an interview with alyssa regan, owner of mobile bookstore between the covers co.
the interview series, volume one
Hey book bestie!
Welcome to the first edition of the interview series. It’s a series where I get the incredible opportunity to talk to some amazing bookish creatives. Today, we’re chatting with Alyssa, the owner of Between the Covers Co.
I discovered Alyssa on Threads. One of her posts appeared on my homepage, asking indie authors if they’d be interested in being stocked in her mobile bookstore. I responded to it. I knew I wanted to talk to Alyssa about why she’s opening Between the Covers Co. and so many more fun tidbits.
Hope you enjoy the interview!
Jessica: Tell us about yourself in 3-5 sentences.
Alyssa: Hi, my name is Alyssa Regan! I am 29, a Cancer (yes, I am crying right now), and I’ve got what I like to call “spicy brain,” also known as ADHD. I am a mother of two amazing children and married to a literal book boyfriend come to life!
Jessica: Can you tell us what Between the Covers Co. is?
Alyssa: Between The Covers Co. is a POC LGBTQIA+ woman-owned romance and fantasy mobile bookstore in New Jersey. We support and uplift both indie and trad authors with a focus on BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ stories. We are very sex positive, so our bookshelves are full of chili peppers and our online personality reflects that!
Jessica: Who or what inspired you to open a mobile romance and fantasy bookstore?
Alyssa: I am a part of a “Silent Book Club” that travels around different places each month, meeting up to chat and reading amongst friends. I loved connecting with other readers so much that I wanted to find a way to do more of what I love that was “more” than an online bookstore but still “less” than a brick and mortar. Thus, the mobile bookstore was born!
Jessica: How did you come up with the name for your business?
Alyssa: My husband actually did! I wanted something that felt cheeky but still appropriate and this fit right in. He picked the name of our first child, so it’s kind of become my “good luck charm” to go with his ideas.
Jessica: Can you give us some insight about what it can be like preparing to open a bookstore on wheels?
Alyssa: Unfortunately, there's not a lot of information out there on how to get started but we were lucky enough to have found an online bookstore, Willow and Dagger, who offered a ton of insight on their TikTok and had personal conversations with our friends who are in the bookish community. The gist of it all is to set up accounts via a wholesaler or work directly with publishers (or indie authors) to get your inventory. We had to purchase our truck, have it titled, insured, inspected for the road as well as find a time to do the buildout of the shelving! It involves a ton of research for what type of titles you’d like to carry, which authors you’d like to support, what merchandise you’d like to offer, which establishments would like to host you, if the local townships support mobile businesses selling at pop-ups, etc. It’s been a lot but also so very exciting!
Jessica: How did you get into reading? What made you fall in love with it?
Alyssa: I grew up in foster care and experienced a lot of trauma. I was then adopted into a very conservative thinking household where conversations about some of these issues, particularly sex, was off limits. Books gave me an outlet to safely explore those feelings and gain a newfound confidence.
Now, in my adult life, it’s connected me to some of my most treasured friends! I want to empower other adults who may have experienced the same things to take back their power, explore their own desires, and dive into their sensuality with confidence, free from judgment.
Jessica: What’s one indie romance book and one indie fantasy book you’d recommend for us to check out?
Alyssa: Ugh there is so many good ones, INCLUDING YOURS! We’d recommend All That You Are by Elicia Roper! Indie Fantasy Book, The Curse of the Goddess by C.C. Gonzalez. And I know you only said two but we also have to mention Eternal Echoes by Ophelia Reign, it’s a paranormal romance and so freaking good!
Jessica: What are things you do in your free time when you’re not gearing up to open Between the Covers Co.?
Alyssa: When I am not getting ready to open our new mobile bookstore, I am often in my vegetable/flower gardens with my chickens, adventuring with my family, and writing poetry or reading. Oh, and traveling-ice coffee in hand!
Jessica: Your top 3 romance tropes.
Alyssa: Enemies to Lovers but they have to actually be enemies, Forced Proximity, and Fated Mates (this was so hard to do!)
Jessica: What advice would you give to someone who wants to open their own mobile bookstore?
Alyssa: Make sure you fully understand how much it costs to get up and go before you dive right in but JUST DO IT! There's quite a few of us now and it can be hard to feel like you're going to “be different enough” to stand out but I promise the book community is amazing and you will find your niche! We actually have a group chat of several bookstores (online and stationary) who are opening or already opened and it’s been incredible to come together and just yap it up—if you’re opening a store and have questions, reach out to me! I’d be happy to help!
Thank you so much for letting me interview you, Alyssa! You can find her and Between the Covers Co. on Instagram and Threads. Check out their website here.
The store is set to open sometime in Late April or Early May of this year.
Join me on my author journey by following me on Instagram and Threads.