weekend. Most of the book will go to Dallas.  I am still waiting on a firm date for the hard covers. For those who are just dying to know the process, the hard cover books go through what is called Smyth sewing, which is the method used to bind the books in a hard cover. It takes longer than the regular process. After which they are bond and the dust jacket is folded and placed on the book. I am very pleased with cover. There will be a limited number of posters of the book available for those brothers who are interested. I am scheduled to have some books with me at the National Black Librarian's Conference in Las Vegas next week. I will be in the author's pavilion on Wednesday, July 21st at the Las Vegas Convention Center for any of you  brothers in Vegas who would like to stop by. If you need to reach me, I will be at the Luxor Hotel. (Of course the one shaped like a Pyramid with a replica of the Sphinx in front of.)

I share these details about the book because I know that there are hundreds of you who have the desire to publish a book but do not know where to begin, what to do, how to contact a prospective publisher. You are perhaps wondering should you self publish or seek a publisher. I would like to assist you in anyway that I can with your efforts. During the convention in Dallas, I will have a few packets from my publisher 4-G. The sky is the limit in the publishing field. 

Let me give you a few pointers.
1. Before you even think about a publisher, firm up your book topic. In others words, you must begin to write. Whether it is fiction or faction (Alex Haley coined that term), you must write and do research about the topic that you are writing about. Go to your major bookstore and see what books have already been written on your subject. Also copy the name of the publishers from the book.

2. Purchase a copy of the book "Writer's Market." You can get it or order it from Barnes and Noble or Border's, B. Dalton's. It is the bible of publishing and contains a massive directory of book publishers. It is a "must have" for potential authors.

3. Regardless of the subject of your book, write a one page proposal and send one of your chapter's with it. You can simply copyright your material by writing  Copyright by and your name. That automatically protects it. You do not have to write the Library of Congress to get a copyright.

4. Select about 20 publishers, pray over each envelope and mail it. It will take from six to eight weeks to receive:  A. Rejection letter or B. Letter of Interest.

In the meantime finish, fine tune or complete your work while you are waiting. To those brothers who desire to publish a book on the African-American History of your town, city, community or college, please contact me. I would like to refer you to my publisher who specializes in those subject. Brother Rodney Cohen now in Kentucky is reviewing a contract for a book he will do on 
Historical Black Colleges and Universities in Atlanta. I recommended my publisher to him, he followed up with a proposal, they discussed and now he has contract in hand. 

The first five books that I wrote were all published by a press. On the first book, I went and negotiated my fee and received  an advance. My first publisher Longstreet is also the publisher of the highly successful book "The Millionaire Next Door."  On the other four books, I  received no advance, just royalties 10-16%, because it is a small press and they specialize in documenting African-American communities.

 Unless you are a Terry McMillan,  E. Lynn Harris or BeBe Moore Campbell, don't expect to retire off of your royalty checks. You are paid according to the quantities that you sell. That's why self publishing may be the route for you. 

SELF PUBLISHING

Let me say that if you desire to make money, self publishing is really the way to go. However, much more work is involved. You are involved in every aspect from editing to layout and then from marketing and distribution. If you have the time, the energy and are committed to your works then this is the way to go. It will take that. You will never know fully how exhaustive this process has been. Big publishers have divisions that take care every detail of the book. Small publishers and self publishers are limited. They usually have a small staff. My publisher hired a copy editor (and a good one) to edit my work. I had to find proofreaders after she edited. Even so, you may still miss something in the final process. Knowing that Wesley acknowledged some errors and typos in the first edition, I will not feel defeated if a few spring up, though we have gone to great lengths to spot 
them. I say this to say that these are the disadvantages of self publishing, but the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages!

In self publishing you must pay for the book, sell it and then reap your returns (if you are serious about selling and believe in your work). If you have a cash flow problem, then get advanced orders as I did to get the ball rolling. If it a topic of great interest or general interest, you should not have difficulty meeting you first deposit. Brothers have asked how much is this booking costing me. While I will not be specific, let me say that it is the ballpark of college tuition at a historic black college or university. My first goal is to pay the publisher.  When you do self publishing you come up with projections, develop a marketing plan and pray a great deal throughout the process as I have done. I have had to do my own press kits. Thanks brothers for sending me the addresses of your local black papers. I still need some more addresses, particularly for the Detroit Area, Cleveland, Miami, Birmingham, Montgomery, Nashville, Richmond, Baltimore. If you would email me those addresses, I would be most appreciative. As a result from the press kit I sent out last week, I received a phone call from the Emerge Magazine Book Editor and American Legacy expressing an interest in the book. You will need to set a few books aside to send out as review copies. My books will not be in any of the major book stores (at least yet). The major chains serves as the middle man. Books can be ordered directly from me. I do not need a middle man at this point.

