THE BREW & FORGE BOOK FAIR
BUY A BOOK, BUILD A MOVEMENT.
The Brew & Forge Book Fair brings together readers and writers to support the people at the forefronts of movements for liberation, justice, and survival. Since our founding in 2016, the Book Fair has mobilized over hundreds of authors and raised over $30,000 for grassroots movement organizations.
Image description: a collage of brightly colored book covers
HOW IT WORKS
1. We ask authors to commit to donating books.
They commit a few signed copies of their own books—fiction, nonfiction, poetry, YA, and more. We also work with some of our favorite independent presses to donate books.
2. The authors vote for a community organization to receive the proceeds.
We put together a list of 5 great grassroots organizations that are building power and working toward liberation, and all participating authors vote for their favorites.
3. The Book Fair goes live!
Books are posted online at brewandforge.com for 1-2 weeks for the public to purchase.
4. Mail happens!
Authors and presses send their books directly to the people who purchased them (sometimes with a cute note attached).
5. We send the proceeds directly to the organization chosen by the authors.
After processing fees and 5% to help cover our operating costs, this usually comes out to a $4000-$7000 grant, with no need to fill out an application—all raised from mailing great books around the country!
THE 2023 BOOK FAIR
The 2023 Book Fair ran from Nov 27 to Dec 8,and raised $9,060 for Palestinian Feminist Collective! Thank you to everyone who bought or donated a book.
The Winter 2023 Book Fair is made possible through the donations of 144 authors as well as a number of participating presses: AK Press, Graywolf Press, Haymarket Books, Milkweed Editions, Kaya Press, The New Press, Small Beer Press, and Catapult Book Group.
A crew of dedicated volunteers runs the Book Fair every year, led by our coordinators. If you would like to volunteer for next year's Book Fair, email hello [at] brewandforge [dot] com! We're also always looking for new authors (especially fiction, nonfiction, and YA/children's authors!) to participate and new recommendations for great orgs to nominate for funding.
GRANTEES
Each year, our coordinators and volunteers put together a list of 4-5 organizations to nominate for funding, based on recommendations from our community, our own knowledge of the field, and our funding principles. We do not take applications. Every author who donates a book then votes on one of the five nominated organizations that year, and proceeds go to the organization that receives the most votes. As part of our mission to build, not drain, organizational capacity, we do not require applications. If you would like to recommend a movement group to be considered for funding, please first read our mission page, and then get in touch at hello [at] brewandforge [dot] com.
#TINYBOOKFAIR
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we put together a free resource guide for authors to lead small-scale fundraisers for organizations and mutual aid funds in their local communities. In the spirit of the Brew & Forge Book Fair, six participating authors collectively raised a little over $4000 in a few weeks by offering signed copies of their books.