What is Lit Escalates?

We bring literature to life

Lit Escalates (yes, we used to be called Shit Escalates) began as a Covid-era collaboration between Red Rising author Pierce Brown and visual artist Joel Daniel Phillips. We were just trying to help out a few neighbors by selling some bandanas for a fundraiser when the Howlers showed up like a tidal wave and bought thirty grand worth of them in two days. Suddenly we had a nonprofit donation, boxes full of bandanas to ship, and a company we’d never meant to start.

Somewhere in that chaos, we realized something big: most of the time unless a book gets a show or a movie, fans don’t get to physically see the worlds they love. So we decided to fix that.

Now we team up with science fiction and fantasy authors to pull their worlds out of books and into real life. Limited-edition drops. Long-term merch lines. Sculptures, swords, shirts, mugs, hats, stickers, prints… basically anything we think will make readers grin, giggle or swoon.

We’ve shipped over 50,000 packages to readers in 35 countries and gotten to work with brilliant writers like Pierce Brown, Joe Abercrombie, and V.E. Schwab. And we’re nowhere near done.

If you’re an author who wants to watch your world claw its way into the physical realm (or you know someone who should) shoot us an email at shop@lit-escalates.com.

Stories want out.
We just help them escape.