When you self publish a limited edition, it gets your work out in the public's eye. Perhaps your story should receive a larger audience. A Doubleday executive saw E.Lynn Harris's self published first novel and expressed an interest and signed him up to a multi million dollar contract. 
 
There was no other alternative for me for the Talented Tenth but to self publish after it was initially rejected. 

I just thought I would share these thoughts to you soon to be authors. Let me leave you with a line from the Fall '98 CBS Mini Series "Mama Flora's Family" which I served as the historian and technical advisor:

"No need to tarry, now, just gon and do it!"
 

For forty-six years, he was one of the Seven Jewels. Then in a stroke of the pin, he was removed and replaced by Eugene Kinckle Jones in Cleveland in 1952. Whatever happened to James morton? Very little is known about him. 

What is known is that:
-He worked in the Sage College Dining Room
-He advanced personal funds to the chapter
-He was one of the first initiates

By 1926, Morton was deceased according to a letter that Jewel Callis wrote to the other founders. Another oral history source remarked that Morton was involved in some stabbing incident. It is not known whether he was stabbed or did the stabbing. Once again, this statement has not been documented or substantiated and is only oral hearsay. I am only presenting as a part of the attempt to document this man. I conducted census research which revealed a James Morton residing in West Virginina, which was to have been his home. No dates of death have been located. If there is any brother who has any knowledge of James Morton, or substantive information, please email me. Now please don't flood with me emails that he helped to found Omega Psi Phi or Kappa Alpha Psi for that is not true! 
 

The General Presidents, cont'd

Simeon S. Booker
11th General President
1921-1923

Initiated into the fraternity  as a charter member of  Gamma Chapter on December 30,  1907, at Virginia Union University, Brother Booker served as a delegate to the first convention at Howard University in Washington, DC He was one of six delegates present. He served on the Ritual and Constitution Committee, was elected  the first General Secretary of the fraternity and served in 1909, 1910, and 1918 and National Treasurer in 1919.   At the Thirteenth General Convention in Kansas City, Missouri in 1920, Brother Booker was elected General President.

Very concerned about lost brothers, he adopted the theme "Find Them" in 1923. The following plea was printed in The Sphinx:

     "Find Them" is the slogan I wish every chairman will adopt during the closing of the strenuous year in the history of our beloved fraternity. One thousand or more brothers are scattered over America in some hamlet or town, out of touch with us at present. These brothers are true blue, digging, making history for Alpha Phi Alpha. They may be near you. Find Them!"

Raymond W. Cannon
12th General President
1924-1927

"His tenure as General President was outstanding. He served four terms and was twice elected by unanimous vote. Cannon during his administration proposed the creation of a new office, Director of Education in which "Jewel" Biddle Kelley became the first to serve in this capacity. The program had the written endorsement of Presidents Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover and then Governor Franklin Delanor Roosevelt. 

In 1924, Cannon wrote:

"...We must impress ourselves with the fact that Alpha Phi Alpha is still very young.  As a body, the fraternity is plastic.  We must be extremely careful, therefore, in shaping this great body.  We must strengthen ourselves from within and make Alpha Phi Alpha that compact, cohesive organization 
which we have toiled incessantly for 16 years to effect. "

B. ANDREW ROSE
13th General President
1928-1931

In 1926, Brother Rose was elected as Second Vice President and assigned to the Midwest Jurisdiction. The following year he rose to the office of General President and began his term in 1928 where he served until 1931.

President Rose was a prolific writer. In his "Message from the President" in the June 1929 issue of the Sphinx, he wrote a column on "Initiation." He said: 

"My plea is for a high standard in the initiation of all fraternities regardless of what Greek letters they bear as a name. Outside the ranks of every fraternity there are thousands of fine young men who hope to qualify for membership. To them the name of every fraternity should stand for what is 
pure, noble and uplifting. When they have found favor in our sight, let  our conduct toward them be all they  have visualized."
 

