Post Black Readers Appreciation Event (BRAE) thoughts
- thejsingraham
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
The 2025 edition of the Black Readers Appreciation Event (BRAE) has come and gone. Now what?
November 5-8, 2025, was a good period for team Graham. Full transparency, I did not think to capture the download data for #BRAE2024. However, from what I can remember, I did not see the numbers pulled this year. Especially with the unforeseen plus for this year's event being the impact it had on an older book in my catalog that was not a part of BRAE.
Oh, before I forget, David Marcus + Ms. Liza, thank all of you who either purchased Hey Auntie or jumped into my Thanksgiving novella through KU, during BRAE.
A little history: JG and Black Readers Appreciation Event
My first year participating in BRAE was 2024. Coming on the heels of participating in the All Black Book Affair (ABBA) the year prior, I can honestly say I understood the benefit in taking part in what was the equivalent of a grown-up Scholastic Book Fair, for fans of Black books.
Shout out to all those who dare remember the excitement of the book fair as a kid.
For the cost of discounting your selected works for approx. a week, you can open up your name and writing style to a collection of prospective readers you might not be able to reach even with a traditional imprint behind you. What you don't consider however, is the impact, timing and a little strategy can have on your entire catalog.
#BRAE2025, which ran about a month and change after my latest release, Salt & Pepper, was only made available for the opening day of this year's event (Nov 5). Still, it garnered over half of the downloads of my other offering, Say What You Mean, which ran for the duration (Nov 5-8).
What Now?
I had big plans to release this manuscript I have been sitting on for a few years now, before the end of 2025. Talk to Me Nice, a working title, is a contemporary fiction project whose MMC, Basil Cooper, first appeared in a short story in Unacceptable Behavior. For those who've read Salt & Pepper, Dr. Cooper makes an appearance. He's a character I feel has a great deal of promise, who is likely to appear in future books in the JGU.
After reading through maybe the first third of the book over the last couple weeks, I don't know. Something just wasn't clicking for me. Still love the character and the story, but something about it just would not turn over. So now we pivot to 2026.
As of now, I have one and two possibles set to see the light of day. Of course, the two possibles, I can't say too much about at this time. Hopefully things will change on that front as time continues to move. What I can say is they will be in the romance and erotica sphere. The one project that's almost a definite, is Chasing Joi.
A romance, centering August and Joi, has me feeling a way which tends to be a good sign when an idea pops up in my head. I have not started writing yet, but I have transitioned from the whiteboarding phase to the character workbook portion of the program. Once that's done, we start putting words on the page. In Chasing Joi, we are coming back up north to the D.C. area, with an MMC forced to move back home and rebuild his life following a major career disruption. Life puts him in the same orbit as our FMC Joi, who is not here for the temptation and perceived unseriousness that is August.
My boy is gonna have to work a little bit to even have a chance. And quiet as kept, I'm looking forward to writing a chaser. Though not set in stone, their ages will likely be somewhere in that 35-42 window. Stay tuned!
That's it and that's all for now. Stay locked in though, because it's just a good idea. @thejsingraham on all socials.
Gon'!
About BRAE
The Black Readers Appreciation Event was created by Author A.A. Lewis as a way to give back to readers. This 5-day free book giveaway has become a cornerstone in the Black literary community, growing every year to include authors from all genres and across the globe. This united effort ensures that independent authors have the opportunity to be seen, respected, and valued. With thousands of readers showing their support by downloading books, reading millions of pages, and leaving reviews, the event continues to foster a thriving and inclusive literary culture. More+
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