Black Issues Book Review was founded in late 1998 by William E. Cox, Adrienne Ingrum, and Susan McHenry. Cox had been the publisher of
Black Issues in Higher Education, which ran a single book review in each issue. He wanted to expand its coverage of books, but after considering the large number of books aimed at Black readers, he came to the conclusion that a new magazine would be more appropriate. Ingrum was a book industry veteran, with nearly 20 years of experience in publishing and book-selling. McHenry had served in editorial positions at several magazines, including
Black Enterprise,
Essence, and
Ms. Library Journal named
Black Issues Book Review one of the 10 best new magazines of 1998.
The New York Times reported that the magazine sold 40,000 copies of each issue in 2000. By 2004, according to
Publishers Weekly,
Black Issues Book Review had circulation of 75,000.
QBR was merged into
Black Issues Book Review. Target Market News purchased
Black Issues Book Review in March 2006. Later that year, Target Market News announced that it would begin publishing
Blacks & Books, a monthly supplement for newspapers such as the
New York Amsterdam News and the
Philadelphia Tribune that serve African-American readers.
Blacks & Books was to be produced by members of the
Black Issues Book Review staff. The September–October 2007 issue of
Black Issues Book Review was its final issue. ==Notes==