July 27th, 2010
We’ve had some great entries for our first Summer Short Story Contest and we’re eager to see the rest of them. (you do have a story almost ready don’t you?)
Our contest is open to all genres. There are cash and publication prizes and of course bragging rights. Seriously what are you waiting for. (I’d enter but I’m not allowed).
Tell your friends, relatives and anyone you know who writes and has always dreamed about getting published.
“Winner of the PaperBox Books Summer Short Story Contest” will look really good on your next query letter.
Contest details are available at http://paperboxbooks.com/summer-short-story-contest.php
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July 4th, 2010
Over this summer we’ll be launching a section for short stories. To celebrate we thought we’d do a contest.
So… send us your short stories.
Prizes:
- 1st place: $75 and publication in the winners anthology plus a complimentary copy.
- 2nd place: $50 and publication in the winners anthology plus a complimentary copy.
- 3rd place: $25 and publication in the winners anthology plus a complimentary copy.
- 4th & 5th place runners-up: publication in the winners anthology plus a complimentary copy.
Check out the rules and entry guidelines at http://paperboxbooks.com/summer-short-story-contest.php
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May 3rd, 2010
Editor of the Month- Sue Buckley- Apr 2010
While technically it’s my name on the award, both Perry and I have been working hard to make PaperBox Books a safe place for authors, especially first time authors, to submit their work.
Here is a summary of some of the comments from the nomination form. Fictionista Workshop forwarded them to me along with the award notification.
Sue is an editor for Paper Box Books, a new e-publisher that started up in Vancouver, BC. I met her at a NaNo event and added her to twitter. Earlier this month she (via Paper Box) offered to read and give helpful comments/critiques to anyone willing to send in the first 10 pages of the manuscript. The comments on mine were returned in less than 24 hours with detailed and VERY helpful insights. Her passion for helping authors get published is inspiring.
She’s been very easy to talk to. I’ve exchanged several emails with her about various different subjects concerning writing and editing and publishing. Her responses are always well thought out and personal, no chain letters for Sue!
The company she works for is just starting up. It is all about working *with* the authors and Sue personifies that. It would be great to see her get the recognition she deserves for the time that she puts in.
I’m especially pleased because these comments validate everything Perry and I are trying to accomplish with PaperBox Books.
Even though we have to reject some pieces because they’re not quite ready for publication, we make sure we include specific reasons for not only why the work was rejected but also examples of how these issues can be improved.
We’re helping writers build their professional reputations and improve their craft.
A special thank you to the nominator. She also works hard in the writing community to encourage new writers (and editors 
).
I’m still grinning, thank you so much.
Sue
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April 20th, 2010
Hi, all short story writers.
One of the cool things about e-publishing is the ability to publish ‘non-standard’ length work. When you are putting books on physical bookshelves, you need to meet a size range. The short story has no place alone on the shelf. There are plenty of collections there, meaning your reader has to buy a bunch of stories they don’t necessarily want in order to read yours.
In the e-publishing world there’s no physical shelf. If you put out a 45,000 word novella, it’s about pricing and attraction. If you put out a 1,500 word short story or a 10,000 word kind of long story, you just need to figure out what the right price is. Then you need to find your fans and let them know it’s for sale.
This is one of the reasons Sue and I brought PaperBox Books into existence. We saw the possibilities and decided we were up for the challenge.
We’re working on a branded line of short stories these days. Before we go all out looking for authors we need to think of a brand and a pricing strategy. But if you have a short story or two sitting in a folder, think about submitting it to PaperBox Books when we send out the call.
Follow us on Twitter @paperboxbooks and watch for the call for submissions.
Perry
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April 9th, 2010
Hi, short post this time to let you know that we tweeted out an offer to give an opinion on the first 10 pages of a manuscript. We got three submissions faster than – insert your favorite cliche here – and we were wowed by the work people sent.
To the three people who have now received our comments, well done. All three had us wanting to read more.
Sue and I are going to do this periodically, so follow PaperBox Books on twitter and watch for the invitation.
It’s sunny here – and still a bit windy. But who is going to say no thanks to a nice sunny day.
Happy writing
Perry
No Comments | In: Submissions, What's New with PBB, opinions | tags: How to Submit, opinion, Twitter. | #
March 8th, 2010
Hi, today is day 2 of read an ebook week. This is the week when ebooks go on sale at participating distributors. Our distributor, Smashwords is participating and PaperBox Books has discounted our books by 25% for the week.
