LitJoy Crate

Specialty Books & Bookish Merchandiselitjoycrate.com

LitJoy Crate is a Lehi, Utah-based DTC e-commerce retailer selling signed special edition books, bookish collectibles, and fandom-licensed apparel to fantasy and YA readers, with a customizable To Bee Read quarterly book box subscription and a Lunacorn paid membership.

Company typePrivate
Founded2016
HeadquartersUtah, United States
Headcount1–10
GTM typeB2C
OfferingHardware or Manufacturing

What LitJoy Crate does

LitJoy Crate, operating as Lit Joy LLC, is a Utah-based direct-to-consumer e-commerce retailer founded in 2016 that sells signed special edition books, bookish collectibles, apparel, and accessories to fantasy and YA fiction readers. Its core catalog combines premium hardcover special editions (custom casewrap covers, digitally signed author pages, sprayed edges, custom endpapers, foil detailing, ribbon bookmarks) at $18.99-$39.99+ with fandom-licensed merchandise, enamel pins, keychains, mugs, bookends, tote bags, planners, and themed apparel. The company's technology stack is a standard Shopify storefront with Stripe, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Shop Pay, and Klarna for payments; Klaviyo for email automation; and Yotpo for reviews; it also uses a third-party AI accessibility overlay.

The business model blends one-time purchases (special edition books and merchandise), a recurring To Bee Read quarterly book box subscription marketed as fully customizable build-your-own, and an annual Lunacorn paid membership that grants early access and exclusive SKUs, plus a LitJoy Rewards loyalty/referral program and a wholesale program for retailers. Go-to-market is product-led DTC with social-first marketing across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, X, and LinkedIn, supported by a blog, a podcast, and Klaviyo email; markets served are the United States and Canada. The company claims 135,000+ five-star reviews and operates from a single headquarters/warehouse at 5125 W Hudson Way #100, Lehi, UT, with 1-10 employees and no disclosed external funding, parent company, or acquisition activity.

LitJoy Crate firmographics

Firmographics

Name: LitJoy Crate
Legal name: Lit Joy LLC
Website: https://litjoycrate.com
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2016
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 1–10 employees
Short description: LitJoy Crate is a Lehi, Utah-based DTC e-commerce retailer selling signed special edition books, bookish collectibles, and fandom-licensed apparel to fantasy and YA readers, with a customizable To Bee Read quarterly book box subscription and a Lunacorn paid membership.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

LitJoy Crate industry classification

Industry

Product category: Specialty Books & Bookish Merchandise
NAICS: Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Retailers (45942), Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers (459)
SIC: Retail-Miscellaneous Retail (5900)
akta.pro primary industry: Specialty Genre Bookstores (e.g., Sci‑Fi, Mystery, Poetry) (CRALAAAJ)
akta.pro secondary industry: Greeting Cards, Wrap & Party Supplies Retail (CRALAJAE)

Keywords

Book subscription boxes
Special edition books
Bookish merchandise
Fandom collectibles
Customizable book boxes

Where LitJoy Crate is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Utah
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

LitJoy Crate business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Hardware or Manufacturing
Cost components: Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

Special Edition Books: LitJoy creates and sells special edition books featuring custom covers, digital signatures, author letters, custom endpapers, sprayed edges, and ribbon bookmarks. These are sold at premium prices ($18.99-$39.99+) and include licensed editions from popular authors like Sarah J. Maas, Lois Lowry, and Casey McQuiston.
Book Box Subscription: The 'To Bee Read' (TBR) quarterly book box subscription offers customizable book boxes delivered to subscribers. The subscription model provides recurring revenue through monthly or quarterly billing.
Collectibles and Merchandise: Sale of bookish merchandise including enamel pins, keychains, bookmarks, apparel (shirts, sweatshirts), planners, notebooks, mugs, tote bags, and fantasy-themed home decor items.
Lunacorn Membership: A membership program offering exclusive perks including members-only products, early access to sales, a free membership pin, and access to exclusive store sections.
Wholesale: LitJoy operates a wholesale program for retailers to purchase their products.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Special Edition Books - premium pricing for exclusive author-signed editions with custom features
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Collectibles and Apparel - bookish merchandise including pins, keychains, mugs, apparel
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Build Your Own Planner System - modular planner with covers and interchangeable inserts
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Great Bookish Clean Out Sale - discounted inventory at $5.99 or less
Subscription	Annual	Lunacorn Membership - exclusive membership with perks and early access

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels12 records

LitJoy Crate product offering

Product offering

Core offering

LitJoy Crate is a direct-to-consumer e-commerce retailer that designs, manufactures, and sells signed special edition books, customizable quarterly book box subscriptions (To Bee Read), and bookish merchandise including collectibles, apparel, home decor, and a modular planner system. The company produces physically customized books featuring digital signatures, custom endpapers, sprayed edges, foil detailing, and ribbon bookmarks, and operates an officially licensed fandom merchandise program for authors such as Sarah J. Maas, Holly Black, and Rebecca Ross.

