Questions, answered.

The Blk Shelf is a discovery platform built to help readers find Black indie books across genres, moods, and story styles without digging through algorithm clutter.

Books are submitted by authors and reviewed before being listed. The catalog is not scraped, auto-filled, or randomly pulled from marketplaces.

No. The Blk Shelf is for discovery. Book pages link out to available retailers, author websites, BookFunnel, or other places where the author has made the book available.

Trending is based on reader activity from the previous completed week. It reflects books readers engaged with across the site.

“New” means the book was released recently. “Upcoming” means the book has a future release date. These labels are based on release dates submitted by the author.

Authors choose which links to submit. Some books may only be available on one retailer, while others may include multiple options like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, BookFunnel, or the author’s website.

Use the Library filters. You can browse by genre, sub-genre, vibe, age range, spice level, representation, release type, and more.

Join the reader list to receive updates about new books, featured authors, shelf updates, and platform news.

The Blk Shelf is built for Black indie authors, including self-published and independently published authors.

Books listed on The Blk Shelf must include at least one main character who is Black or part of the Black diaspora.

The only exception is for stories that do not include human or human-adjacent characters (for example, certain fantasy, sci-fi, or creature-based narratives).

Submissions should align with our mission of amplifying Black authors and stories that reflect the Black experience.

Book covers and overall presentation should align with the platform’s focus on highlighting and visually representing Black authors, characters, and storytelling. Covers that do not reflect the presence of a Black main character may require revision prior to approval.

These guidelines exist to ensure the platform remains focused on both the content and visibility of Black-centered stories.

No. Standard listing on The Blk Shelf is free. There is no pay-to-play requirement for books to appear in the library.

Use the author submission form linked on the homepage. This helps create or update your author profile.

Use the book submission form linked on the homepage. You can submit book details, cover information, genres, vibes, representation, links, and release date information.

Yes, ideally. A book can only go fully live once the author profile and book submission are both approved and connected in the system.

Approval time depends on submission volume and whether the information provided is complete. Incomplete submissions may take longer because they require follow-up or correction.

Common reasons include missing author approval, missing book approval, incomplete links, missing cover information, or a mismatch between the author submission and book submission.

Yes. If something needs to be corrected or updated, reach out with the requested change.

Featured authors are selected from approved authors who have at least one approved live book on the platform.

Trending is based on reader engagement. Organic discovery carries stronger weight than homepage exposure so the list is not overly influenced by placement alone.

Yes. The Blk Shelf reserves the right to remove books or author listings after approval if they no longer meet platform guidelines, contain inaccurate information, or conflict with the purpose of the platform.

Authors may also request removal of their own listings at any time.