Have you ever scrolled through Instagram thinking, “Wow, that person has the dreamiest bookshelf ever,” and wondered if they’re actually making money from those perfectly staged photos?

Well, Hayley Solano’s story might just blow your mind (and inspire you to dust off that stack of classics on your shelf).

When Free Books Don’t Pay the Bills

Back in 2018, Hayley started posting gorgeous photos of her classic book collections on Instagram. Her audience quickly grew as fellow book lovers found her aesthetic irresistible.

But here’s the thing about #bookstagram that nobody talks about: publishers don’t exactly hand out cash.

“Publishers really don’t compensate readers. They compensate them with books to read, which is lovely for a reader, but also does not pay bills,” Hayley explains.

By the time she hit about 40,000 followers with insane engagement (we’re talking 5,000-10,000 likes per post!), this bookstagrammer reached a crossroads many creators face.

“I was putting in so much work and effort and love and creativity into the community I was creating, and it was just getting to the point where I didn’t feel like I could justify the amount of time without figuring out a way to have it support me.”

 

She even tried pitching to brands, explaining how passionate readers could be perfect customers, but she got the brush-off. 

“Brands go, ‘Well, our product has nothing to do with books, never mind,'” Hayley recalls. 

Talk about missing a golden opportunity!

The Google Search That Changed Everything

Rather than giving up, Hayley did something brilliantly simple.

“I just looked up online ways to make money online and read an article about all the different ways.”

Among all the usual suspects—digital downloads, products, affiliate links—one idea caught her attention: membership websites. And that’s when the lightbulb went off.

“Book club… membership dues… would that work? Would people pay to be in a book club?”

But Hayley wasn’t thinking about just any book club. She started imagining the ultimate bookish experience that would match her dreamy aesthetic on Instagram. She sent out a survey through her Stories and newsletter to gauge interest, and when enough people seemed excited, she took the plunge.

In January 2021, the Enchanted Book Club was born with about 75 founding members!

Not Your Neighbor’s Book Club

If you’re picturing ladies sitting around someone’s living room with wine and cheese, discussing the latest bestseller… think again. Hayley’s Enchanted Book Club is like a literary theme park for book lovers.

“We have a large percentage of our members who never read the book selections at all and never actually go to our discussions to talk about the books because we offer so many other things that keep their hearts connected to the stories that they love so much.”

What kind of “other things” are we talking about? For starters…

Author Interviews That Feel Like VIP Access

“I interview authors on Zoom every month—we usually do two… and it could be a bestselling author, a descendant of a classic author that we love, a literary scholar, and it’s fascinating. We learn so much from these women.”

Literary Trips That Make You Cry (In a Good Way)

In 2023, Hayley added what might be the most magical membership perk ever: literary travel experiences.

Picture this: 50 women ages 20-70 taking over a hotel in Concord, Massachusetts (where Little Women was written) and visiting every spot connected to Louisa May Alcott. They had picnics at Walden Pond, toured Alcott’s house, and visited beautiful bookstores in Boston.

 

The best part? These weren’t just tourist trips—they were emotional journeys with people who truly “get it.”

“We get women going on these trips saying, ‘I could never take my husband to this because he just wouldn’t understand. Or, I have friends, but they don’t care about Little Women, so if I brought them here, they would be nice, but they wouldn’t be crying in Louisa May Alcott’s bedroom with me like you are.'”

Another trip took members to Prince Edward Island, where Anne of Green Gables is set. They even got to see L.M. Montgomery’s original manuscript with her handwritten edits, including the infamous scene where Gilbert calls Anne “carrots.” 

 

Themed Months That Make Reading an Experience

Hayley doesn’t just pick random books. She creates entire experiences around them:

• February brings love stories for Valentine’s Day
• Summer features lighter reads perfect for poolside lounging
• April is “journaling month” with books written in diary format, journaling prompts, and discount codes for beautiful journals

From Hobby to Full-Time Dream Job

What started with 75 members paying just $10 monthly has exploded to nearly 800 members at $15 monthly or $150 annually. And yes, that’s enough for Hayley to make this her full-time gig!

“I’ve always done independent contractor work,” Hayley explains. “At the time, I had clients helping them with their social media presence… probably three or four clients. And as the book club has continued on, I have had fewer and fewer clients. Now I just have one client that I work with sort of on a project basis if something comes up, but this is really my full-time at this point.”

While she does partner with travel agencies to help with the literary trips, the Enchanted Book Club is now Hayley’s main focus—all because she refused to give up on finding a way to make her bookish dreams pay the bills.

How to Turn Your Bookish Passion into Profit

Hayley’s advice is refreshingly practical.

“Be creative. Don’t be afraid to be unconventional. I didn’t look up how to make money using my love of literature online. I just looked at all of the options and tried to use my creativity to apply those options in a field that I was very interested in.”

She also encourages building an audience if possible (though it’s not always necessary) and looking at various ways to earn money independently that you can apply to your literary passion.

 

Most importantly, don’t give up—even when it seems impossible.

“When I went online to look for ways to earn money online, I felt like if I did not find something that did not work, I couldn’t do this as much anymore. This is just gonna be a hobby forever. And then I found this, and now I get to do this full-time. I get to go to these places from these books with kindred spirits from all over the world.

I was so close to just saying, ‘I can’t do it. There’s nothing out there for me.’ So, hold on to that dream. Like so many of your favorite authors have—I mean, some of your favorite books would not exist if it weren’t for the writer that was holding on to their dreams.”