Here Comes the Xpress.

A British Black publisher takes London's new urban voices of commercial fiction on a Transatlantic journey to seek American gold 

The foremost black publisher in Europe, Xpress, founded eight years ago, is the brainchild of two London-based journalists, Dotun Mebayo and Steve Pope. A chance meeting with an author seeking manuscript assistance sparked the creation of the company, a joint effort of Adebayo, a native of Nigeria, and Pope, whose roots go back to Barbados. Now the once-fledgling British company is making its presence felt on American shores with a collection of bold, innovative imprints that have some large Yankee publishers looking over their shoulder at the young foreign upstart.

Adebayo and Pope saw the need for a black-owned publisher in the white dominated British publishing world. With a $2,000 loan scrapped together from family and friends, the courageous pair launched their company. "We started this publishing house by accident," Pope says. "We wanted to provide a voice for people who don't get their books publicized. We sought to redefine who could be termed an author."

Victor Headley, the author who first approached them with his manuscript, turned out to be a brilliant stroke of luck since his book, Yardie, became the new company's first big seller. The novel, a gritty tale of the rise of a drug baron, generated controversy with its raw subject matter and sales skyrocketed. Young black Londoners rushed out to buy copies of the book, which was the first in Britain to realistically present the rough-and-tumble drug underworld in language that spoke directly to them as readers.

"Victor was working at the time for a homeless charity and wrote the book during his spare time," Pope recalls. "No mainstream publisher would touch it. One reason it was rejected was because of its use of patois, which they thought would be offensive. The novel became a big hit not only here but around the world. An American publisher, Grove Press, bought rights to it in 1994."

The groundbreaking success of Yardie brought a flood of manuscripts from writers, many of whom had never published before. Marcia Williams, author and single mother, struck a chord with her salty, candid books examining relationships between black men and women, especially those involving single moms. "I am, trying to get the message across that not all single mothers are in the same, situation. People have a stereotype of black single mothers, without knowing the real situation."

XPress has provided a literary forum to discuss the issues confronting black men and women in love and lust. The list of XPress bestsellers is lengthy and exceptional. Some of their most popular titles include: Patrick Augustus' Baby Father series, Headley's Yardie series, Phyllis Blunt's Bursting The Cherry, Ijeoma Inyama's Sistas On A Vibe, Karlie Smith's Moss Side Massive, Naomi Richard's Single Black Female, R. K. Myers' Uptown Heads, and Williams' Flex and Waiting For Wright. Along with these top sellers, Shed Campbell has scored big with a series of raw and raunchy relationship novels, all with a sexual explicitness rarely seen in American commercial fiction.

Campbell, who works as a secretary, says she would probably not be a writer were it not for XPress. "Writing serves as my creative outlet," she adds. "I really like erotic fiction. Black people do not get to express our sexuality that often in film and literature, so I relish the opportunity to do so." Augustus believes his books call for a truce between the sexes. "I would like to say to black women that there are some very good black men about. Some of my friends are just looking for the right women to love, if you would just give them a chance."

Lately, Xpress has been trying to crack the European literary market, but the diverse audience of the continent has presented challenges. "We have not been able to penetrate that market largely due to the language barrier," Pope explains. "We've sold books to other companies, but widespread sales have been difficult because of the need for translations."

Both men express a need to expand their operation at home. "We know we're having an impact on the British publishing industry," Adebayo says. "Everywhere we go, people have a story to tell. Everywhere we go, we see people reading our books and that's just the start."

The large American market poses the next big test for the Xpress team. "It'll not be easy but we're seeing some progress," says Pope. "We're repackaging and reissuing many of the old classics by forgotten black writers. Our newer books, if properly promoted, will find a willing readership among young black readers."

He believes the contemporary feel of the Xpress books is what will continue to set them apart from the mainstream. "Our books are inspiring our young bloods. The difference between others and us is that we are close to the street. That connects us to the generation which loves rap and hip hop. Compare the lyrics of Biggie Smalls and Tupac to any of the English poets--it's in our books."