Posted on: Sunday, August 1, 2004

Pioneers in Afro-centric kids' books face struggle

By Jeffery Gold
Associated Press

EAST ORANGE, N.J. — As children growing up in the segregated South, the only textbooks Wade and Cheryl Hudson were given to read were racist works that featured grinning slaves, and picture books such as "The Story of Little Black Sambo."

Decades later, married and living in New Jersey with children of their own, the Hudsons still could not find many books for young readers that offered a positive view of black Americans. So in 1988, they pooled their talents and started their own publishing house, Just Us Books.

Since then, they have received national recognition for many of their 70 titles, including their "Afro-Bets" series and "Bright Eyes, Brown Skin." The picture book for preschoolers depicts four children during a day in kindergarten.

"We don't really measure our growth or success in purely monetary terms. I think even more important is the impact we've had, letting young people know they matter and have something to offer," Wade Hudson says.

"Books have a major role in changing how children see themselves if they're presented positively," adds Cheryl Hudson.

Most books from their childhood either portrayed blacks poorly or not at all. In doing so, Cheryl Hudson says, "They give you a silent message, that you're not important."

Now, after selling an estimated 7 million books in 15 years, the Hudsons are finding that others see the value of publishing books geared to young black readers.

"There is competing stuff from major publishing houses, particularly after we demonstrated there was a market for these books," Wade Hudson says. "There's money to be made, so they jump on the bandwagon."

Just Us Books lost its shelf space at Toys "R" Us and Wal-Mart, he says, in part because large publishers now have multicultural titles. Toys "R" Us began reducing orders in the late 1990s, and Just Us Books was off its shelves by 2001, a victim of the large selection available from big houses, according to Wade Hudson.

Wal-Mart and Toys "R" Us representatives did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

The bigger publishers can offer bulk discounts, and mainstream as well as multicultural books, giving the retailer one-stop shopping, Wade Hudson said, citing Hyperion's Jump at the Sun imprint as well as HarperCollins.

"We have to find a focus that the major companies are not filling," Wade Hudson says.

Just Us Books still gets some orders from Wal-Mart and Kmart, and their Web sites. Their titles are also available at large booksellers such as Borders and Barnes & Noble.

"We've had our ups and downs. It has not been a smooth ride," he says. "For the first seven or eight years, there weren't any other companies aggressively marketing black and multicultural books."

Then the competition began, and sales fell. While sales have increased in the past year, they have yet to return to their peak of the late 1990s, Wade Hudson says.

The Hudsons declined to provide profit figures.

The recent turnaround has been fueled by the school market, he says, noting that Just Us Books has developed several series that keep kids hooked.

When they started the company, nearly all of its sales were to individuals, with 40 percent by mail. The Hudsons also sold books through black-owned bookstores, churches and sororities and fraternities. Today, 30 percent of their sales are to institutions such as schools and libraries, while direct mail accounts for about 10 percent. The remainder are through bookstores, conferences, Amazon.com and elsewhere on the Internet.

Wade Hudson says the company has stabilized and has an excellent potential to grow even more through increased Internet sales.

Wade Hudson, 57, is president and CEO, handling day-to-day affairs, and some marketing. A former newspaper reporter, he also has written and edited some of their books, including the popular "Jamal's Busy Day," which follows a schoolchild as he attends math class, visits the library, settles a dispute between classmates and relaxes with his parents. The book has sold over 100,000 copies, he says.

Cheryl Hudson, 56, vice president and editorial director, oversees editing and artist selection. She has written a dozen books, including last year's "Come by Here Lord: Everyday Prayers for Children."