Prime Highlights
- Allyson Lacey turned a $1,000 auction bus into A Novel Escape, a mobile bookstore focused on independently published books by diverse and underrepresented authors.
- The store runs on a consignment model, with authors keeping 60% of each sale, making it accessible for both new readers and self-published writers.
Key Facts
- A Novel Escape is a mobile bookstore based in Derby and Wichita, Kansas, operating from April through November out of a converted school bus.
- Lacey has invested between $6,000 and $8,000 in the conversion, funding the build alongside her work as a special education paraprofessional and in-home caretaker.
Background
Allyson Lacey, 27, bought an old school bus for just over $1,000 at an online auction, expecting to be outbid. When no higher offer came in, she held onto the bus for years before finding its purpose. Last year, she converted it into a mobile bookstore called A Novel Escape, parked in and around Derby and Wichita, Kansas.
Lacey gutted the seats, stripped the bus down to bare metal and fitted the floors with refurbished wood from a basketball court. She has invested between $6,000 and $8,000 in the build so far.
The store focuses on independently published books, with a strong emphasis on diversity. Lacey said she actively supports women, the LGBTQIA+ community and authors from different ethnic backgrounds, giving a platform to writers who are often overlooked by mainstream publishers. As an indie author herself, she knows firsthand how hard it is to get self-published books into stores.
A Novel Escape runs on a consignment model. When a book sells, Lacey takes 40% and the author keeps the rest, keeping upfront costs low while letting writers hold on to more of their earnings.
The bookstore made its first appearance in the first week of April at the Wichita Women’s Fair. Lacey has since hosted a silent audiobook walk and is planning bookish bingo nights, silent reading picnics and a day camp for women centred on books and creativity.
Lacey also works as a special education paraprofessional and an in-home caretaker. The mobile bookstore runs from April through November.