Shameless plug of Paperbox Books to make sure you don’t miss the sale – buy our books, please. If it wouldn’t be too much trouble. Thanks (yes, we’re Canadian).
Off Track. Madeline was on track to make partner in her law firm when she was dragged into a magical world. Can she find her way back on track through a tangle of love, magic, and evil villains? And will she want to turn her back on love to return. Jode knew he loved Madeline as soon as she followed him to his world. Will he sacrifice his love for her freedom?
The Trouble with Jake. (YA) After catching her boyfriend cheating on her, Kathryn drives all night. Finally, in the wee early hours of the morning she parks on the wharf at White’s Bluff. Jake, watches her even though she can’t see him. He’s been a ghost for over a century and over the years has developed a fondness for Kathryn and her family as they vacationed at White’s Bluff each summer. After sunrise, Kathryn leaves her car to stand on the wharf. She is shocked to discover the imaginary protector of her childhood fantasies is real. The more she learns about Jake’s identity the more he worries she’s getting too attached. A storm is brewing, can they survive it.
The Problem with Jake. (the adult version of the story)Kathryn catches her fiancé cheating. Driving all night, she pulls onto White’s Bluff wharf. As a teenager she’d spent hours weaving fantasies about a protector. Stepping onto the wharf, she discovers her protector is real. Jake, a ghost for over a century is stunned when Kathryn speaks to him. As they became closer, he can’t help but worry about the plans she is making for their future.
The dual version. Ever wonder how the same story is changed depending on the audience. Check out this dual version.
Happy reading
Perry
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February 18th, 2010
What’s up with us right now?
We’re reviewing some great submissions and continuing to stalk the premium distributors for our books.
In between that we’re designing a 6 week revision online workshop. We are not ready to launch yet, but we’re working on the curriculum. Participants will learn a process for revising their stories from a big structural check through to polishing the pre-submission draft. Including some ideas on how to deal with critiquing, how to decide what you will change and how to approach changes. Along with how to deal with conflicting critiques.
Along with tools and lessons, each participant will receive at least 2 separate critiques on a few scenes of their work.
We’re having fun creating it from our own experiences in figuring out how to get from the first draft to the polished manuscript.
Stay tuned over the next month or so while we get the course set up and tested.
Perry
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February 14th, 2010
Okay, there isn’t much correlation right now between the two beyond the fact that it’s hard to keep focused on the writing and publishing when such a fabulous event is taking place in your backyard.
What is great about PaperBox Books right now? We are reviewing more great manuscripts every day. Wow the ideas and stories are great.
What we realized as we reviewed the submission was that not everyone has a good grasp on revision. It gave us the idea to put together some online workshops – the first, how to revise.
Stay tuned for an announcement in the next few months about the first session.
Perry
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January 11th, 2010
It’s been a while since my last post. I have lots of reasons/excuses, but it is all about getting PaperBox Books up and running.
Sue and I have been passing legal docs back and forth – much prefer reading fiction than legalese – testing our processes, stalking Smashwords to see if the books have been sent to the premium distributors (soon) and planning (or plotting?) marketing plans.
Our timing was great because now we’re getting more and more submissions from authors, so now we have the time to read and give feedback.
Sue has done a great job revamping our site – check it out.
Well, back to researching helpful sites for authors and thinking about workshops we can offer.
My favorite e-book question – how do you do book signings? – has been answered here.
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December 28th, 2009
If you have followed us on Twitter, you’ll know the big news. Our first books are up and available to buy on Smashwords.
Here are the links if you haven’t heard.
The Problem with Jake
Off Track
The Trouble with Jake
Dual Version of the Jake and Kathryn
Now we wait for the process to flow through to the Kindle store, the Sony ebook store and Fictionwise and all the other great e-book retailers out there. The great news is we did a fabulous formatting job so we qualified for the premium catalogue – important for our authors to know we are able to produce high quality ebooks.
I thought the waiting over Christmas would drive me nuts – waiting to get the components together, waiting to make sure the formatting was clean. I didn’t think ahead to how it feels stalking Amazon.com and the Sony store to see when our titles pop up.
Well, I can live with the anticipation.
Time to get going on other people’s books and helping other authors find their audience.
Have a great new years celebration – drink all you want – leave the car keys at home.
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