A Buccan-based mother of two has built an international “book-box” company, Beyond the Pages, from her own home, offering limited edition romance novels alongside themed merchandise.
Charli Lee, the woman behind Beyond the Pages, started out as a blogger and advance copy reader, hosting events to bring authors and readers together.
It was due to her involvement in this space that led Mrs Lee to notice a gap in the Australian book market.
In order for Australian readers to get their hands on special edition books, they would have to purchase them from the United States or the United Kingdom, with fees for shipping and processing making these purchases unaffordable.
“Honestly, my first motivation was quite personal. I wanted those beautiful editions on my own shelves. So I decided to create them myself,” said Mrs Lee.
Beyond the Pages was founded in 2021 with that goal in mind.
Mrs Lee has built the operation in her own home, alongside her two young daughters, and her husband, who helps by spray painting the book edges for a further personal touch.
Her daughters, who were aged just two and three when the business launched, have grown up alongside Beyond the Pages and still occasionally help pack orders.
Each book is hand-selected by Mrs Lee, who reads all the titles included in the book boxes.
“There isn’t a team of readers behind the scenes deciding what makes the cut. It’s me,” Mrs Lee said
Despite being run from a family home in Buccan, Beyond the Pages has developed a strong international customer base.
Today, most of Beyond the Pages’ customers are based overseas, particularly in the United States.
While Beyond the Pages has expanded internationally, Mrs Lee uses her profits to better her own community.
“Giving back was one of the fundamental principles I wanted to build into the business from the very beginning: support local, support small and give back,” Mrs Lee said.
“Beyond the Pages may now reach readers and collectors around the world, but it is still a small business that was built from my home in Logan, and I am incredibly proud of that.”
Beyond the Pages has donated nearly $200,000 to Australian charities, including Defenders for Hope, a Logan City domestic violence charity.
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