Last night, in the presence of two women in particular who’d trodden the good gubment/nonprofit Black woman servant of DC (and beyond) to author pathway, I pulled up my own e-book to see if it was at least on Bookshop, after IngramSpark said it was ready to go.
It was prompted by a question from the crowd about what we should do in this moment. Christine Platt, whose Less is Liberation book we were celebrating, told us that the best thing we could do right now, as the ones always depended upon to fix this raggedy [so-called] country even when we didn’t break it, was to do the things I could control.
So, I went on my phone and pulled up Bookshop.org.
This is what I saw.
I nearly broke out in tears, thinking about how soon, in the midst of everything going on, it would be me having a book talk with an author I respect.
In the meantime. I got a chance to holler at and congratulate both her and Alex Elle and tell Mahogany Books’s Ramonda Young how much their store has poured into me, too. I also shared my imminent plans to return to North Carolina, which, yes, are still on. I also got so much love and congratulations from all three of them.
Left to right, Alex Elle, Christine Platt, and Ramonda Young speak to the crowd. Christine Platt and I hug as I hold my copy of Less is Liberation she just signed!Alex Elle and I take a selfie.
I texted my wife Les, and of course, she was eager to share that on the ‘Zon and Bookshop, my book was for sale.
And yes, here are the links.
If you insist on giving Bezos money to buy my gentrification book that drags folks like him.
But I’m sure you want to double support me by buying through my own Bookshop.org storefront!
Next week, I’ll be dropping the print pre-order, and I was going to hold off on sharing that my e-book is already ready for pre-order.
But, as my mom used to say, time is of the essence.
And now is the time I take back control of my author life.
This is a book written, typeset, and designed by me.
It’s the rawest, most real thing I ever expected to write for professional consumption.
And it’s the book I’ve needed for myself as I’ve done my best to defy gentrification, that refuses to be destroyed.
So many Black folks, especially the women and other gender marginalized ones, are heads of households, but those households don’t get enough salary and benefits to really thrive.
We get called welfare queens and uppity for just wanting a decent place for us and those we care about to lay our heads.
Many of us, despite working since our teenage years, cannot afford the average market-rate apartment or home in any US city or state.
And, as someone who’s been in rooms with some of the real estate and development decision makers, many who can’t comprehend folks that can’t afford their products, I decided it was time to get real about what’s needed to make sure Black folks are housed.
And, instead of just yelling at those folks in that room, I made sure that I gave gentle advice and encouragement to my fellow sista-siblings, that we aren’t broken and we are enough.
Housing is a human right, and there’s more than enough things to use to play with money and build our wealth. Our backs, without our full consent, is not one of them.
So here I am, publishing what I think is the first self-help architecture and planning workbook for Black folks of marginalized genders (and the people that love and support them).
On December 16, 2025, two days after I turn 40, I hope you’ll accept this birthday gift from me to you.
And, if you’re paid on Patreon and Substack, the EPUB will be in each of those posts going forward, once I make a couple of tweaks to the final file to make sure it reads well on all devices.
And if not, you should go paid, because I’ll be dropping some other special surprises.
I’ll be back next week with print and audio pre-order links, and over the course of the next few weeks until December 16, I’m taking you behind the scenes on my journey to the Playbook!
Until next time,
Kristen
