ABOUT US
Who Is Lost The Plot?
Lost The Plot is a mobile bookstore based just north of Seattle that does pop-ups and bookish events around the Greater Seattle, Tacoma, Everett, and Eastside areas.
We operate out of a charming converted step van (think food truck or package delivery vehicle) that opens up into a mini bookstore!
In our bookmobile, you’ll find adult fiction with a focus on underrepresented voices. Nearly all of our books are written by women, BIPOC, LBGTQIA+, and/or disabled authors (with an emphasis on the latter three).
In addition to traditionally published books, you’ll also find a great selection of indie authors, many of which are local to the Pacific Northwest. We’re proud to be located in an area so full of incredible voices and stories!
Outside of the typical book browsing experience, we offer Blind Dates with a Book and fun merch including tote bags, candles, teas, and cocktail kits.
What WE Sell
Our mission goes beyond selling books.
While we are passionate about putting books by diverse voices in the hands (and shelves) of readers, our goal is also to build community, no matter where we go.
In addition to pop-ups & our presence at local markets, you’ll find events like these:
Our Events
Help us keep physical books in rotation, reducing waste and providing a free way to replenish your bookshelves! Most of our self-hosted events will include a book swap station.
Please check the event details for specifics and to confirm its presence (occasionally there isn’t space for a table at a venue).
Book Swaps
Get a book signed by your favorite author, or come discover new (to you) authors to read!
We host quarterly author signing events around the Greater Seattle area. Check our events schedule to see when the next one is!
Author Signings
Crafting Events
Come together to work on a craft while spending time with the bookish community.
We will always have our mobile bookstore set up for shopping, plus a bookish craft station so you can make something to take home!
Whether it’s books & goat yoga, books & tattoos, or a smut & seduction salon at a pole studio, we’re always looking to plan fun, unique events around the Greater Seattle area.
Have something you’d like to do or a business you’d like to offer as a fun unique combo? Reach out to discuss a possible collab here!
Unique Experiences
The Story Behind Lost The Plot
Like many bookstores, Lost The Plot started as a dream. A desire to share stories that have touched my soul and make connections with those who love to escape within pages as much as I do.
But, like others before me, I put off that dream in favor of a more “responsible” career. When I inevitably burnt out from that, I changed gears entirely, flailing around for a few years while simultaneously working toward discovering my purpose.
After some time, I threw up my hands as I realized I’d lost the plot. So I asked myself: what if I dared to dream again?
That’s where Lost The Plot began. Born from a dream of using storytelling to change the world. Brought to life by dedication, hard work, and the ceaseless pull to build a community in a time of so much strife and uncertainty.
OUR MISSION
To provide a sanctuary for curious minds to build community, discover new worlds and possibilities, and explore all kinds of stories—all while crafting a better world for those who have fought for centuries to reclaim their voices and power.
OUR VISION
To become Seattle’s most enchanting escape for dreamers, thinkers, and explorers; where every visit is a new chapter, and every book opens a portal to connection, community, and wonder.
MEET ASH
Role: Owner
Favorite Book:The Poet Empress by Shen Tao
Favorite Genre(s): Dark Fantasy, Gothic Horror, & Speculative Fiction
Pets: Two cats (ragdolls) named Ari and Sammy
About Ash: In addition to owning Lost The Plot, Ash is also a writer, a reformed marketer, and a retired content creator/Twitch streamer.
When she’s not running her business, you can find her reading/writing books, gaming, making craft cocktails, pole dancing, and daydreaming about one day owning a goat farm.
WHERE CAN YOU SHOP LTP?
MARKETS & SPECIAL EVENTS
Keep an eye out at your local craft, night, and holiday markets for our book truck. We’ll also post our schedule on our website & social media once we have dates secured.
Have an upcoming event you’d like to have us at?
Get in touch with Ash here!
BREWERIES & COFFEE SHOPS
Watch our schedule to find out which breweries & coffee shops we partner with and when!
Are you the owner of a brewery or cafe that would like to partner with us?
Get in touch with Ash here!
SHOP ONLINE
Want to support our shop before (and after) opening? Browse and buy from a large selection of books through our Bookshop.org site.
FAQs
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Curating books to sell at Lost The Plot is one of our favorite parts of the job, and one we don’t take lightly. There are a few ways I find books to bring in stock:
Social media: Like the rest of us, we’re chronically online trying to find out what books everyone’s most excited about, specifically for those by marginalized authors. It’s also how we find a lot of indie authors (outside of our author interest form). Since the industry sucks at highlighting underrepresented voices, this is one of our top ways to find books.
Distributors & publishers: That said, we do still also look through catalogs and lists provided by our distributors & publishers to pull things that fit.
Customer requests/recommendations: Have a book or series you’re loving or want to try? Come talk to us about it at a pop-up, or submit a contact form! We love finding out what you are reading and loving. This is one of our favorite ways to find cool new (to us) books to add in stock!
Bookseller picks: Bookshop.org does a fantastic job working with booksellers to highlight books the industry loves. Plus, chatting with other booksellers helps us stay in the know about what people are loving.
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Oh, how I wish. Unfortunately, there just isn’t enough time in the day to read them all, especially when they keep coming out with more.
That said, we always have at least a few of our personal favorites in stock, so don’t hesitate to ask if you’d like a staff rec! We read across multiple genres, so let us know what you’re into and we’ll help you make a match, even if we haven’t personally read it yet.
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Yes, the goal is to eventually have a brick & mortar or physical location. As of now though, we are having fun with the bookmobile and bringing books straight to you! It’s a good way to try out new neighborhoods and bring our books & events to areas that may not have as many options. Or just to provide another fun option to areas that do.
So while there’s no specific plans in the works right now, we are keeping our eyes open for a location down the road.
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First of all, congratulations! As an indie author-owned bookstore, we know first-hand how much work goes into writing, editing, and publishing a book.
We love working with indie authors & presses; especially if they’re local to the PNW! The best way to submit your book for consideration is by filling out our author interest form.
Please note: As of now (July 2026), we are a solo-run operation with very limited shelf space & budget. As such, it may be some time until you hear back from us. Please note that no response is not a no. If it’s not the right fit for our shop, we will let you know (with time). However, it takes some time to rotate through our stock. The average wait time for a response is currently 3-6 months. I know how frustrating this is, and please know we are doing our best to get through our submissions when we can!
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That’s so exciting! We can testify first-hand how rewarding mobile bookstore ownership is. However, it’s also something that requires a lot of work, and since it’s a fairly newer concept, there’s not a ton of information out there about how to get started.
To begin with, we recommend seeking out communities of other mobile bookstores and searching through archives for beginning-level information. For example, the Pop-Ups, Bookmobiles, & Other Non-Traditional Bookstores group on Facebook has a ton of information.
We also recommend joining the American Bookseller Association as a provisional member, as they have a bunch of resources and tools to help you get started.
Due to the number of requests we get, we unfortunately just don’t have the time to answer every single message. But, if you’d like to book some time with the owner, Ash, we charge $200 for an hour-long session to answer most* questions you may have based on my own experience. Send me an email at ash@losttheplotbooks.com if you’re interested in booking some time!
*For legal reasons, I am not a legal or tax professional, and cannot provide advice related to those issues. Also, I cannot talk about specific dollar amounts or financials.