1. 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. 

2. Do you take donations?

The short answer is yes! We love used book donations.

3. 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. A silverfish or bookworm outbreak puts all of our stock at risk. And while we would love to be able to restore damaged books, we do not have the resources to rebind. 

4. When can I bring used books in? 

Let us know in advance if you are thinking of bringing books by either via our email or our Facebook, and if we are able to take them, you can hand them off whenever PTC is open. Please do not bring books by unannounced to drop off at our counter or outside of our door. Sometimes we simply do not have the space to take books. We have a very small storage room, and huge deliveries can end up making our lobby dysfunctional. 

5. 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).

6. 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. 

7. 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We prefer not to take out-of-date titles. This doesn’t necessarily always mean old books, but rather books with outdated information (i.e. self help, business, homebuying, travel, and finance books from the 2000s and older—books that we will end up having to take to recycling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 This also includes biographies, memoirs, and history books on sports teams and political figures that contain outdated info or messages, as well as magazines (unfortunately, no one wants them). 

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. 

1. Are you accepting new vendors?

At this time, we are full on vendor space. However, we regularly evaluate our vendors and sidelines to ensure they are the best fit for our customer base, so we are still taking vendor applications. 

2. How do I apply to be a vendor? 

If you are interested in becoming a vendor at Plot Twist Cafe, you must email us your name, a description of what you would like to sell, and photos of your product. This allows us to make sure vendor quality is up to our standards and assess whether your product is a good fit.

3. What kinds of goods do you accept? 

We accept a variety of handcrafted goods. Some examples are candles, bookmarks, book sleeves, earrings/jewelry, stickers, soaps, keychains, art prints, zipper bags, figurines, spice blends, simmer pots, coffee mugs, notebooks, etc. We prefer our vendors to be local, as one of our main goals for our business is to support our rural community. 

4. What do you NOT accept?

We do not accept drop-shipped goods, most 3D-printed creations (some acceptions may apply), and anything created using generative AI. Our mission with our vendors is to offer our customers a selection of artisnal, quality, handmade sidelines, and AI goes against everything we believe in as fellow human artists. 

5. Is there a fee to be a vendor?

There is a small shelf fee of $5-15/month depending on the size of vendor space. The percentage split for sales is 25/75% (vendors get 75% of sales). 

6. I am a baking vendor. Is there a place for me at Plot Twist Cafe? 

We do not have dedicated space for baking vendors and must abide by Missouri cottage laws with homemade consumables. However, we do baking vendor popups! If you're interested in doing a baked goods popup in our shop, please reach out via email and we can provide personalized details. 

I am a regional author. Is there a place for my books at Plot Twist Cafe?

Plot Twist Cafe has a dedicated local author section. We consider "local" to mean anyone in Maryville or the surrounding towns, up to around 2 hours away. There is no shelf fee for the local author section, but we do not buy books in advance. Local authors may bring in a total of 5 books (up to 3 of one title), and enjoy a 25/75% percentage split (authors keep 75%) on sales. 

Are there restrictions on what kinds of books you accept?

We have a strict no AI policy. This includes books that were partly or fully written using generative AI, as well as books with AI covers. Our goal is to champion human creators, and gen AI goes against that mission in every regard. Because of the increase in AI books/covers, we may ask you to provide your illustrator or cover designer's information. 

We also do not accept books that have covers depicting graphic nudity. While we accept all genres, including erotica, horror, and fiction exploring taboo topics, we cannot display certain imagery and still maintain being a family-friendly store. 

I am a local artist. Can I sell or display art in Plot Twist Cafe?

Artists who have stock like small prints, stickers, beadwork, jewelry, etc that would be ideal for a shelf space should go through our vendor request process (see vendor FAQ). Artists with larger pieces, ie. canvas paintings, should reach out with a photo and size of their piece and we will discuss individually whether you are looking to display or to sell your piece. Our used book/ board game room has been used as a dedicated space for featuring local artists, so it will just depend on if we have space at the moment for your piece! 

Once again, we have a strict no AI policy, and we will not feature creations made using generative AI.

I am an author, but not local. How do I go about getting my books in PTC?

Authors are welcome to reach out to us via email with a description of their book(s) and where to find them. We want a wide variety of stories in all genres fiction and nonfiction, especially those featuring diverse voices. However, due to our very small storefront, we cannot guarantee you a place on our shelves. We typically only carry a single copy of each title at a time, and must be highly selective when buying books. 

Promotions and Discounts:

We will be offering 20% off basic coffee refills if you bring in one of our Plot Twist Café travel mugs.

Will you accept returns or refunds?

Consumable items cannot be returned. Books and other merch cannot be returned for full price unless there is an error in charge. However, books may be sold used back to Plot Twist Café.

How will my information be used?

Information such as your name, email, and address given via our Newsletter, Kickstarter, or future online shop will never be shared. Plot Twist Café values our customers' privacy.