| | Acknowledgments | |
| | Introduction | p. 1 |
| | The Essentials | p. 7 |
| | The Publishing Industry Today | p. 11 |
| | The Writer's Craft | p. 18 |
| | The Legacy of African American Literature | p. 27 |
| | The Query Letter: First Contact | p. 34 |
| | Creating the Foolproof Proposal | p. 40 |
| | Copyright Protections | p. 46 |
| | Submissions: One or More | p. 48 |
| | Manuscript Etiquette Tips | p. 50 |
| | The Truth About Agents and Writers | p. 52 |
| | Questions for a New Agent | p. 64 |
| | The Contract Quiz | p. 66 |
| | Electronic Rights | p. 70 |
| | What An Editor Does For You And Your Book | p. 73 |
| | Sales, Promotion, and Marketing | p. 94 |
| | Self-Promotion: Finding the Audience for your Work | p. 99 |
| | Criticism in Proper Doses | p. 105 |
| | Of Booksellers and Bestseller Lists | p. 111 |
| | Of Booksellers and Distributors | p. 122 |
| | When Hollywood Beckons | p. 130 |
| | Small-Press Publishing | p. 137 |
| | University Presses | p. 149 |
| | Self-Publishing | p. 153 |
| | Essential Tax Tips | p. 161 |
| | The African American Literary Hall of Fame | p. 163 |
| | African American book Timeline | p. 167 |
| | Classic African American Fiction | p. 176 |
| | Classic African American Nonfiction | p. 179 |
| | Classic African American Anthologies and Collections | p. 181 |
| | Classic African American Memoirs and Autobiographies | p. 183 |
| | Births of Notable African American Authors | p. 186 |
| | Literary Awards | p. 190 |
| | What Did You Do Before You Got Your Big Break? | p. 197 |
| | Literary Pathfinders: The Old School Profiles | p. 199 |
| | African American Author Profiles | p. 203 |
| | George S. Schuyler | p. 204 |
| | Willard Francis Motley | p. 207 |
| | Frank Garvin Yerby | p. 211 |
| | Ann Petry | p. 214 |
| | William Gardner Smith | p. 218 |
| | John O. Killens | p. 222 |
| | John O. Williams | p. 226 |
| | Kristin (Hunter) Lattany | p. 229 |
| | William Melvin Kelley | p. 232 |
| | Carlene Hatcher Polite | p. 235 |
| | Alice Childress | p. 238 |
| | Henry van Dyke | p. 242 |
| | Toni Cade Bambara | p. 244 |
| | Al Young | p. 247 |
| | Genre Fiction, Poetry, and Children's Books | p. 251 |
| | African American Mysteries | p. 253 |
| | African American Romance Novels | p. 257 |
| | African American Science Fiction | p. 264 |
| | African American Poetry | p. 269 |
| | Selling Poetry in the Marketplace | p. 274 |
| | Dudley Randall | p. 276 |
| | Naomi Long Madgett | p. 279 |
| | Writing Children's Books | p. 283 |
| | Reading Groups and Community-Based Organizations | p. 289 |
| | Reading Groups: Gather Ye Together to Discuss the Word | p. 291 |
| | Organizing A Reading Group | p. 295 |
| | The Black Literary Club | p. 297 |
| | The Go On Girl! Book Club | p. 300 |
| | Black Women in Publishing | p. 304 |
| | African American Women on Tour | p. 307 |
| | Writers Resources | p. 309 |
| | Writers Workshops | p. 311 |
| | Writers Organizations | p. 315 |
| | The Internet for Writers | p. 317 |
| | Grants and Awards | p. 323 |
| | Reference Guides for Writers | p. 325 |