Olivia Levin grew up being a major fan of Taylor Swift.
As a teenager and young adult, she took her love and passion for all things Taylor Swift and turned it into an illustrious career.
That career includes a bestselling book called “The Story of Us,” which acts as a “love letter by a Swiftie for Swifties.”
The book explores the uniqueness that is the Swiftie fandom. Each chapter is an opportunity for Swift’s biggest fans to reflect on the beautiful and zany journey that comes with being a Swiftie.
This week, Swift’s fans celebrate 20 years of the beloved singer: Her first single, “Tim McGraw,” came out June 19, 2006.
“I just want to keep following my passion, and there’s other things that I aspire to do that are kind of right up the alley of centering on fandoms,” Levin said. “Without fandoms, there’s no artists.”
Becoming a Swiftie
Levin first became a serious Swiftie at the ripe age of 13. That’s when she started really getting into music and digging into the lyrics. She also started a fan page on social media and got involved in the Swiftie community online.
“Her lyrics are so deep and vulnerable and just detailed that it kind of allows you to slip into a version of yourself that can feel like you’re living through the same experiences,” Levin said. “So I think that’s really what it was.”
Fast-forward to years later, and Levin has attended 11 Eras Tour shows, multiple of Swift’s other tours and even attended some of the major Kansas City Chiefs games.
She writes about the experience in the book, but Levin also had the glowing opportunity to meet the music artist in person.
How this Taylor Swift fan turned her passion for the singer into a career
So how did Levin turn this passion into a career? It started out with Levin feeling stuck working a remote job for a book publishing company. After deciding to stick it out for six months, she got the call that she was actually being laid off due to budget cuts.
Around the same time, her beloved dog died, so it was a difficult time for her.
After applying to multiple jobs and not feeling super jazzed about any of them, she decided to start her own copywriting business.
When her copywriting business started taking off, so did her @SwiftiesforEternity social media account, which now has more than 600,000 followers.
She started getting brand deal after brand deal. Soon after, she was making more money than she ever did in the corporate world.
She quit the copywriting gig and pursued the Swift fandom gig full time instead. This was around when Swift was most ubiquitous in the cultural zeitgeist — it was the height of The Eras Tour and when her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce had become a major topic of discussion.
About the book
In early 2024, a book deal came along. Levin was 23 years old at the time, and she got an email from a book agent in Brooklyn, New York, who said she and her family were big Swifties and that they had an idea for a book that they thought she should write. She spent the next year and a half dedicating herself to getting it published.
“I don’t think there’s any other fandom like ours,” Levin said. “Taylor’s been around for so long, and it’s been two decades now and she’s still bigger than she ever was and just had her biggest song, so I think it’s a testament to our fandom and how loyal we are and how passionate we are. And I just love how uplifting we are of each other and other people.”
The book was published by Simon & Schuster in April and shot up to a New York Times and USA Today bestseller shortly after publishing.
It takes readers along a journey through 13 chapters “capturing the glitter, devotion, and emotional resonance that have made Swifties one of the most influential fan communities of all time,” according to the press release.
As a Swiftie myself, it was fun reading about Levin’s unique experiences in the world of Swift, as much as it was a reflection on how much being a Swiftie means to me.
What makes Taylor Swift’s fans so special?
The Swiftie community is vast and spans across multiple generations, incomes and even geographic locations. As indicated by the wild popularity of The Eras Tour and the chart-topping records Swift has achieved — Swifties are everywhere.
When the Swiftie community grabs hold of something, it can achieve pretty much anything. There have been instances where Swift visited a hospital and then Swifties raise thousands of dollars for that hospital.
Levin dedicates a chapter asking Swifties what the fandom means to them, “so get your tissue box ready because that chapter is a tearjerker,” Levin says.
In a behind-the-scenes video, Swift was seen wearing an adorable otter shirt. The artist behind the shirt started selling the shirt with proceeds going toward otter conservation. Within hours, fans raised over $2 million by purchasing the shirt.
“I always say, if you’re in a room full of Swifties, you’re in the most like joyful, happy place full of positivity and just kindness where there’s no judgment,” Levin said. “I think Taylor’s been able to curate a community of just genuinely kind people who just want to be themselves and embrace the best versions of themselves.”
Here’s where you can purchase the book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Story-of-Us/Olivia-Levin/9781668092927