"In other words let us stay within our boundaries and not encroach upon the work of other organizations... Greek Letter College Fraternities should confine themselves primarily to scholastic endeavors."
Raymond W. Cannon, December 1945 

"Let those on the higher rounds reach down and pull while those on the lower rounds reach up and push as they climb. Let us ever touch hands and grow."
Jewel George Biddle Kelley, December 1954
 
LETTERS FROM THE BROTHERS

From: Bro. Paul Buckley

Brother Mason,

I would like to respond and have a discussion with Brother Fred Harris-- whose comments and criticisms of DuBois's "Talented Tenth" were included in previous issue of Historical Moments. 

I appreciate his criticism about the "talented tenth" and even Alpha's embrace of that concept.  The point is well taken that we  should not exhibit an attitude of erroneous thinking that we're  better than our brothers and sisters in mass.  However, I do not agree with taking any thing away from the leadership and historical  legacy of those Brothers and Sisters who inspired progress before us. Opportunities can be considered "accidents" in history;  but the  purposeful seizure of the time by men and women such as Dr. King and  Rosa Parks is what makes them honorable.  {And neither of them are  honorary members}

Many activists were and are affiliated to a Black Greek-letter  organization.  And very often we (Alphas) are involved in community  activism and grassroots activities without sporting our banners,  T-shirts, and (for the more endowed tenth) rings.  If we begin to  appreciate the fraternity as a way of life, we'll understand the  mystery of our ritual that holds each brother INDIVIDUALLY  accountable to uplift and love all mankind.

The fact is, philosophically, the "talented tenth" is a myth.  No one  really knows who they are...  They don't pledge or intake and acquire some notable badge.  The "talented tenth" really are those people who  GIVE their talents to all of humanity because they understand their  responsibility to do so. And those great ones could be *classified  in any economic class.... in any fraternity/sorority/society/ organization/ club.  We all have something to give.

Could the Fraternity do more as a whole?  DEFINITELY.  But it  certainly is the sum of its parts.  The Brotherhood is doing ... and  could do better. That may be difficult to see.  It's the corporation  that is easier to attack (and much of it may be justified), but it  can only be as strong as we make  it.    Today we tend to want Alpha to take on every issue as a cooperation....  Let's not underestimate the genius of the Fraternity  to meet three universal aims.... and to do so via every  shingle-holder.  If you're at a march, Alpha is there.  If you are  mentoring youth, Alpha is mentoring youth.  If you are using your  talents, Alpha is using its talents.  Alpha is school where you  were/are mentored and your talents were/are developed.

    ... until hell freezes over,  I Am
     your Brother,
             Paul Buckley
 

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Dear Bro. Mason: 
 I have just read SHM for the first time on 7/9/99. This was emailed to me by a brother from Beta Nu Lambda in Charlotte, N.C. I must say all of the moments were very Uplifting and Moving to say the least. I hate to admit it but I have been an inactive Brother for the last 5 years and reading these  SHM's has given me a renewed since of why "I" joined the Fraternity in the first place. I am guilty of letting past experiences I encountered with the fraternity (on the undergraduate level) extinguish the fire I once had when I first went over, as well as the negativity spewed by not only other Greek 
organizations but by my own "Brothers" in the fraternity. I think a big reason the spirit of Alpha has died in a lot of brothers is because we do not know "our" history and what Alpha men are supposed to represent. We easily get caught up in the hype of  whose "Running the Yard," The Omegas' do this, The Kappa's' do that and so on and so on. We are not Omegas' and we are not Kappa's and we never will be. We are Alphas!!  So just what does that mean? I believe it means we are supposed to be example for Real men to follow. We are supposed to be the Men above reproach.(not arrogant) but men that people see and go "that Brother has really got it together."  It seems as though in the South now Everybody wants to be a "Big Q Dog" or a Pretty boy Kappa. Very few men get pumped up about being an Alpha anymore. I ask Why? Is it the cool thing to be a Kappa or Omega and not an Alpha? or has society gotten so caught up in being associated as a "Real Nigga" or Pretty Boy ladies Man?  If this sounds ridiculous coming from a Brother then I am sorry, but I think we as Alphas need to take more pride in our Fraternity and live up to the true sense of BROTHERHOOD!!!  I did not mean to take up all of your time I know you are busy and I really just wanted to let to know your SHM's has really restarted the fire in my heart which is Alpha. please put me on your mailing list.