The Secret Life of A Book Influencer with Jananie K. Velu

THE DOORS TO THE REED, WRITE, & CREATE SANCTUARY ARE OFFICIALLY OPEN: NOV. 21 – 28, 2025. GET ON THE LIST TO GET AN APPLICATION.

On episode 68, get ready to go behind the scenes of the world of book influencing. 

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, Jananie shares:

• How she built her audience of BIPoC book lovers.
• How she selects the books she’s going to feature on her social channels.
• How authors should approach influencers to get their books on their radar.
• How she runs her publishing imprint at Bindery Books and who should submit their work.
• Why stickers are part of her community building strategy.

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:

Alexis Henderson

Sylvia Moreno Garcia

Olivie Blake

Visit the website, to learn more about The Reed, Write, & Create Sanctuary, and add your name to the Tell Me More List to get an application. Remember doors to the Sanctuary are open from November 21 – 28, 2025. After that, they stay closed until May 2026. Stop waiting on your writing life. 

If you’re looking for more creative writing inspiration, and useful resources for your literary life, visit the Reed, Write, & Create website at ReedWriteandcreate.com. 

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Follow Lori on YouTube at LiteraryLori

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