We were lucky to catch up with Tayler Simon recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Tayler, thanks for joining us today. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

Growing up, I always loved books. My mom couldn’t keep up with all the reading I wanted to do, so I remember she would take me to the library or buy me a bunch of books on tape. They were the stories on cassettes that would come with the book, and you would turn the page every time you heard the beep. I also remember getting lots of Pizza Hut coupons for Book It challenges and always competing with my best friends for the most Accelerated Reader points for taking reading quizzes. My love for reading was unmatched.

Then I made it to college, and my love for reading evaporated when I had to do so much of it for class. When I got to graduate school, I wanted to try something different: audiobooks. My mom herself would listen to audiobooks all the time when I was a kid, and that’s where she got the idea for me. As I got older, I became a snob and didn’t count audiobooks as really reading, but it became the way I read most of my books.

I also had a secret wish after I graduated: I wanted to be a writer. I had started a secret blog in college, but it didn’t last long. I was terrified of having my name attached to my writing. Then after I got my first job (totally unrelated to books or writing), I decided to start a blog about something I was so passionate about, books.

It started as It’s Lit, where I started rambling about the different books I read and how they made me feel. These posts weren’t reviews, necessarily, but they were always connected to a social justice issue. Eventually, I wanted it to grow. I wanted to create a space where I could rally readers who felt so moved by the stories they read that they wanted to change the world.

Hence, Liberation is Lit was born. The focus of Liberation is Lit has changed several times over the last year and a half, but the core of using stories as a catalyst for change remains the same. And once I realized my voice shouldn’t be the only one in this space, that this is a community effort, and I need to lift up the voices of the folx who have been historically marginalized, it has been growing more than ever.

Tayler, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Tayler. I am the founder of Liberation is Lit, a community of radical readers and storytellers uplifting the voices of the marginalized in order to shift the narrative and change the world. I have been reading my entire life, and when I made the shift to prioritizing books written by People of Color, I wanted to elevate these stories that highlight injustice in the world or answer the call for the world to be a better place. On Liberation is Lit (whether you find us on our website or on social media), I highlight books written by authors of color, discuss how books help us grow as activists and change makers, and elevate the storytellers who need their voices centered. Liberation is Lit is a space for people looking to fall in love with reading again, those who want to learn more about activism, and friends looking to find books written by authors we don’t hear about often. I used to think I was the lone person tasked with sharing my thoughts and educating, but I want to prioritize building relationships and community, because healing and change really lies in community.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I have had to pivot so many times in the last year and a half. When I first started, I wanted to sell merch and use the proceeds to go toward different nonprofits, but turns out I am terrible at marketing clothing. And then I paid over a thousand dollars for a marketing program that told me having a monthly book club is how I monetize Liberation is Lit as a business, but I didn’t get enough participation at the time I started. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I was doing this all alone and having so much difficulty asking for help. I thought my own thoughts was enough to instantly build a following and that following would turn into a sustainable business. I was so wrong.

I realized what I had been doing all along was centering and uplifting the stories that don’t make the mainstream all the time, I just wanted to take that a step further and highlight all stories and voices of those who have important things to say. I am just one perspective, one voice, and it takes a community to really make change. In addition to highlighting books by authors of color, but I am building a community of storytellers and readers who share their own experiences.

In addition to building community, I have been building relationships and collaborations with other brands. Recently, I have started a book club with the publication, The Modern Green Book. We discuss a book written by a Black author and discuss.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Over time, I have been working to make Liberation is Lit a sustainable business. I have lost soooo much money on business classes, software I don’t need, and running ads that didn’t attract the right people to me. It’s difficult because I had been funding Liberation is Lit out of my own pocket for so long. It was starting to be such a drain that I started to question can I even keep this up? When I started making those pivots, I started thinking more with an abundance mindset. When I started putting intention toward the things I liked to do rather than the things I felt like I had to do, I started experience more success.

Contact Info:

• Website: liberationislit.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/liberationislit
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/liberationislit
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/liberation_lit
• Other: TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@liberationislit

Image Credits
All photos taken by me (Tayler Simon). Photo of woman in blue sweatshirt taken by Jessica Lopez and shared with permission