Product overview

LitJoy Crate operates as an online book-lovers retailer and subscription box service, built on the Shopify e-commerce platform. The core product offering consists of the To Bee Read Book Box Subscription, a customizable quarterly book box service, complemented by the Lunacorns Membership providing exclusive early access and members-only products. Their Special Edition Books line features signed books with digital author signatures, custom casewrap covers, exclusive endpaper art, and ribbon bookmarks. The merchandise portfolio includes officially licensed apparel (V-neck shirts and sweatshirts) featuring popular fantasy fandoms like ACOTAR and Sarah J. Maas titles, collectibles including Greek Mythology Keys, enamel pins, bookends, and decorative accessories, a Build Your Own Planner modular stationery system with interchangeable covers and inserts, and fairytale-inspired items. The Great Bookish Clean Out serves as a periodic sale event for retiring inventory at discounted prices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

To Bee Read: Book box subscription service - described as the ONLY fully customizable build-your-own book box subscription for book lovers
Lunacorns
LitJoy Rewards

Companies that use LitJoy Crate

Customer profile

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

LitJoy Crate technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature1 record

LitJoy Crate partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

LitJoy Crate competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Once Upon a Book Club: Direct peer: book subscription with wrapped-in-book gifts and exclusive reading experiences; targets the same readers-who-want-immersive-experiences segment as LitJoy's TBR.
Fairyloot: Direct peer: monthly YA fantasy book subscription boxes featuring special editions (sprayed edges, exclusive covers, author signatures). Closely matches LitJoy's special edition + subscription model around the same fandoms.
OwlCrate: Direct peer: YA book subscription boxes with exclusive special edition hardcovers, bookish merchandise, and fandom-driven collections. Operates a nearly identical model to LitJoy's TBR box and special edition line.
Illumicrate: Direct peer: special edition book and bookish merchandise subscription boxes targeted at fantasy/YA readers. Comparable products (exclusive covers, sprayed edges, collectibles) and comparable end-customer overlap with LitJoy's fandom segments.
The Bookish Box: Direct peer: book subscription boxes pairing new releases with bookish collectibles and apparel. Sits in the same competitive set as LitJoy for subscription book boxes and fandom merchandise.

Broad incumbents

Book of the Month: Broad incumbent in book subscriptions and curated reader discovery; competes for the same DTC book-buyer wallet but without the special edition/fandom merchandise focus.
Barnes & Noble: Broad incumbent retailer with growing exclusive edition program and B&N Book Club; overlaps with LitJoy's audience and increasingly with its exclusive/special edition thesis.
Chronicle Books: Independent publisher producing premium gift, stationery, and book-adjacent products; competes in the same shelfie/reader-care and collectibles merchandising lane LitJoy sells through its Shopify storefront.
Books-A-Million: Specialty book retailer carrying collectibles and exclusive editions; competes with LitJoy for shelfie/merchandise attach purchases at the point of sale.

Others

Funko: Pop culture collectibles manufacturer (including Funko books line); adjacent to LitJoy's collectibles/merchandise business and shares target fandoms, though distribution model differs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

LitJoy Crate financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

LitJoy Crate leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

LitJoy Crate funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

LitJoy Crate M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about LitJoy Crate

What does LitJoy Crate do?

Is LitJoy Crate a public or private company?

LitJoy Crate is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.

When was LitJoy Crate founded?

LitJoy Crate was founded in 2016. It employs 1 to 10 people.

Where is LitJoy Crate based?

LitJoy Crate is headquartered in Utah, United States, in the North America region.

How does LitJoy Crate make money?

Five revenue lines are on record. Special Edition Books are the primary driver. The others are book Box Subscription, collectibles and Merchandise, lunacorn Membership and wholesale.

Who are LitJoy Crate's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Once Upon a Book Club, Fairyloot, OwlCrate, Illumicrate and The Bookish Box. Broad incumbents are Book of the Month, Barnes & Noble, Chronicle Books and Books-A-Million. Funko is listed as an others.

Does LitJoy Crate have an API?

No public API is recorded for LitJoy Crate.

What industry is LitJoy Crate in?

LitJoy Crate's product category is Specialty Books & Bookish Merchandise. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRALAAAJ, Specialty Genre Bookstores (e.g., Sci‑Fi, Mystery, Poetry), with a secondary code of CRALAJAE, Greeting Cards, Wrap & Party Supplies Retail. Its NAICS code is 45942 and its SIC code is 5900.