I am so excited you are here! I can't wait to tell you a little bit more about me (Kyli) and the creation of The Book Reader.
It has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl to do SOMETHING in the book industry. Once upon a time I imagined myself as an editor living in NYC. (Let's be honest I was never leaving my hometown, let alone for a huge city). Sometimes I imagined myself as the next best selling author. (I am working on my own romance novel, but it's taken me years to find a story I wanted to write.) Sometimes I was just a beta reader getting paid to read dozens of books a week. As I grew up I realized that most of my dreams were unrealistic so I followed a different path obtaining my business degree from Ball State University #ChirpChirp. It is important to note that this degree was in entrepreneurship because who doesn't want to be their own boss?
After I got my degree I started a job in my hometown, where I am still happily working, and got into a routine of staying busy with work, life, and books. About 8 months ago I realized I had so many excuses on why I wasn't chasing any of my dreams. I won't bore you with those excuses or who made me realize I was using them, but I will tell you what I did. I took a step back and reevaluated where I was in life. I was 25, living with my parents (no shame, save that money in this wild economic world girl), going through the motions, and lacking passion for life in general. So, I decide to write 5 dreams/goals down.
1. Write a whole book - It doesn't have to be amazing, but write it
2. Open a small business - Something you're passionate about and USE your degree
3. Grow your relationship with God - Read your Bible & go to church
4. Make time for friends - Don't push people away by canceling plans, actually go
5. Be unapologetically you - Not everyone will like you, and that is okay, because as long as you are being yourself, no one's opinions of you matter
I am proud to say that the launch of this store marks the start of the last item on the list. I have started my book, opened my small business, am reading my Bible, made new friends and actually attend social gatherings, and I am being me. I am not perfect and I stumble, but the journey is half the fun. Sometimes I don't write for a week. I am still nervous that I will make absolutely zero sales. I skip my Bible reading on busy days even though I know I shouldn't. I dread getting ready to go out sometimes, and I let other peoples words hurt me. But I am trying, and that is all the matters.
Chase your dreams and goals, my friend. You won't ever do it perfectly, but the messy journey is worth it. I promise.
Now that I have overshared, let's get back to #2. Open a small business. I sat in my room researching how to open a boutique for a few days and realized that while I love western fashion, that it wasn't my passion. My passion is my family, my dogs, and books. Family was out, I didn't know how to turn my passion into being a fun aunt and #1 daughter into a business. I tinkered with a dog-themed business, but as much as I love my dogs, I did not want to sell dog treats, make leashes or anything of the sorts. In the end, I was left with my books.
I have loved reading since my elementary librarian (shout out to Mrs.Ellison) let me check out an extra book each week after introducing me to the magic of love stories. I wish I could remember the names of the two series that she ordered for me to check out, but I do know that those horse camp books and the British spy school books changed my life. I read the full Twilight series in fourth grade. (My mom definitely didn't know what were in those books.) I continued reading cute little love stories through middle school. I binge read Vampire Academy, the 'After' series, and so many spicy romance books in high school. This past year I read The Off Campus series, the ACOTAR series, Fourth Wing/Iron Flame (hello cliff hangers), the Chestnut Spring series, and so many other romance books. (Check out my other blog post for a full list.)
I realized I could share my love of reading and use my business degree by selling books and bookish themed accessories. The only thing I knew for sure was that I wanted to make the business name a play on some acronym in the book readers' world. To my surprise (and utter excitement) I couldn't really find any TBR (to be read) book businesses and so, The Book Reader (TBR) was born.
The rest of this story is unwritten, but I have big hopes and dreams for this little shop. If you are still reading, thank you for supporting me by reading this, sharing my social posts, telling your friends, and/or buying from my store. Each of you are helping me make my dream a reality.