From Behind the Book Bunny Curtain
Book Bunny started the same way most things do.
With “just one more chapter.”
Somewhere between staying up way too late, falling for book boyfriends, and texting my friends in all caps over scenes this little corner of the internet became real.
At first, it was just us.
A group chat, some books we all discovered we were reading.
Screenshots of favorite passages.
Sometimes conflicting opinions.
Too many books stacked beside the bed pretending we were going to read them. Or accidentally re-reading a book because the cover changed and we didn’t remember the title or it was on a different platform.
And honestly? That’s still kind of what this is.
But somewhere along the way, I started realizing there was a gap for readers like us.
It was surprisingly hard to find book merchandise that felt subtle, cozy, and wearable while still capturing the fun of being a spicy reader.
A lot of it just didn’t feel like the readers I knew in real life.
Most of us are adults.
We have careers.
Families.
Group chats filled with unhinged commentary about fictional men, women, and maybe a supernatural character or two or twenty.
Physical TBR piles slowly taking over entire rooms.
And somehow still not enough bookmarks (because let’s be real, any random piece of paper ends up holding the page anyway, or maybe a dog ear).
I wanted things that felt intentional.
The kind of merch another spicy reader would recognize immediately, while everyone else just thought it was a cute hoodie, mug, or tote bag. Maybe a sassy saying, maybe a few spicier options for those of us who were brave enough.
Something cozy enough for a reading sprint.
Something subtle enough to wear to the grocery store without having to explain yourself to strangers.
Because not everyone wants merchandise that screams what they read.
Sometimes it’s more fun when other readers are the only ones who get the joke.
Book Bunny was created for readers who feel things so deeply they are scared to finish a series.
The readers who highlight lines that make them laugh, cry, swoon, or annoy the ever-loving crap out of them.
The readers who immediately need to discuss a plot twist with someone before they combust.
The readers who say “I’m fine” after finishing a book when they are very clearly not.
Especially the spicy readers.
The subtle ones.
The quiet ones.
The readers carrying around a perfectly innocent looking tote bag that absolutely does not reveal what’s on their e-reader or inside their audiobook libraries.
Or who have, at some point, covered a book in duct tape to read it in public. (Yes, I have. Feel free to judge.)
The readers who love spicy books and want to share that part of themselves without needing to be overly explicit about it.
The ones who like the inside jokes, the knowing nods, and the subtle references only other readers immediately understand.
Book Bunny was never meant to scream.
It was meant to feel familiar.
A little nod across the room from one reader to another.
A sticker someone recognizes.
A mug that makes another spicy reader laugh quietly in public.
A hoodie that feels like comfort after a book destroys you at 3:13 in the morning.
Although if you want to let your spicy-book-lover flag fly a little more openly, we may have a little something for that too.
That’s why the merch is intentional.
That’s why the releases are slower.
I never wanted this to feel like fast-fashion book merch designed to disappear in two weeks. I wanted Book Bunny to feel curated. Personal. Like things made by someone who actually understands what it feels like to obsess over fictional characters and rearrange your entire mood around a five-star read.
And honestly, I wanted room to build things thoughtfully instead of rushing products out just to keep up with trends for five minutes before everyone moves on to the next thing.
So instead of mass-producing inventory that may never find a home, Book Bunny uses print-on-demand production.
Not because it’s trendy.
Because it makes sense for the kind of company I want this to be.
It helps reduce overproduction and unnecessary waste. It also allows products to be created closer to readers, which can help reduce excess shipping impact while giving me the ability to release smaller, more thoughtful collections instead of flooding the shop with things just for the sake of keeping up with trends.
I also like knowing things are being made for actual people who genuinely wanted them, instead of sitting forgotten in boxes somewhere because a brand felt pressured to constantly release more.
That slower approach carries over into other parts of the shop too.
It also means being intentional about what gets produced in the first place. Because products are made to order, we don’t accept returns for things like buyer’s remorse or ordering mistakes. It’s a slower, more thoughtful approach, but one that helps reduce unnecessary waste and overproduction.
I know it’s not the fastest way to run a brand in a world built around instant everything, but I’d rather build something intentionally than contribute to more overconsumption just to keep up.
Honestly, I’d rather release fewer things people genuinely love than constantly push products no one needed in the first place.
Book Bunny was never supposed to feel corporate.
It was supposed to feel like finding your people.
The friends who understand why you’re emotionally unavailable for 48 hours after finishing a book, or why you need that cozy romance after binging your favorite dark romance series in a matter of days.
The people who don’t judge your tab count, your annotations, your rereads, your giant TBR, or your extremely questionable taste in book boyfriends.
This is for the readers who bring books everywhere.
Who romanticize coffee shops and rainy days.
Who collect quotes like souvenirs.
Who accidentally stay awake until sunrise because “just one more chapter” is never “just” one more chapter.
Who needed a space that felt cozy, chaotic, comforting, and just a tiny bit unhinged.
So welcome to Book Bunny.
We saved you a seat in the group chat.
