The Secret Life of A Book Influencer with Jananie K. Velu from This Story Ain’t Over
Have you ever wondered, how do I approach a book influencer to get them to talk about my book? Lucky you, on episode 68 of the Your BIPoC Writing Coach podcast, get ready to go behind the scenes of the world of book influencing. This is the Your Famous Author Era Season of the podcast where we are talking about how to promote your work as writers, building an author platform, and finding the fans who will buy, read and support your work over time. Since book influencers are a big part of the equation when it comes to book promotion, I thought it was important to hear their side of the story.
My guest is one of my favorite BIPoC book influencers, Jananie K. Velu, YouTube star and literary tastemaker. I invited Jananie on the show to share everything she’s learned from the influencing world about getting strangers to get excited about a book.
Jananie has built a massive following of over 100,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel, “This Story Ain’t Over,” and she runs her own publishing imprint, Boundless Press, which is a part of the new start-up publishing company, Bindery Books.
During our conversation on the podcast Jananie shares:
How authors should approach influencers to get their books on their radar.
How she built her audience of BIPoC book lovers.
How she selects the books she’s going to feature on her social channels.
How she runs her publishing imprint at Bindery Books and who should submit their work.
Why stickers are part of her community building strategy.
You can listen to the Your BIPoC Writing Coach podcast on Apple, YouTube and all other podcast platforms.
Who is Jananie K. Velu from This Story Ain’t Over?
(Photo credit Jaclyn Vogl)
Jananie was born in Canada to Sri Lankan Tamil refugees and now lives in downtown Toronto. She is a neurodivergent, queer woman of colour living with mental illness, who always strives to discover and amplify stories that represent the world around her. She named her channel “This Story Ain't Over” (styled thisstoryaintover) because of her strong belief that we are in a constant (and often messy) process of growth and change.
Her publishing imprint, Boundless Press strives to uplift marginalized voices and make a space for them in an industry that is set up against them.
Jananie does an incredible job on YouTube and her social channels highlighting diverse voices in diverse genres, as well as talking about the issues that effect BIPoC authors in the publishing industry at large.
Tips and Takeaways for Authors Who Want to Work with Book Influencers
Takeaway 1: Rather than trying to build up a following on social media, tap into the audience of readers of an already established book influencer.
Takeaway 2: Readers are following their favorite book influencers to decide what to read next, not you. So, get your book into the hands of the right influencer and let them do the work.
Takeaway 3: If you want to send your book to an influencer, make sure you’ve been an active part of their community. Be a known presence in their world so they are more willing to share your work.
Takeaway 4: Book influencers are busy and underpaid. Be nice and be patient when sending your books. Just because they don’t respond right away or feature your book on the day it debuts, doesn’t mean they don’t want to or won’t feature your book at a later date.
Lit Links to Learn More
You can follow Jananie on YouTube, and across all of her social platforms at ThisStoryAin’tOver. You can also buy her bookish merch at her store This Story Ain’t Over.com.
Jananie’s imprint Boundless Press is part of Bindery Books
Some of Jananie’s Favorite BIPOC authors include:
For literary inspiration and opportunities delivered right to your inbox, sign up for the Reed, Write, & Create monthly newsletter
Follow Lori on YouTube at LiteraryLori
Please feel free to show your love and support for the Your BIPoC Writing Coach podcast by making a small donation via Buy Me A Coffee.