We helped Lilac Library, a garage-born special edition book publisher, launch it's first subscription box service. The challenge was figure out, how to transform a community of readers into paying subscribers through organic social media alone, no support from advertising spend.
Turning fans into paying subscribers
Lilac Library creates stunning special edition books for fantasy, romance and "romantasy" fans, transforming cult titles into collectible works of art. What began as a passion project in a garage in 2022 has rapidly evolved into a fast-growing brand with a devoted community of readers who see books as more than literature.
In 2025, riding the wave of growing demand, Lilac Library was ready to launch it's first subscription box service. But in the crowded world of BookTok and Bookstagram, where numerous competitors were releasing special editions of the same popular titles, the brand needed to stand out.
The challenge
- Launch a brand-new subscription box service from zero subscribers
- Compete in an increasingly crowded market of special edition book publishers
- Grow an Instagram community consistently while driving actual sales
- Build and maintain a waitlist of potential subscribers to fuel future growth
What Lilac Library had to say about us
"Rather than pushing sales-heavy messaging, we needed a partner who understood that our audience invests in experiences and community, not just products"
George Robson, Lilac Library
Our Solution
We developed a community-first strategy that made every subscription reveal feel like a must-have moment within the romantasy fandom. The approach included:
Authentic Community Integration: We invested time in understanding the community's language, memes and inside jokes, ensuring every piece of content felt like it belonged to the fandom rather than being marketed at.
Strategic Content Planning: With limited budget, we created a select number of unique assets that could be repurposed across platforms, each designed to build anticipation and awareness whilst maximising the investment available.
Behind-the-Scenes Storytelling: We brought subscribers into the journey through warehouse clips, packaging processes and book preparation content, making the subscription feel personal and special.
Trend Integration: By tapping into #BookTok and Bookstagram trends with relatable, trope-driven content, we created highly shareable posts that resonated deeply with romantasy fans.
Early challenges included mastering the nuanced language of the bookish community and standing out in a competitive market, but we overcame these by focusing on the audience and creating content that fans genuinely wanted to share - not for competitions or influencer endorsements but because they felt part of something special.
Check out our work on Lilac Library Instagram.
