Wayne Brady Scores Global Publishing Deal For Afrofuturist Thriller, ‘Hard Times’

Wayne Brady has secured a global publishing deal for his debut Afrofuturist science fiction novel, Hard Times, co-authored with Maurice Broaddus.

Announced on Oct. 20, Brady’s deal with Erewhon Books, an imprint of Kensington Publishing Corp., includes two Hard Times novels: the first set for early 2027, followed by a sequel in 2028, Broadway World reports. The time-bending sci-fi thriller follows an estranged father and son whose fractured relationship complicates their escape from “The Farm,” a for-profit prison outside of time.

“This is what happens when H.G. Wells meets Huey Newton—a time-bending sci-fi epic that tears through the past, present, and future to confront one of America’s greatest sins: the systemic incarceration of Black bodies,” Brady said in a statement. “It’s my answer to every story that left Blackness out of the future. At its heart, Hard Times is a reclamation—for anyone who’s ever felt erased from the narrative.”

Written in collaboration by Brady, an Emmy-winning actor, and Broaddus, an acclaimed author, Afrofuturist, and community organizer, the novel draws inspiration from Ava DuVernay’s award-winning documentary 13th. Fans of Chain Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah and Octavia Butler’s Kindred will enjoy how the time-traveling adventure explores parallels between Jim Crow-era policies and today’s school-to-prison pipeline, confronting systemic injustices in the U.S. prison system.

“Wayne and I wanted to tell a story that centers Black fatherhood, explores generational pain and healing, and goes up against the systems that seek to break those bonds. Hard Times is the romp I wish I’d grown up reading,” Broaddus said.

The global publishing deal was secured through negotiations led by Anthony Mattero at CAA and Thomas Hoberman for Brady, and Bridget Smith at JABberwocky Literary Agency for Broaddus, with Diana Pho, editorial director at Erewhon Books, also involved.

“I’m not surprised that Maurice and Wayne connected on their shared love of speculative fiction, social justice, and authentic representation of the Black experience through storytelling,” Pho said. “Erewhon Books is immensely excited to publish Hard Times: an opportunity to address the timely and universal issue of incarceration and the oft-buried history of America in the guise of this thrilling time-travel adventure.”

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