Plot Twist Café was formed in 2025 by a local master’s student and independent author, Bailey Elizabeth. She took her experience working for nearly a decade at a small design firm and put her creativity to work to make her dream come to life. Her goal was to design a space where people from all walks of life could come and surround themselves with books, board games, and the smell of fresh-brewed coffee.
Plot Twist Café is an hour and a half from a handful of major cities, sitting right on the MO, IA, KS, NE border, and is a cozy oasis in the rural Midwest. Visit us at 215 W 5th St., Maryville, MO!
Do you have used books?
Yes! We have a blend of new books and used books to offer our customers a variety of trendy and affordable options.
Do you take donations?
The short answer is yes! We love used book donations.
What condition should my books be in?
Books should be in at least fair condition. Please do not bring books with missing covers, crusty spills on covers/pages, books made up of more dust than paper, and books with bugs.
When can I bring used books in?
You can bring small batches of used books by any time PTC is open. PLEASE do not leave books outside of our door outside of operating hours.
If you plan on bringing large quantities of books (anything over 1 tote bag or 1 box of books), please let us know in advance and send a photo of the books prior to drop off for approval. We have limited storage space, and huge deliveries can end up making our lobby dysfunctional.
Do you pay for used books?
If books are in good condition and are newer titles, we will give store credit equating to about ¼ of what we will sell them for (usually between $1-4 per applicable book).
What books/genres do you accept?
We take all genre fiction (romance, horror, mystery, fantasy, classics, lit fic, scifi, etc. in kids, YA, and adult) as well as relevant nonfiction. They can be paperbacks, hardcovers (with or without dust jacket), or mass market paperbacks.
What books/genres do you NOT accept?
We prefer not to take out-of-date titles. This doesn’t necessarily always mean old books, but rather books with outdated information (i.e. self help, business, homebuying, and finance books from the 2000s and older—books that we will end up having to take to recycling because they are not helpful anymore). This also includes biographies, memoirs, and history books on sports teams and political figures that contain outdated info or messages.
If you are unsure about a book, no shame, just ask! We greatly appreciate all of our book donations, but we must be practical about storage space and what our customers are looking for.