Today we’d like to introduce you to Tayler Simon.
Hi Tayler, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, you could tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started Liberation is Lit because I didn’t want just to read books. I joined the #bookstagram community looking for others passionate about reading and liberation. I found this internal conflict between the big-time Bookstagrammers wanting to keep the conversation about books and passionate Bookstagrammers having smaller platforms because they made reading political. Reading has always been such a big part of my life. I remember my mom would get me a bunch of books on cassette tapes, so I could follow along reading when she was driving or cooking. To this day, I love giving unsolicited book recommendations, and you can always count on me to have a lot of ~feelings~ about the books I read. In 2019, I took a leap of faith and started a blog on the books I was reading. I wrote a lot about how different books made me feel about the world around me and how they moved us toward liberation. I found community among those bookstagrammers who made books political, and I decided it was time to make reading more than just entertainment. In June 2023, I left my full-time job to expand Liberation is Lit into a bookstore. We are starting as a predominately online bookseller, with pop-up events happening weekly at markets around Columbia. We plan to move to a brick-and-mortar location.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Growth has been slow over the years. I have been operating Liberation is Lit primarily as a blog and Instagram page since 2019, and I needed more time to be as consistent in growing the community as I wanted to because I was working full-time. However, as soon as I quit my job to turn Liberation is Lit into a full online bookstore, the support I have received from the book community locally and afar has been tremendous. I am still experiencing a learning curve in running a business, but I turn to my community to learn all I can, and people have been so supportive and willing to share their wisdom with me. I am amazed and grateful daily to see how my communities uplift this Black woman-owned business.
We’ve been impressed with Liberation is Lit, but for folks who might need to be more familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart?
Liberation is Lit is a bookseller that aims to spark collective action for liberation and community building among readers and book lovers by promoting stories from intersectional experiences from BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disabled, and women authors. We envision a world of liberation for all, where everyone’s stories matter. There is a shift happening in the world of readers. Politicians, libraries, school districts, and parent groups are banning books and stripping rights to render marginalized communities powerless. Readers deserve to see themselves in the books they read; when we strip that right away, it can be an isolating experience. These bans are turning the time back on progress. The stories we read can unite us to find liberation for us all. We are on a mission to share the stories people aren’t talking about and how to take those stories to push us into action and build community among us. We also have an associated clothing brand. We plan to open a brick-and-mortar store in the next few years, and we would be the only Black-owned bookstore in Columbia and one of two Black-owned bookstores in South Carolina.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
When I first started, I wanted to reach out to anyone I knew who was a bookseller or small business owner. I wanted to know everything I could before I got started. I asked questions like “What is your favorite thing about owning a business?”, “What struggles have you overcome?” and “What is one piece of advice you wish you had known before getting started?” I reached out to people I knew and businesses/people I had been following on social media for a long time, locally and afar. There are so many people out there willing to help and share knowledge with you, and they can also lead you to resources and more learning opportunities you may not even know about.
Pricing:
- Used and like-new copies of books range from $2-$15
- Bookish apparel ranges from $15-$35
Contact Info:
- Website: liberationislit.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/liberationislit
- Facebook: facebook.com/liberationislit
- Twitter: twitter.com/liberation_lit
Image Credits
Eiffel Tower picture: Benoit Dhennin
